Back in the early 70s, the Brazilian auto industry had already shifted into second gear and was going flat out. The problematic cars of the first generation were a thing of the past and the consumers had totally embraced the domestic cars. The idea now in the minds of the automaker CEOs was as to “fill the gaps” in their catalogs with new products, and the year of 1973/74 was pivotal to consolidate that idea.
Every brand was rolling off a new car in 73; Ford had the Maverick, a car that would become a legend decades later but during its production years wasn’t a good seller and is considered a commercial flop.
Dodge had the “1800”, a rebadged Hilmann Avenger. It could have been the right car for Brazilian Chrysler at the right time; it had a nice design, was comfortable and roomy, and had under the hood the biggest displacement engine among the small cars in Brazil, but the 1800 was plagued by quality issues from day one, issues typically related to a project rushed into production. That bad image stuck with the car for its whole (short) life.
But the other two players didn’t waste any time with questionable cars.
VW was determined to keep its leading position and in a bold move, they brought the FWD Passat, the first step towards the retirement of the Beetle platform.
If the Passat was too radical for the traditional VW customers, they also unveiled the Brasília. This Beetle in new clothes was 100% designed in Brazil and was a massive success; it was even exported to South Africa, Philippines, some countries in South America and was also produced in Mexico.
Chevy by this time was enjoying a comfortable position with its line of light trucks and pickups, and the Opala was already a favorite among the Brazilian middle class. All they needed was a small car to compete in the hottest sales segment in the Brazilian auto market .
The choice at that moment was pretty obvious. General Motors had just finished developing the “T-car” platform, a small sedan intended to be sold globally. Developed by Opel with engineering assistance from Isuzu, the car was a very good approach to give the GM customers a compact car to go through the oil crisis.
In Germany the “T-car” became the third generation of the Opel Kadett, called Kadett-C. It was unveiled to the public in August 1973 and was the last rear wheel drive Opel Kadett.
One would naturally assume (me included) that the Germans would be the first customers in the world to have the “Kadett C” available for purchase, but it didn’t happen like that; the Brazilian Chevrolet was granted the privilege to have the car 6 months before the Germans.
The Kadett “C” was rebadged as the Chevrolet Chevette, and alongside the VW Passat, was the most advanced car in the Brazilian market at that time.
In a direct confrontation with the other players like the Ford Corcel, VW Passat and Dodge 1800, the first impression was that the Chevette was more “spartan”; not much chrome around and one had the feeling of being in cheaper car. The reason was clear, Chevy was aiming against the leader of the pack, the VW Beetle. The idea was not to convince the frugal Beetle customers to buy a fancier car but to offer them a modern spartan car instead. The little 1.4 liter engine was equipped with a single barrel carb, it produced just 68hp and the only choice of transmission was a manual 4 speed.
No doubt the little Chevy was a good option; it was tightly built, reliable, good looking and beside the modest performance, the car was a pleasure to drive, thanks to the rear wheel drive, a precise shifting transmission and a well balanced suspension. But it would take a while before the Chevette become a real threat to the Beetle.
By the end of 1974, even with all the momentum created by the arrival of the new cars, the Beetle was still far ahead of the competition.
Top 3 Sellers in 1974
VW Beetle: 229,273
VW Brasília: 85,257
Chevette: 75,249
The Chevette was unchanged until 1976 when the sports version called Chevette GP arrived. Besides the powerful bright colors and the high performance graphics, it was nothing more than a common 68 hp Chevette.
In 1978 the Chevette received the first facelift with a nice wedge-shaped fascia.
I like to think the design guys got the inspiration from this car. Well, that tv show was very popular around here at that time.
The only Chevette I owned in my life was a golden 1978 model and I was 16 years old with no driver license. At that time my mom’s car was a 1976 Ford Corcel, so I had the privilege to have the two rivals sitting in our garage and I could perform my own comparative tests.
It was easy to notice that the Chevette was a more modern project by the design, the ergonomics and the engine. But the Corcel was a tough contender; even if both cars had the same “L” trim level, the Ford had a nicer interior with better quality material and I always had the feeling the Corcel was a more “solid” car to drive.
Both cars had the same engine displacement of 1.4 liter but the Chevette had a more up to date mill with crossflow head and belt driven overhead camshaft. The engine under the Corcel’s hood was a Ford-built Renault 12, and even though it was one generation older, it generated 75hp and could beat the crap out of the Chevette at any given day.
In the same year (1978) GM unveiled the 4 door model, intended mostly for exports since our love for the 2 doors cars would last for at least another 12 years or so.
For 1979 the good news was the cute hatchback version.
Chevy was getting the Chevette ready for another threat that was looming on the horizon, the VW Gol, the real replacement for the Beetle.
The “hatch” never got the attention from the Chevette buyers and became nothing more than a “collectible” version decades after.
Thrilled by the growing sales numbers, GM gave us in 1980, another version, the 2 doors station wagon.
The car was called “Marajó” after a tropical island in our coast; it had a good cargo capacity but then again with the gutless 1.4 engine, performance was its weak point.
The Marajó could easily stand its grounds against most of the others station wagons we had at that time, like the FIAT Panorama shown in the picture, the station wagon version of the 147.
But the Marajó would be mercilessly beaten by the Ford Corcel “Belina” with its new 1.6 motor.
By 1981 Chevy would again revive the sports version of the Chevette. At this time the hatchback version was wisely chosen. The car was called Chevette S/R and the package was kinda nice, only offered in black with silver details or the other way around.
But the real good news was under the hood, a 1.6 liter engine equipped with dual barrel carb and redesigned intake and exhaust manifolds. The power jumped to 82 hp. The new S/R was a totally different kind of Chevette and the little car could keep up with its competitors without much trouble.
The weak performance of the Chevette was always the biggest concern among the customers and it took a while for GM to accept that a bigger engine wouldn’t hurt the image of “economy” car and it could end up helping to boost sales.
For 1982 GM did what everybody was hoping for, they offered the the S/R engine for rest of the Chevette line up.
For 1983 the Chevette received a major facelift bringing it closer to the newest GM car at the time, the Chevrolet Monza which was the Brazilian version of the Opel Ascona (GM J car.
The Monza came to the market in 1982 and became a huge success. The car was the first Brazilian “midsize” to reach the number one spot on the sales chart. It outsold the competition in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
And then the magic happened; after 10 years the Chevette fulfilled its mission,and in 1983 it finally beat the sales of the VW Beetle.
Of course the situation in 1983 was a bit different than in 1973. The Beetle costumers were already migrating to the Gol and the Chevette was now a complete line of cars with 2 and 4 doors sedans, hatchback and station wagon. Yes, it took all that effort to kick the Beetle’s butt.
In 1984 an optional 5 speed manual transmission and even a 3 speed auto were available .
But the real surprise this year was the Chevette pickup, called “Chevy 500”. The rear wheel drive was a good advantage over its competitors and the little truck sold quite well.
GM kept improving the performance of the 1.6 engine but other than that the Chevette didn’t received any other major modifications.
By the mid 1980s all the others automakers had already unveiled their new generation of compact cars like the Ford Escort and the Fiat Uno. The Chevette was inevitably getting old. Chevy decided to squeeze a few more years out of the car focusing it again on the “entry level” segment.
The Marajó was killed in 1989 as well as other “fancy” versions.
Interesting fact: between 1989 and 1998, Brazilian GM produced the Chevy “Kadett” and for a few years we had two generations of the car, C and E sharing the market at the same time.
The Popular Cars
In the early 1990s the Brazilian government and the automakers came up with a plan to offer more affordable cars for those people who never thought about buying a brand new car.
Tax incentives were offered to either the buyers and the builders and a new class of cars were made available for the public. Very spartan cars equipped with 1.0 liter engines.
Performance wise the best car of the bunch was the FIAT Uno; after all, the car was born as a 1.0 L but all others Brazilian cars at the time had to be adapted and have their engines downsized to 1000cc.
Chevy came up with a cute name for the 1.0 version of the Chevette : “Junior” and in 1992 the car hit showrooms across the country. Obviously performance was dismal to say the least. If customers had a hard time dealing with a 1.4 liter engine producing 68 horses, image now with a 1.0 engine producing “50ish” horses.
If the Uno was the best, Junior was the worst.
But it didn’t matter anymore, Chevy decided to pull the plug and the production ended in 1993, the same year they started to produce its replacement, the Chevy Corsa.
The Chevy 500 was kept in production for two more years until the Corsa pick-up was done.
After 20 years and 1.6 million units sold, the Brazilian GM closed one of the most successful chapters in its history.
The Chevette enjoys a special place in the hearts of the not-so wealthy enthusiasts, specially the first generation years, ’74-’79.
And the little Chevy also is a very popular platform in drag racing in Brazil, thanks to the rear wheel drive configuration.
During my years selling high performance parts, I have seen Chevettes powered by a variety of engines, from the popular 2.0 VW to the 250 in line 6 Chevy and 5 cylinder FIAT Marea.
Since performance was never the brightest of the Chevette’s attributes, it is always a pleasure to see one crossing the drag strip under 8 secs.
This one powered is by a turbo 16v VW engine.
The Chevette lives on, and with a rather different image than in the US.
Certainly a vastly different “image” than the T car we got here!! I made the mistake of buying a new ’76 Chevette stick, while trading in my ’71 Pinto HB. BAD move!!
In retrospect I can think of nothing praiseworthy about my Chevette HB. In winter the rubbery stick would easily snap loose from its linkage, mpg was dismal; ride, handling and brakes were all bottom of the barrel, too.
My little ’71 Pinto was superior in EVERY respect….:( That Chevette was the worst new car I ever purchased. DFO
Thanks for the detailed look into this “alternate universe” of Chevettes! Chevettes with trunks, Chevette wagons, baby Chevettes, even Chevette pickups!
Looking back fondly at my own ‘84 Chevette 2 door hatchback, I was surprised to learn that the hatchback wasn’t initially popular in Brazil.
It’s hard to imagine a 250 six cylinder crammed into a Chevette engine bay, but I’d like to see one. My own Chevette fantasy was to drop a 2.8 MPFI V6 and 5 speed into a ‘Vette and then have some “T2.8” decals and stripes made up for it. (A play on the contemporary Camaro Z28.)
” ‘Vette”, lol
I remember early 80s magazine articles where Chevy US briefly contemplated
a performance version of the Chevette with the HO 2.8 V6 from the Citation X11.
It never happened, low profitability was cited as the reason, fearing that it would siphon sales from the Citation, whose tooling dearly needed to be paid for.
There is a “official rumor” in Brazil that Chevy built a few Chevette prototypes for the GP version with the 151 cid 4 cylinders, Opala engine. The car was a blast to drive and the engine fits the perfectly the bay, so why they didn’t put the car into production? Because it would be faster then the Opala.
Thank you for this excellent look at the Chevette in Brazil.
That revised front end with the slope was already used on the US version for MY 1976, so it took a couple of years to work its back to Brazil.
I got a big chuckle out of seeing that 250 Chevy inline six in a Chevette. Plenty of them here got the common sbc V8 implant, but I doubt anybody ever swapped in the Chevy six. That would open some eyes at a car show.
I know Paul, every time I see one I roll my eyes in disbelief. I pretty much consider the GM 250 being the Brazilian version of the “small block Chevy”. It was affordable, plentiful and easy to squeeze some extra power. We have put the 250 in a lot of different cars, trucks and boats (I am not sure about planes though…)
Perhaps the most famous 6 cylinders Chevette is the Marajó used as “pace-car” during the 1986 Brazilian Formula 1 GP.
Great Cc.that Chevette pickup reminds me of our own Saipa Pride pickup
This was an interesting read, because yes, the Chevette had a very poor reputation in the US.
Fascinating that 2 door cars of EVERY body style enjoyed such success into the 80s. Many other countries had given up on 2 door wagons (though the Ford Escort wagon of the early 80s was still a 2 door if it was manufactured in the U.K.).
Also interesting that a model of the Brazilian Chevette had the name GP and then would get front end styling that seemed inspired by the concurrent Pontiacs.
As a big fan of 2 doors, Brazil seems like it would be my automotive paradise….except for the meager engine choices.
Yet another alternate T car universe, Looks like you got pure rebadged Opel with the 3 door Vauxhall Chevette hatch body thrown in for variety,
NZ unlike other market got two flavours of these T cars we had the Vauxhall Chevette with OHV Viva powertrain and the Opel/Isuzu version with Holden badging and in cases like the dealership my dad was in they shared showroom space, the Vauxhall version outsold Holdens rebadging effort but both models are quite rare today,
I see you got the Corsa in 93 so did NZ and ours had Holden Barina badges though I do see both Opel and Vauxhall versions both gas and diesel around nowdays.
Excelent account of Chevette’s big footprint on Brazilian automotive history – parabéns! I remember as a boy asking myself why (at least in in the mid-70’s) it sold less than VW’s jurassic products since it was definetly a superior product. In my teen years I sat a lot inside all the offerings mentioned above: the Corcel’s seats were the most confortable, Chevette felt zippy, the Passat sophisticated, but the air-cooled VWs were a trowback into another era (if not the KdF era… notwithstanding Brasilia’s modern, airy and spacious cabin, it was seriously noisy and cargowise it was a joke!). It is for me a real treat to see a late 70’s bright orange Chevette parked in my street almost every day.
Does anyone know why the Rabbit (my guess is the Polo was a better fit for the market) or Horizon (Certainly better than the Avenger?) find their way down to Brasil?
This history of the Gol by Rubens explains a lot of it. The Gol was produced locally and used the aircooled Beetle engine, but in the front…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-volkswagen-gol-the-difficult-mission-to-replace-a-legend/
That’s also why they used a shortened Fox-platform for the Gol, it is essentially a Golf sized Passat. The Golf is transversed engined fwd, the Audi developed Fox platform used the tried out DKW formula with the engine hanging longitudinally in front of the front axle and with the transaxle behind the axle line. That means they could use much of the Beetle tech they were already familiar with from the Beetle and Brasilia and essentially just swing the Beetle engine and transmission 180 degrees and put it up front instead of behind. The Gol really is a masterfully executed Frankenstein, they made a Golf out of a shortened Passat with a Beetle engine up front. Later on they switched the Beetle engine for various in line engines, still hanging longitudinally in front of the front axle.
Como é bom ver um amigo brasileiro escrevendo aqui sobre nosso mercado (bem peculiar). Se precisar de uma mãozinha ou alguém pra co-escrever, estou aqui!
Valeu pelo apoio Eric. Obrigado.
That original 2door sedan Chevette (well, the Opel Kadett) is one of the prettiest shapes in that class by far. It got uglier (to me) afterward, the facelift (i.e. US front) did not do it any favors.
The Corcel Belina, on the other hand, Oy! And I’m a wagon fan. That is quite homely-looking and really looks more like some sort of a Ford/VW mishmash.
Another very interesting post from the alternate universe down there, thanks!
Agree about the 2-door, though the fastback 2-door with the same front is outright pretty (google Holden Gemini coupe).
Also agree about that Corcel, though the mishmash is actually Renault via Willys. It’s the short wheelbase/looong front overhang dimensions of the Renault 12 (perhaps the entire floorpan?) unable to be concealed. Note also the Frenchy three stud wheels.
One of my uncle had a Chevette in that reddish orange when I was a child in 1982, and my late grandfather had a Maverick in the exactly same color, (if I’m not wrong in the Ford’s chart color it was called Arizona red). After them I’ve never seen a Chevette in that color anymore.
British Chevettes were pretty poor too, aside from a very limited run of homologation 2.3 litre HS/HSR, they only ever came with a 57 bhp 1256cc ohv lump, a slightly enlarged version of the ’63 Vauxhall viva engine. I think the kindest thing you could say was that they were “adequate”.
They sold strongly at first mainly because there was no other small hatchback being built here at the time. There was a lot more resistance to buying an imported Fiat 127 or Renault 5 in those days. The Ford Fiesta came along in ’77 and, offering a lot more trim and engine options, promptly wiped the floor with the Chevette. Strangely, Fiestas were built in Spain, but the Ford badge somehow fooled people into thinking it was a Dagenham built “home” brand.
I never knew much about the Brazilian Chevette before writing a piece on the US Chevette earlier this year. The Brazilian T-car’s history really intrigued me, so it’s great to read a thorough history of it here. Thanks for the great write-up.
Great stuff again, and thank you for the education, Reubens.
Really interesting you describe it as good looking, well-built, reliable and good handling, because that’s exactly the image the T-car (Gemini) had in Australia. We had a 1.6 Izuzu ohc engine from the start, so good performance for 1975 (0-60mph about 12 secs). I can personally confirm that they were a lot of fun to drive, and they sold up a storm.
We got the wagon, the lovely 2-door fastback, but no 2-door sedan at all; the 4-door was the big seller. (In quite the reverse of Brazil, Australians simply will NOT buy 2-doors!) Though we should’ve got the Brazilian ute, as it would surely have sold well. The Gemini sold through to 1985, by which time it was cramped, noisy and slow compared to the FWD competition. Still looked good and handled the best, though.
I say “really interesting” because the Chevette has such an awful name in the US, and the interest is to know it was well-liked elsewhere. There’s nothing wrong at all with the basic design, apart from the inherent inefficiencies of RWD in a small car. (It was always cramped in the back). Rack steering, discs, coil springs, slick gearbox and a really tough body structure. A much nicer package than the RWD Japanese competitors of the mid-’70’s.
Apart from that strangely angled steering wheel which required you to have one short and one long arm, and to have them round the other way if your country drove on the other side….
Here too they were rallied and raced and even drag-raced and like Brazil, the fairly few remaining are popular with young and not-so-wealthy enthusiasts.
One of the few local Geminis round here sports a 471 blower hanging out of the bonnet atop a 3.5 Rover V8, lack of performance fixed.
“GM should have brought Opel designs to the US in the 70’s, instead of the Vega…” heard over and over.
But they did: “General Motors had just finished developing the “T-car” platform, a small sedan intended to be sold globally. Developed by Opel…”
Great article! I read once that the 1.0 engine was so underpowered that the windows had narrower glass to save on weight (!)
It is very interesting to compare Brazil and Argentina in the 70s. The Hillman Avenger (Dodge 1500) was a huge success and saved Chrysler Argentina form closure (or at least retarded it for 10 years).
But the Argentine Kadett was a real flop. We had only the 4-door version and in an effort to avoid the under powered engines, GM Argentina used a 4-cyl version or the 194 c.i. 6-cyl. The car had some serious troubles with that heavy nose and the fuel economy was awful. Being launched in 1974, GM Argentina shut the doors in 1978.
The Brazilian Chevette enjoyed a brief success during 1992/93 because of the dollarization of the Argentinian economy and the relative cheapness of Brazilian imported cars. They were sold here as GMC due to legal complications for the use of the Chevrolet brand (which was owned by Sevel -Peugeot+Fiat- at that time).
The Dodge 1500 was a common sight at the Southern Brazilian beaches since the Argentine middle-class was willing to spend their high value “Pesos” on our shores at that time.
Some business like restaurants and repair shops had their signs in Portuguese and in Spanish as well.
I’ll join the chorus in saying this was a fantastic article that, indeed, showed the Chevette do Brasil in a completely different light and context than what we’re used seeing here. Thanks, Rubens!
Excellent write up !
Interesting combination of styling on this car – blends features of the American Chevette with those of the Vauxhall Chevette and Opel Kadett of the same era. The red resto-mod with the big rims towards the end of the write up looks particularly interesting.
I’m currently vacationing in Ecuador and if this is any example, there is indeed an alternate Chevy universe in Latin America. I’ve only seen one or two of this gen T car here, but pretty much every Suzuki, Isuzu, Daewoo, Opel – and Chevy- made in the last 20 years can be seen everywhere. Chevy Trooper? Chevy Corsa pickup? Chevy Aveo? Chevy D-Max? Sure. Also many TrailBlazers, Silverado’s, Suburbans, an FWD Impala, even a nice Citation. The bowtie is everywhere.
A bit late but this was an interesting article. I’ve seen pictures of these before but never the history of the Brazilian Chevettes. In the US, I purchased a second hand Chevette as my first road legal car in 1983 and quite honestly, I do miss it.
Mine was the design transitional 1979 4 door with the newer front end and older back end complete with the under-powered 98 CID engine. Some minor modifications did boost the power a bit but it still took a long entrance ramp to get it up to speed before getting on the Interstate without having a car or truck riding the bumper.
Surprisingly though, it was the best snow car I ever owned. It never slid around or got stuck regardless of how bad the roads got with just regular radial tires. That is what I really miss about it.