In car history
, the ‘70s were some of the best times for cars, but also some of the worst times, especially for muscle car fans. Rather than an oil crisis
that was caused by hackers attacking a pipeline, the ‘70s had an oil crisis for political reasons. That oil crisis, along with a few other factors, ultimately led to Chevy creating the Chevy Chevette, which was definitely not related to the Corvette whatsoever. Why did Chevy create the Chevette in the first place?
According to HotCars
, there was a perfect storm of events that led to Chevy creating the Chevette. In 1973, America and other countries were hit by an embargo from oil-producing countries. This caused gas prices to skyrocket, which was bad news for anyone who owned a car from those days. Cars from those days were notoriously inefficient, and they were also notoriously dirty. That's why, at around the same time, the U.S. government created new regulations that made cars cleaner.
And then, there was the overall economy at the time. The U.S. economy wasn't doing too good on top of the high gas prices, so the average American simply didn't have as much money to spend on cars as they used to.
Faced with those issues, some automakers decided to try making hybrids. Chevy, on the other hand, decided to make a smaller, more fuel-efficient car that was cheap to buy and cheap to own. That car was the Chevette.
How the Chevy Chevette got its name
Since Chevy needed to introduce a cheap car quickly into the American market, Chevy decided to give the Chevette a recognizable name. The Corvette was still popular at the time, as was the Chevelle. Those two popular names combined became the Chevette.
While the Chevette's name was clearly inspired by its cooler siblings, the Chevette was nothing like them at all. The Chevette was built on the T-body platform, and neither the Corvette nor the Chevelle used that platform.
The Chevette also didn't look like either car. Not only was the Chevette a smaller car, but it was also a hatchback. And, of course, the Chevette's specs were very different from the Corvette and the Chevelle's.
MORE: Take a Trip Down Memory Lane With the 1973 Chevelle Laguna
The Chevy Chevette was a quick fix for Chevy
That was exactly what Chevy needed at the time, though. Americans wanted cheaper, more fuel-efficient cars, and the Chevette was exactly that. The Chevette was priced at around $3,000 at the time, which translates to under $15,000 in today's money. This could make it one of the cheapest cars out there.
Despite looking uglier than the Corvette and being a very simple and weak car, the Chevette actually sold well. The Chevette's success allowed Chevy to regroup from the crisis and start making cars for the next generation.
By the ‘80s, the oil crisis was over, and Americans were looking for something new. The Chevette also saw some stiff competition from Japanese cars. By 1986, Chevy decided that the Chevette's done its job, and it was discontinued.
MORE: The Updated 2022 Chevy Tahoe Still Has Some Big Concerns According to Consumer Reports
Small cars like the Chevy Chevette need to be insured
If you're thinking of switching over to a smaller car to save money, then you should also think about how you can save money on your car insurance. Jerry
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