Oldsmobile Alero |
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Wikipedia: Oldsmobile Alero
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Oldsmobile Alero page on 12 January 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Oldsmobile Alero was a Midsize car that was produced by General Motors from 1999 to 2004. The Alero was introduced in 1998 as a 1999 model to replace the entry-level Achieva and Cutlass. The Alero went into production in April 1998. All Aleros were built in Lansing, Michigan. The Alero was Oldsmobile's last compact car and was the last Oldsmobile built, the final car left the Lansing Assembly Plant on April 29th, 2004.
The design of the Alero was originally previewed in 1997 with the Alero Alpha concept car, a V6-powered sport coupe that featured many design elements seen in the production Alero as well as some that were never meant for production. Its appearance was a revival of "coke bottle styling", popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Alero was sold either as a 4-door sedan or as a 2-door coupe. It shared its chassis and many parts, including engines, with the Pontiac Grand Am, the other compact N body 4-door sedans. All Aleros came in base GX, mid-level GL, or high-end GLS trim; GL trim was split into three levels: 1, 2, and 3.
The Alero experienced minimal changes during its 5-year run. Most of these changes were either in choice of engines or options. In 2003, the Alero's daytime running lights were changed from high-beam to low-beam.
The Alero was also sold in select countries in Europe and in Israel between 1999 and 2001 as the Chevrolet Alero, and was only available as a sedan. The car still featured its Oldsmobile badges even though sold under the Chevrolet brand. However, in Israel it featured only the Chevrolet badge. Since most European consumers would not recognize the badging, Chevrolet badges were added to the grille and rear fascia for the 2000 model year. Since the phase-out of the Alero, it was replaced in Europe, Israel and Canada by the GM Daewoo-sourced Chevrolet Evanda/Epica. In the Americas, it was replaced by the Suzuki Verona. The Verona was then replaced by the Kizashi. The Kizashi however continues to be sold.
The Alero's production ended with a special Final 500 Edition. These last 500 Aleros featured custom logos inspired by vintage Oldsmobile logos, dark cherry metallic paint, and a plate featuring the car's number out of 500.
The final Alero Final 500 Edition (#500 of 500), a GLS 4-door, also happened to be the final Oldsmobile ever built, and was signed under its hood by the employees of the General Motors Lansing plant and then given to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum.
A preview of the planned replacement for the Alero was seen in 2001 with the unveiling of the Oldsmobile O4 concept, designed by Bertone. The car was an open top 4-seater with European styling but some Oldsmobile traits, and powered by the latest Ecotec I4 engine. The name had multiple meanings, including "Oldsmobile 4-Seater" as well as implying the year 2004 as a planned date for production.
However, the O4 concept was unveiled a few weeks after General Motors announced that they would be phasing out the Oldsmobile brand, meaning that production possibilities of the O4 would never be realized. Because of this, a second generation Alero was never built and the car was phased out with the Oldsmobile brand in 2004.
| Title & Subtitle | Details |
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1999 Pontiac Grand Am and Oldsmobile Alero Service Manual Volume 1 | Year & Type: 1999 Service Manual Publisher: General Motors Corporation Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" softcover Content: 800+ pages w/black & white illustrations Topics: Pontiac Grand Am, Oldsmobile Alero Availability: Reference Desk |
1999 Pontiac Grand Am and Oldsmobile Alero Service Manual Volume 2 | Year & Type: 1999 Service Manual Publisher: General Motors Corporation Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" softcover Content: 800+ pages w/black & white illustrations Topics: Pontiac Grand Am, Oldsmobile Alero Availability: Reference Desk |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| September 2001 | Remote Alleged Inadvertent Air Bag Deployment Report Vehicle - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero GL National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |  PDF - 591KB - 12 pages |
| May 2006 | On-Site Child Safety Seat Investigation Vehicle - 1999 Oldsombile Alero GX National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 2,601KB - 30 pages |
| May 2000 | SCI/NASS Combination Case Report Vehicle - 2000 Oldsmobile Alero National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 389KB - 13 pages |
| classified date 2001 | Special Crash Investigation Report Case Vehicle: 2000 Oldsmobile Alero GL, 4-door sedan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 6.4MB - 99 pages |
| May 2007 | On-Site Not in Traffic Surveillance Back Over Investigation Vehicle - 2004 Oldsmobile Alero National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1,624KB - 21 pages |