Chevrolet Citation: Алғашқы алдыңғы жетектегі Chevrolet моделі

The Chevrolet Citation is a range of compact cars that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The first Chevrolet sold with front wheel drive, a single generation of the Citation was sold from the 1980 to 1985 model years. The successor of the Chevrolet Nova, the Citation was initially slotted between the Chevrolet Monza and the Chevrolet Malibu in the Chevrolet product line, later replaced by the Chevrolet Cavalier and the Chevrolet Celebrity. The Citation was built on the second generation compact GM X platform. For 1980, GM had significantly revised its design, adopting a front wheel drive layout and significantly decreasing it in size; while directly replacing the Nova, the all new Citation bore an exterior footprint sized between the subcompact Chevrolet Monza and Chevrolet Vega. Sold alongside the Pontiac Phoenix, Buick Skylark, and Oldsmobile Omega, the Citation was offered in three body styles, including three door and five door hatchbacks and a two door notchback coupe. The 2 door coupe style was similar to but had a distinctive roofline from the Phoenix, Skylark, and Omega, while the 3 door hatchback was exclusive to the Citation. The 5 door hatchback style was shared with the Phoenix, while a 4 door sedan style was offered only on the Skylark and Omega. Alongside a standard trim level, Chevrolet offered the Citation X 11, offering performance oriented upgrades. The Chevrolet Citation was assembled in the United States and Mexico alongside the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Omega, and Pontiac Phoenix by North Tarrytown Assembly (North Tarrytown, New York), Oklahoma City Assembly (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), and Ramos Arizpe Assembly (Ramos Arizpe, Mexico). Following the 1985 model year, the Citation was discontinued by Chevrolet

To better compete in the compact segment following the 1973 fuel crisis, General Motors commenced work in April 1974 on a replacement for its X body compact lines, which included the Chevrolet Nova and its divisional counterparts. As the 1970s progressed, front wheel drive import brand compact cars (such as the Honda Accord, and the Volkswagen Rabbit) continued to grow in popularity, gaining sales from domestic counterparts. While far smaller than the Nova (or even the subcompact Vega) in exterior footprint, the usage of a transverse front wheel drive configuration expanded interior room. For 1978, Chrysler introduced the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon; adopting much of the layout of the Volkswagen Rabbit (to the point of sourcing engines from Volkswagen), the five door hatchbacks became the best selling Chrysler model lines. While GM had produced front wheel drive vehicles since 1966, its experience with the powertrain configuration involved large personal luxury coupes (the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado) and recreational vehicles (the GMC Motorhome), neither compact nor fuel efficient. Following the reverse engineering of Lancia vehicles, GM selected a transverse front wheel drive layout as it downsized the X body. Chevrolet was responsible for the front suspension design, with Pontiac to develop the rear suspension.

The first front wheel drive Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Citation served as the direct replacement for the Chevrolet Nova as the Chevrolet compact model line. In line with the 1977 Chevrolet Impala/Caprice and the 1978 Malibu and Monte Carlo, the Citation was downsized over its predecessor. While packaged with similar interior space as the mid size Malibu (and trunk space as the Impala), the Citation was far smaller than its 1979 Nova predecessor, shedding 20 inches of length (an inch longer than the Vega), 4 inches of width, and 800 pounds of curb weight. Through its production, as one of the front wheel drive X body vehicles, the Chevrolet Citation would undergo a number of manufacturer recalls. In 1980, 225,000 examples were recalled to fix a transmission hose related to underhood fires. The X body cars (which included the Citation) were the target of an unsuccessful lawsuit by the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which cited a tendency for the vehicles to lose control under heavy braking, and power steering problems.

In April 1979, the Citation was released as a 1980 model in two trim levels. Alongside the standard trim, a sporty X 11 version was produced. Otherwise there were no visible external changes. Multiple upgrades were phased in to improve both drivability and fuel economy, with the 2.5 L engine receiving fuel injection and low rolling resistance tires were added to all Citations (including the X 11).

For 1983, the model line saw few changes to the exterior, concentrating most updates on the interior. Coinciding with the introduction of the larger Celebrity, the full width bench seat was deleted, with all examples receiving bucket seats with head restraints. While undergoing almost no visible changes outside of badging, the rebranding was intended to draw attention away from previous recalls and quality issues. ), citing poor build quality and mechanical reliability undeserving of such an award in hindsight. Like the other X body cars, there were numerous reports of the Citation locking the rear wheels upon braking, causing loss of control and a crash. Hagerty, an insurance company specializing in classic cars, notes that the X car was "GM’s prime contender for one of the malaziest cars" of the Malaise era, a car that did "enormous damage to GM’s reputation, putting together a most unenviable record for recalls and poor quality control."