GM Ends Production of Big Sedans

12/17/96

Last Friday marked the last day of production for General Motors' line of big rear-drive sedans. The Arlington, TX plant where GM manufactured its big cars is undergoing a $260 million conversion to produce pickups and sport utility vehicles.

Among the cars consigned to extinction are the Cadillac Fleetwood -- the car of choice for the hearse industry -- the Buick Roadmaster, the Impala SS, and the Chevrolet Caprice -- commonly used for police cruisers and taxis.

GM officials explained that the change was due to the shifting tastes of car buyers. Right now, pickups and sport utility vehicles are the most profitable sector of the automobile market, while larger sedans have grown steadily less popular.

When the Arlington plant begins truck production early next year, it will be manufacturing Chevrolet C/K-series and GMC Sierra pickups as well as Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size utility vehicles.

In the meantime, however, fans of the big cars will have to learn to live with their loss. Said Troy Willrick, president of the Daytona Beach Impala owner's club, "It's kind of a sad day for us. [These] cars represent the last of the big performance cars in America."

Ryan Houlette -- The Auto Channel