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Oldsmobile Cutlass EV.

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No, GM is not working on a future Ultium-based EV version of the good old Oldsmobile Cutlass. Not any new Oldsmobile either for that matter.

The illustration above shows what a 21st-century Oldsmobile sedan could look like. Of course, it would be based on GM’s new Ultium EV platform.

2024 is a sad anniversary for the Oldsmobile brand since it stopped production and was dissolved 20 years ago, in April 2004. I thought I would post an illustration to mark that sad year…

The brand was around for 107 years. But like all other GM brands, their models just became fancier versions of Chevrolets. Things turned around with the Aurora, introduced in 1995. The Aurora and later Oldsmobile models were really making an effort to look different from other GM brands. However, that was not enough, and the final new Oldsmobile model introduced was the Bravada SUV.

Oldsmobile was known for many “firsts” over its history. Like the first standard windshield in 1915, the first automatic transmission in 1940, the first automatic headlight system in 1952, the first American FWD car in 1966, and the first airbag in an American car in 1974. And many, many more.

The company was founded by Ransom Olds in 1897 and became part of GM in 1908. I know, the last thing GM needs right now is another brand. Unlike Stellantis who has been collecting so many in the past few years and seems to have trouble managing the whole thing. But reviving an old brand name isn’t impossible. Especially since we now have two new Hummer EVs sold at GMC dealers.

Of course, a new GM EV sedan would probably be a Chevy. (2 new Cadillac EV sedans are still coming). But the Oldsmobile Cutlass was America’s best-selling car for many years. With over 630,000 of them produced in 1977 alone. Back when sedans were kings…

It would be fun to maybe see a new “Oldsmobile Cutlass by Chevrolet”, or Buick.

Why not…

Conversation 5 comments

  1. I miss Olds. I was rooting for Olds. The memory is still fresh. If Buick wasn’t legendary in China, would Buick have died instead? We’ll never know.

    I like much of the EV design. I see aspects of a modern Alero and Aurora, with something unfortunate about the roofline that screams old Malibu.

  2. The first generation Oldsmobile Torondo was a real stunner. It represented a big leap in styling for its time.

  3. The funny thing is that modern day EVs have finally caught up to 1995 – 2004 Oldsmobile design.

    It was destined to die. All of them would have died Except for Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac if it wasn’t for Buick’s popularity in China. Once the lineups are 90% EV, it’s going to be tough to differentiate the brands again. Safety and comfort features are pretty optimized now with even the basic car receiving the same safety equipment as the most expensive vehicle in the lineup.

    When EVs become the norm, there’s not going to be much decontenting as differentiation is becoming more and more expensive.

    I honestly don’t see both Cadillac and Buick still existing 20 years from now unless they are somehow radically differentiated and/or one or both no longer fall under the GM umbrella.

  4. You want to see the Oldsmobile of the 21st century? Look at the Honda Prologue. This is the exact definition of it.

  5. Oldsmobile is a good car. My mom had a. 1988 cutlass cirea back in the day. I myself have a 2002 intugre

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