Oldsmobile USA Sales : 1970's (2nd Half)

The Cutlass Supreme was a top selling model

I was visiting the US some years back and was kindly loaned a Cutlass Ciera by the people I was staying with. Despite that brief introduction, I know little of the Oldsmobile brand as it was exclusively a North American make. Mr Olds started making cars in 1897 and the company was purchased by GM in 1908. Over 35 million Oldsmobile cars were made through its history, until its demise in 2004.

Apparently it was a middle ground brand, between Buick (above) and Pontiac (below). Saying that, the lines between these brands would have been blurred on occasion as the gaps between divisions within GM was small.

First up, the latter part of the 1970's. In the data below, from 1978 Cutlass sales are thereafter divided between it and the Cutlass Supreme.

Model	1979	1978	1977	1976	1975
Cutlass Supreme	404,068	406,993
Eighty Eight	223,699	273,384	225,937	170,857	123,842
Cutlass	114,092	113,286	527,939	514,593	342,875
Ninety Eight	92,075	123,431	123,466	107,147	80,161
Omega	50,098	42,860	51,724	56,324	39,157
Toronado	46,845	28,039	28,860	24,189	20,256
Starfire	18,611	18,351	19,120	27,501	29,354
Total US Sales	949,488	1,006,344	977,046	900,611	635,645

Cutlass Supreme: As the name suggests, it was at the premium end of the Cutlass range, in the mid-sized region of the market. This was a model that commenced in 1967 and was by far the biggest selling in the Oldsmobile range. From 1978 it was the fourth generation model and downsized from its predecessor, presumably the new model differentiated itself enough to have its sales listed separately. 

Eighty Eight: This large car came to being way back in 1949. An eighth generation was introduced in 1977, and kicked sales along nicely. By 1979 a quarter of a million units were sold in the US. 

Cutlass: It was revealed in 1961 and by the fifth generation (1978) this mid-sized car was listed separately from the Supreme for sales and that separation showed it wasn't selling anything like the Supreme version. The '78 model was also smaller than the previous incarnation. 

Ninety Nine: This was the large flagship of the range, which was introduced in 1940. It was the tenth generation that was released in 1977 and was averaging around the 100k sales mark at this time. It also was not as large as its forebear. 

Omega: It was the compact car of the range that came out in 1972/3, although it looked more mid-sized to me. By 1975 the second generation was revealed but this model didn't seem to ever sell that well. 

Toronado: An unusual name was chosen for the up market two-door large car that shrunk quite a bit for the third generation model of 1979. The first model was classy, the second just big and this one compact.

Starfire: Where to start? In 1961, it was a large, sleek two-door convertible and a hardtop variant arrived a year later. In 1975, it was reborn as a 2-door compact hatchback, almost identical to the Chevrolet Monza. Sales were tiny but no doubt cost was saved by sharing it with another GM division. 

Summary: With sales exceeding the million mark in 1978, only Chevrolet and Ford nameplates sold more cars. Oldsmobile was in fine form overall. How would the next decade pan out?

To see the 80's article in the series, just click here.

The first generation Toronado was quite a car