What Went Wrong With the Chevy Beretta?

Chevrolet is one of the most loved automakers in the market. One of its vehicles that were definitely liked by the public was the Beretta. Chevy fanatics were left hanging because of the vehicle’s disappearance after just a few periods on sale.

What could be the reason behind the vehicle’s disappearance?

In 1988 Chevrolet unleashed a more fuel efficient vehicle through a small two door coupe – the Chevy Beretta. There were 6 different models that Chevrolet made throughout the Beretta's life cycle: the base model, GT, GTU, GTZ, Z26, and the very rare Indy.

On its first existence, the Chevy Beretta has two engines. There was the 4 cylinder 2.0L engine. For better acceleration, the Beretta has an optional a 2.8L V6 with a manual transmission.

As the traditional era evolved into a high tech one, the exterior of the coupe changed. But was what greatly noticed was the huge improvement in the vehicle’s under car parts. From 2.0 to 2.2, the cheaper 4 cylinders even grew more in size to 2.3. The V6 lines of engines used the popular 3.1L that delivered over 140hp.

From 1988-89, the GTU special Beretta Model went on sale. With the colors black, white, and red, the GTU had stiffer suspension and was capable of 0.92 G on the skid pad.

Produced from 1990-1993, the GTZ was the high-performance Beretta. Standard on this vehicle was the Oldsmobile's 2.3L High Output Quad 4. This produced 180 hp (134 kW) and 160 ft•lbf (217 N•m) of torque. The Getrag 5-speed manual transmission and GM's FE7 performance suspension were also included in the list of standard equipments.

With more refined Chevy Beretta parts, the vehicle in 1994 came with an optional 3100 series engine, a more powerful one. Though the said engine seemed to be enough for such a light car, it was not still enough for the Beretta manufacturing team. They manufactured the Quad Four which had 4 cylinders that pumps out over 210hp. However, the Chevy fans were in dismay because the innovation was made only in limited quantity.

In 1990, the Indy was manufactured. It featured excellent looking ground effects, more eye appealing style with striking exteriors. It was generally a good looking sports car. It had the colors of bright Sun Fire Yellow and Turquoise, and it offered a convertible as an option. However, the Chevy fans, for the second time, were kept hanging. Only 3 convertible yellow Indy's were produced and sold in the market.

Due to two major factors, in 1996, Chevrolet halted the production of the Beretta. The first reason was that the competition for rights over the name brand 'Beretta' was being lost to a gun corporation in Germany. The second reason was that the Beretta definitely cost high due to the limited quantities, short lifespan with rare models and Quad 4 option.

About Chevrolet Beretta

A front wheel drive coupe, the Chevrolet Beretta was produced from 1987 through 1996 by the General Motors’ Chevrolet division. It was built based on the GM L platform in Wilmington, Delaware and Linden, New Jersey. Among its family members based on the platform are the Chevrolet Corsica and the Pontiac Tempest sedan, which was only sold in Canada. The Beretta was engineered in the same design studio as the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette Chevrolet - in Exterior Studio 3.

The sales of the Berettas continuously declined every year of production as its fans did not seem to appreciate the two-door models anymore. And in 1996, Chevrolet ended production of both the Beretta and Corsica.

The Corsica would be replaced by the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu. But the Beretta had no replacement.