Chevrolet Lumina


Chevrolet Lumina is a nameplate that was used by the Chevrolet division of General Motors used from 1989 to 2001. As the Chevrolet division sought to consolidate its mid-size nameplates under a single product range, the Lumina was offered as a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan; a mechanically unrelated minivan was produced under the Chevrolet Lumina APV nameplate.
Produced upon the GM10 platform, the Chevrolet Lumina replaced both the Chevrolet Celebrity and Chevrolet Monte Carlo; smaller than the Chevrolet Astro, the Lumina APV replaced the Celebrity station wagon. In 1994, the Chevrolet Lumina was redesigned, with the two-door coupe adopting the Monte Carlo nameplate. For 2000, the Lumina was replaced by the revival of the Chevrolet Impala nameplate, retaining the W platform through the 2016 model year.
Both the first and second generations of the Chevrolet Lumina were sourced from Oshawa Car Assembly in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. From 1998 to 2013, a rebadged variant of the Holden Commodore, built by GM's Australian subsidiary Holden, was sold in the Middle East and South Africa as the Chevrolet Lumina.

First generation (1990–1994)

The North American Chevrolet Lumina was based on the mid-size GM W-body, which was shared with the Pontiac Grand Prix, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Buick Regal, and Buick Century. Although the Lumina became a popular seller, GM was widely criticized in the motoring press for being late to the game in introducing a direct aero-designed competitor to the Ford Taurus. The "Lumina" name was considered by Ford in the pre-production stage of the Taurus. The Chevrolet Lumina's first generation ended production in August 1994, making this the shortest-lived generation of the first-generation GM W-body cars.
In 1989, the Lumina became the nameplate under which Chevrolets were raced in NASCAR, more than a year before the model was available to the public. As a result, NASCAR received many letters complaining about the unfair advantage of Chevrolet racing an "aluminum" car.
Chevrolet signed a deal with Disney-MGM Studios to make the 1990 Lumina the company's Official Car. Early Lumina ads included Disney animated characters from Fantasia under license from Disney; In return, the Lumina was made the official car of Disney World. In one sequence, advertising the car’s spacious interior, cartoon hippopotami were used to demonstrate the Lumina's wider rear door swings which Chevrolet claimed made for easier access to the rear seat area. While popular, the ads were soon cancelled when focus groups revealed that they remembered the Disney characters better than they remembered the car itself.

Engines

Starting in 1990, Chevrolet offered a high performance version of the Lumina, the Lumina Z34. It came standard with the FE3 sport suspension package, the 210 hp LQ1 V6 engine shared with the Lumina Euro 3.4, the five-speed Getrag 284 manual transmission, dual exhaust, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes.
The Z34 also featured cosmetic changes to go along with the performance enhancements such as unique front and rear fascias, side skirts, a rear spoiler, a louvered hood, a unique steering wheel and sport bucket seats. Performance figures included a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds, a 1/4 mile time of 15.0 seconds, a top speed of 130 mph, a 60-0 mph distance of in 153 ft, and a lateral acceleration of 0.79 g. A Bose stereo system and automatic transmission, which lowered the horsepower rating to 200 and 0-60 time by.5 seconds, were optional. The only paint colors available for the Z34 were white, red, black, gray, silver, and light blue. In 1995, the Lumina Z34 was replaced with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34.

Production

Second generation (1995–2001)

General Motors began development of an updated Lumina in 1989, under chief engineer Norm Sholler, planned for a late 1992 launch. By 1991, a final body design was approved. Development eventually took longer than planned, delaying launch by 18 months. The redesigned Lumina was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 1994 as a 1995 model. The 1995 Lumina received a rounded body, increasing its size, as well as an updated interior. Unlike its other W platform counterparts, the Lumina retained the first-generation chassis. Replacing the Lumina two-door coupe was the resurrected Monte Carlo. The LH0 V6 was dropped in favor of the L82 V6, known as the 3100 SFI; the latter engine produced 20 more horsepower from the same displacement due to a revised intake manifold and cylinder heads.
Initial trim levels consisted of base and LS; the latter replacing the "Euro" trim. Options included an electric sunroof, leather bucket seats, power windows, power driver seat, and an AM/FM stereo with CD player. This Lumina was also sold with police and taxi packages, because the Chevrolet Caprice was discontinued after the 1996 model year. Production began on Monte Carlo coupes in February 1994 and March 7, 1994 for Lumina sedans at GM's Oshawa manufacturing plant, for a June 6, 1994 market launch for the 1995 model.
The LTZ trim was introduced in 1996 for the 1997 model year because the Impala SS and Caprice were discontinued. Standard features included 16" brushed aluminum wheels, blackwall radial sport tires, sport tuned suspension, a 3.1 L V6 rated at and or an optional 3.4 L V6 rated at and of torque, a rear spoiler, restyled front and rear body clips, a tachometer, and a floor-mounted shifter.
In 1997 for MY 1998, the 3.4 L V6 was replaced by the 3800 Series II which produced and of torque. Despite its increased torque, the 3.8 L LTZ demonstrated slightly worse performance due to its lowered horsepower, with 0-60 mph times of 7.5 seconds and 1/4 mile times of 15.7 seconds. The car has a computer-limited top speed of and the rev limiter kicks in at 5,800 rpm for the 3.8 L.
Also in 1997, the 1998 model year Luminas received second generation airbags. The front-wheel drive Chevrolet Impala was introduced as a replacement for the Lumina in 2000, although GM produced 2001 model year Luminas to be exclusively sold for rental fleets. Retail sales of the Lumina ended in Canada in 1999, with the United States following a year later. Fleet production ended on April 26, 2001. In some Asian countries, the Lumina continued as a rebadged Buick Century/Regal.

Trim levels

Throughout its life cycle, the second generation Lumina was available in three trim levels:
Base : The most popular Lumina had standard front row bench seat with seating for six passengers, power locks, tilt steering wheel, dual airbags, and air conditioning. Base models were equipped with fifteen-inch steel wheels with wheel covers.
LS : The mid-level trim models included aluminum wheels, optional dual zone temperature controls, power windows, tachometer, higher-end stereo with GM's Delcolock, anti-lock brakes, remote keyless entry system, upgraded seats, and an optional 3.4 L DOHC engine.
LTZ : The top of the line Lumina included alloy wheels, a choice of the 3.1 L V6 engine, 3.4 L DOHC engine and the 3.8 L V6 engine, power driver seat, dual zone climate control and leather with the option for deluxe cloth. A center console was standard on LTZ. Exterior differentiation included the front end, trunk lid, and taillights from the Fifth Generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Engines

Safety

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

NHTSA

YearFrontal DriverFrontal PassengerSide DriverSide Passenger4x2 Rollover4x4 Rollover
1995Not RatedNot RatedNot RatedNot Rated
1996Not RatedNot RatedNot RatedNot Rated
1997Not RatedNot Rated
1998Not RatedNot Rated
1999Not RatedNot Rated
2000Not RatedNot Rated
2001Not Rated

Third & fourth generation (1998–2013)

The Australian GM subsidiary, Holden, manufactured a third and fourth generation Lumina based on the rear-wheel drive Commodore sedan and Ute coupé utility.
This model was exclusively manufactured for export primarily to the Middle East and South Africa. Luxury specifications of these sedans were also exported in Brazil as the Chevrolet Omega.
High-performance models were powered by Chevrolet V8 engines, including the high specification Pontiac G8 based on the VE Series, exported to the United States.