Opel Kadett E

The Opel Kadett E was introduced in August 1984 as the sixth generation of the Opel Kadett, and was voted the 1985 European Car of the Year. As with its predecessor, it was sold as the Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom. This model was also developed into a more conventional three-box design with a boot (trunk), badged as the Vauxhall Belmont in the United Kingdom, launched at Frankfurt Motor Show in 1985. There was a station wagon called the "Caravan", available with either three or five doors. In South Africa, the Kadett notchback was sold as the Opel Monza, along with a convertible. This replaced the Opel Ascona.

Design
The car was noted for its advanced aerodynamics and distinctive "teardrop" shape - mirroring the trend in the mid 1980s for swooping aerodynamic styling - with the front end styling taken directly from the Opel Tech 1 concept car of 1981, although some styling cues from the Kadett D were retained for continuity such as its 'Kamm tail' and oversized C-pillar extraction vent.

A convertible version was also available, for the first time in 1987, built by Bertone of Torino, Italy, bringing it to line with competitors, such as the Ford Escort and Volkswagen Golf. For the 1988 model, capacities were raised from 1.3 to 1.4 litres. In the fall of 1986 a new 1,998 cc engine replaced the 1.8 hitherto used on the GSi and Vauxhall Astra GTE in many markets, although the uncatalyzed 1.8 continued to be built for some places until the end of production in 1991. In 1988, a 16-valve twin-cam version was developed for a high-performance GSi/GTE model (the first application of the 20XE "Red Top" engine), yielding 156 PS in non-catalyzed form, six less horsepower with a catalytic converter fitted. While criticized for a lack of refinement, the GSi 16V was also lauded as the most powerful car available in its class at the time. Aside from the "16V" badging, it could be told from an eight-valve GSi by its twin rectangular exhaust pipes.

The Kadett E was a grey import in the United Kingdom, but not popular compared to its badge engineered sister, the Vauxhall Astra Mk II. It was never officially sold in Britain, and by 1989, General Motors was only marketing the Vauxhall brand in the United Kingdom, although Astras assembled at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant were exported to the rest of Europe badged as Opel Kadetts. There was also a van version with a raised roof, called the Opel Kadett Combo in Europe, and the Bedford Astramax in the United Kingdom.

South Africa
In the early 1990s, South African Kadett GSi 16v's were further upgraded based on their success in production car racing and 500 special units were built as road cars for homologation purposes. This was a minimum requirement for entry into the Stannic Group N races. They went against BMW's 325iS (A 2.7 L Alpina homologation special from BMW). They featured more aggressive 276-degree camshafts made by Schrick with 2 different settings for timing overlap (110° and 107°), revised intake and exhaust modifications (4-in-1 branch manifold and freeflow exhaust that eliminated the possibility of air conditioning), Irmscher spring kit, modified engine management system by Promotec, a limited-slip differential developed by Andre Verwey, F20 short ratio transmission and special Aluett 7Jx15-inch ET35 alloy wheels, they were nicknamed the "Superboss" and held the world record for the most torque per litre (114 Nm per litre) for a naturally aspirated production car until being beaten by the Ferrari 458 (117 Nm per litre) in 2009.

Chevrolet Kadett
In Brazil, the Kadett E succeeded some versions of the Chevrolet Chevette and was introduced as the Chevrolet Kadett, with the station wagon version called the Chevrolet Ipanema. The latter had three doors until the 1993 model year when five doors became mandatory. The hatchback was only available with three doors, and the sedan was never offered. Brazilian production of the hatchback commenced in April 1989, with the Ipanema being added in September. The original Opel Kadett E had been introduced late in 1984, and after it had received a facelift for 1989 the old style was adopted for Brazil. While the Ipanema clearly succeeded the Chevette-based Marajó station wagon, production of the Chevette (by now in sedan form only, the hatchback having been discontinued after the 1987 model year) and Kadett overlapped by several years; the newer model was placed above the old one in Chevrolet's lineup. While Chevrolet entertained the possibility of a pick-up version of the Kadett E, it never materialized.

Originally the Kadett was available with a 1.8 or a 2.0 liter engine, shared with the Ascona-based Chevrolet Monza. The 1.8 has 95 PS and the 2.0 (gasohol-powered only) 110 PS. The original versions were SL, SL/E, and GS, with the GS sporting 14 inch alloys and body-coloured bumpers. With a Cx of 0.30, the GS was the most aerodynamic car yet built in Brazil at this time. Along with some minor changes to the gearing and tires in June 1990, the 2.0 was introduced in a petrol version - which was downgraded to 99 PS. It is likely that the claimed power was understated, but for tax reasons it was beneficial for Brazilian manufacturers to stay under the 100 horsepower mark at the time.

In September 1991, the German Kadett was replaced by the Opel Astra, but it continued on in Brazil. When catalytic converters became required, the engines were updated with fuel injection in 1992, and all gained a few horsepower. This was also when the 121 PS 2.0 GSi was added to the lineup, recognizable by a roof-mounted antenna, spoilers, alloys, and clear turn signals in front. For 1993, an automatic option was added and in April 1993, a more practical five-door Ipanema wagon was added to the lineup. The Ipanema also became available with the ethanol-fueled 110 PS 2-litre engine.

Between 1991 and 1994 the Cabriolet ("Kadett GSi Conversivel") was also marketed. The body-in-raw was shipped to Bertone in Italy to be turned into a convertible, then returned to Brazil to be finished - a six-month process. The Conversivel was only available with the same 2.0-litre multi-point electronic injection engine with 121 PS which was installed in the GSi. In 1990, as a tie-in with the Italia '90 World Cup, the "Kadett Turim" (Turin) was offered. The Ipanema was also sold in three special editions: the Wave, Sol, and Flair. These were offered in 1992, 1993, and 1994.

In 1994, the equipment levels SL and SL/E were changed to GL and GLS, in line with other new Brazilian Chevrolet products. In April 1994, for the 1995 model year, the car was updated with a new dashboard and the power window controls were moved from between the seats to the doors. The 1995 GLS and GSi were actually discontinued in 1994, as a lowered import tariff enabled Chevrolet to begin importing Belgian-built Astras. Tariffs again jumped (from 20 to 70%) in February 1995, and thus a Kadett 2.0 Sport was introduced as the Astra was no longer offered.

Facelift
Originally the Chevrolet Kadett looked identical to the early German version with the grille integrated to the bumper, but in 1996, the Kadett received a facelift with a separately inserted grille, at which time the Ipanema was discontinued. In April, the GLS version was reintroduced. The Kadett was manufactured in Brazil until 1998, although the Ipanema ended production earlier as it was replaced by the Corsa Station Wagon (introduced in 1997). Because of emssions regulations, for the last two years the Kadett was only available with the fuel injected 2-liter engine with 110 PS. For 1998 only the Kadett 2.0 GLS remained.

Daewoo versions
The Kadett E formed the basis of the Daewoo LeMans (later known as the Daewoo Cielo, Racer and Nexia) in South Korea, Nexia being the hatchback version), which was sold in the United States and New Zealand as the Pontiac LeMans, and in Canada (initially) as the Passport Optima. LeMans sales ended in 1993. The Nexia was produced until 2016 at the UzDaewoo plant in Asaka, Uzbekistan. The Cielo was last being produced at Automobile Craiova, a semi-independent (from GM) plant in Craiova, Romania. Their license expired in the fall of 2006, and Cielo was produced until 2007.