The second generation Aurora went into production on November 1, 1999, and went on sale in February 2000 as a 2001 model. The last V6-powered Auroras rolled off the assembly line on June 21, 2002. The final 500 Auroras ended production on March 28, 2003. These were all a special burgundy color (called "Dark Cherry Metallic"), had special chrome wheels, and "Final 500" badging. The Orion, Michigan plant built a total of 71,722 second-generation Auroras; 53,640 in 2001, 10,865 in 2002, and 7,217 in 2003.