For the 1982 model year, Cadillac introduced the Cadillac Cimarron subcompact sedan (its smallest vehicle since 1909). To compete more closely against compact European executive sedans (sold as compact luxury cars in North America), General Motors rebranded its J-body Chevrolet Cavalier four-door sedan as the Cimarron. Originally intended for use by Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac in North America and Opel and Vauxhall in Europe, the J-platform began development in 1976 to shift GM subcompacts to front-wheel drive. In what was a fatal flaw to the design, the model line was approved in early 1980 (only a year before the model line was to go on sale), leaving designers essentially no ability to make changes to the design. Priced nearly twice as high as its Chevrolet counterpart, the Cimarron was nearly visually identical to the Cavalier; for a lower price, a J-body vehicle from Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac could be equipped with nearly identical features as the Cimarron. Following the 1988 model year, the Cimarron was discontinued; Cadillac has not produced a direct successor to the model line.