Oldsmobile has scrapped plans to drop the Bravada sport-utility vehicle. However, the decision to keep it was made so late in the product planning cycle that after the 1994 run, Bravada won't be offered again until the 1996 model year.
Oldsmobile said that for '96 it will bring out a new Bravada based on the redesigned '95 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and GMC Jimmy, which are to arrive in spring. The $30,000 Bravada currently is built on the old S-10/Jimmy platform.Oldsmobile didn't ask for corporate approval to offer a Bravada based on the new S-10 Blazer/
Jimmy until October. That's when a deal fell through for Isuzu of Japan to supply Oldsmobile with a version of the Trooper sport-utility vehicle.
Oldsmobile balked at a Trooper because of the rise in the value of the yen against the dollar, which forced up the price it would have had to pay Isuzu and would have meant higher sticker prices.
However, because Oldsmobile was well along in plans for a Trooper, it was too late to get a version of the S-10 Blazer/Jimmy for '95. So Olds will be without a Bravada for that model year.
Oldsmobile had decided this year to quit producing a Bravada after the '94 model run because of slow sales and a desire to save money for its parent, General Motors Corp. An outside supplier such as Isuzu would have saved Oldsmobile the expense of producing a vehicle. However, the yen's rise against the dollar sank any potential savings.
Oldsmobile said the '96 Bravada (a new name hasn't been ruled out) will include dual air bags, anti-lock brakes and traction control as standard. Those features are expected to be offered in the '95 S-10 Blazer and Jimmy.
Oldsmobile also wanted the Bravada back because the buyer profile for the sport-utility market is similar to that of the Olds Aurora luxury sedan, which is coming out in April or May as a 1995-model successor to the Toronado coupe, which was dropped at the end of the '92 model run.
In a related move, Oldsmobile on Monday said the Aurora will be priced at $31,995 to escape the federal luxury tax on cars.