The Acadian was introduced so Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers would have a compact model to sell, since the Pontiac Tempest was unavailable in Canada.

Plans originally called for the Acadian to be based on the Chevrolet Corvair, which was produced at GM's Oshawa plant; however, the concept was moved to the Chevy II platform to be introduced for 1962.

To promote automobile manufacturing in Canada, the APTA (also known as the "Auto Pact") in the 1960s had provisions prohibiting sales of certain United States-made cars.

[1] Initially, Acadians were retrimmed Chevy IIs, offered as a base model, mid-priced Invader and top-line Beaumont.

No Mark IV (big block) Acadians were ever produced in any year, unlike the sister car Chevrolet Nova SS.

The choice of transmission depended upon the model and engine installed, three- and four-speed manual gearboxes or the two-speed Powerglide automatic.

Many Acadians and Beaumonts succumbed to rough Canadian winters, suffering from rust and mechanical wear and tear, leaving very few original specimens left, in addition to much lower production than equivalent Chevy models.

Top performance option for any Acadian including the Canso SD was Chevrolet's 350-bhp 327 cid L79 small-block V8 (in 1966 only), along with a three- or four-speed manual transmission.