One of the first "world cars" of General Motors, the J platform was developed for use by each North American GM division (with the exception of GMC), alongside international models for Opel, Vauxhall, and Holden.

Marketed as one of the smallest and lowest-price American cars, the Chevette hatchback was closer in size to the Volkswagen Beetle, competing primarily against subcompacts from Japanese-brand manufacturers, including the Honda Civic, Datsun B210 and Toyota Corolla.

Following the introduction of the Dodge Omni and Ford Fiesta, American manufacturers began transitioning towards front-wheel drive in compacts and subcompacts, through both domestically produced vehicles and the use of captive imports.

The notchback coupe and three-door hatchback would make a return, joined by a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon (two body styles offered in mid-size and full-size Chevrolets).

[3] The Cavalier name originated from GM's then-British subsidiary Vauxhall, who applied it to badge engineered variants of the Opel Ascona, the third generation of which was the first J-body car to be released.

Available trim packages were the entry level Cadet, mid-level Base, and the upscale CL, which could be optioned with two-tone paint, accent stripes, and aluminum alloy wheels.

[2] The suspension was shared with the Citation and Celebrity, and consisted of MacPherson struts, lower control arms, coil springs, and a front stabilizer bar.

The rear suspension was unique to the Cavalier and featured a solid beam axle, trailing arms, and variable-rate coil springs.

[2] For 1983, the 2.0 liter throttle body fuel-injected LQ5 inline 4 replaced the previous L46 engine, and a 5-speed manual transmission was offered.

It featured digital gauges, sport wheels, a ground effects kit, and a specific front fascia.

The LQ5 four-cylinder was updated to the LL8 designation, gained 5 horsepower, and the distributor was replaced with a coil pack ignition system.

The new self-aligning steering wheel was designed so as to reduce injuries in a collision by bending to conform to the driver's chest.

The 1991 Cavalier got a more extensive restyling that involved a new hood, bumpers, headlights, taillights, wheel covers, and a redesigned interior; however, the body style remained unchanged.

For 1992, the 2.2 L OHV standard engine adopted multi-point fuel injection, or MPFI to improve output to 110 hp (82 kW), however unlike the SFI version of the 2.2L in the Chevrolet Corsica.

The Cavalier received its first total redesign for 1995, with expanded dimensions and more aerodynamic styling, incorporating minor design cues from the fourth generation Chevrolet Camaro.

Coupe, sedan, and convertible options were offered, however the wagon model was discontinued, and later replaced with the Chevrolet HHR in 2005.

As of 1996 a new 4-speed automatic became available in any trim; this had originally been intended to be introduced along with the redesign but General Motors' cash shortage delayed it.

The Z24 trim also received several other upgrades including a wider front sway bar and FE2 Sports Suspension for better handling characteristics, and less aggressive ABS anti-lock braking system.

Average for the Cavalier class (small) was 103 (four-door) to 134 (two-door) driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.

[23] 2005 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Crash Test Ratings (coupe):[24] 2002 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Crash Test Ratings (sedan):[25] As part of a wider effort to avoid additional restrictions on exports to the US, the third generation model was briefly sold in Japan by Toyota under an agreement with GM, badged as the Toyota Cavalier [ja].

Aside from the fact that it was right hand drive, the Toyota Cavalier also featured a leather-wrapped shift knob, steering wheel and park brake lever, wider front fenders, taillights with amber turn signals for Japanese regulations, power folding side mirrors, side turn signal repeaters on the front fenders, and carpeting on the inside of the trunk lid.

While all Chevrolet-badged Cavaliers received a facelift for 2000, the Toyota did as well with the updated center console, head-lights/hood/front bumper, taillights, and colors available.

Due to the engine displacement and width dimensions (1,740 mm (69 in) for the coupe, 1,735 mm (68 in) for the sedan) exceeding Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and maximum engine displacement, it was not considered a "compact" so it was sold as a "normal-class car" like the Toyota Mark II and Nissan Skyline.

Yanase Co., Ltd., a Japanese retail dealership that started importing European and North American vehicles soon after the end of World War II, sold various GM products including the Cavalier.

Despite Toyota making considerable efforts to sell the Cavalier on the domestic market, the Japanese public perceived the quality of workmanship to not be up to the standard typically expected of locally built cars.

The Cavalier GT300 car retained its front-wheel drive layout, but it was fitted with Bomex racing body and aerodynamic packages along with a 3S-GTE engine from a SW20 MR2 Turbo that was restricted to meet GT300's 300 horsepower limit.

[27] Kraft debuted the Cavalier in the fourth round of the 1997 season as their second entry, accompanying the #6 Toyota MR2 (W20) that was racing full-time that year.

It uses the same Delta II platform as the first-generation Cruze, and the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that powers many compact GM models in China, including the Chevrolet Sail.

The Mexico-spec Cavalier was updated for 2020, with three new paint colors, new wheel design, four airbags, ABS brakes, 3-point seatbelts[dubious – discuss] and stability control, as well as minor changes to the interior for the LT trim line.

[33] In 2019, the car was discontinued in the Chinese domestic market after being replaced by the Chevrolet Monza (科鲁泽), although it continued to be built for export.