How Did The Chevrolet Nova Become A Toyota Corolla?

Let's rewind the clock back to the early 1980s: American automakers suffered heavily throughout the previous decade due to tightening emissions restrictions, and compact Japanese cars dominated the market. Eventually this became such a huge issue that American manufacturers risked bankruptcy, leading to the Reagan Administration issuing an import quota on Japanese cars to stem the tide. 

However, the Japanese had decades of development poured into making good, small cars, building an entire industry on the concept since the late-1940s. American cars, by comparison, were essentially rush-jobs, with full-size sedans equipped with huge and underpowered engines, and subcompacts with a reputation for being unsafe death-traps. So what was the perfect solution to solving this developmental crisis in the U.S., plus Japan's export restrictions? Badge-engineering.

Rather than reinvent the wheel in 1984, GM instead chose to partner up with automotive giant Toyota in a bid to satisfy both parties. The "New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc." (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California offered Toyota an easy way into the U.S. automotive industry, and its first vehicle rolled off the line in December 1984: The Chevrolet Nova. Or, rather, a Toyota Corolla Sprinter that must be assembled in Fremont and badged as a Nova for legal reasons. 

Based on a front-wheel drive AE82 platform, the 1985 Nova shared a common powertrain, running gear, and only slightly redesigned body to help speed up production without skimping on quality. GM and Toyota undeniably intended this as a true car for the masses, with an original MSRP of less than $7,500 to cap it all off. However, this vehicle ultimately represented the Nova's final dying breaths, and production ended after just four model years: 1985-1988.

Ultimately, the fifth-gen Nova was more of a trendsetter in the manufacturing industry than a hit on the streets, unlike its earlier models. Its looks didn't exactly scream "opulence" or "desirability," nor was its front-wheel drive, four-cylinder powertrain particularly inspiring in the land of the big V8. In fact this might've been one of GM's most utterly functional vehicles of all time, lending a certain inherent charm to it, and coining the term "CorNova" today. 

While it wasn't exactly a crowd-pleaser, it certainly got the crowd from point A to B — and it did so with efficiency and reliability. This sedan produced excellent MPG numbers; some 30 mpg city and 37 mpg highway with the 5-speed overdrive. Plus, unlike ordering an import where you often "get whatever's on the lot," it's far easier to option-up a domestically-assembled Nova how you want it without the wait times.

The real strength of this car lay in the lessons GM learned from it. For one, the "Toyota Nova" actually became quite a well-built car, with contemporary reviews praising NUMMI for not skimping on quality control. GM even encouraged extensive testing by journalists to prove the point. However, the last Nova remains one of the purest examples of badge-engineering, being developed in less than two years and featuring almost all Toyota components — save for some superfluous items like a Delco radio and different seat fabric. 

Badge-engineering or not, the Nova became a remarkably interesting car, all things considered, with GM even going so far as to introduce a rare twin-cam model for its final year. That's right, you could order a 4A-GE in a Nova — the same engine as the infamous Sprinter Trueno.