# Chevrolet Lumina
**Chevrolet Lumina** was a mid-size car produced and marketed by the [Chevrolet](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevrolet) division of [General Motors](https://www.edgepedia.org/general-motors) from 1989 until 2001 in North America, sold as a four-door sedan and two-door coupe on GM's front-wheel-drive W-body platform, with the name later applied to a separate rear-wheel-drive [Holden Commodore](https://www.edgepedia.org/holden-commodore)-based sedan in the Middle East and South Africa.[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) Introduced in 1989 as a 1990 model to replace the Chevrolet Celebrity sedan and the Monte Carlo coupe, it ran through two generations before the four-door was renamed Chevrolet Impala for 2000 and the last fleet-only cars were built in 2001.[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) • [2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/) • [3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-03-29/pdf/FR-1999-03-29.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Production span | Introduced 1989 as a 1990 model; two generations, 1990–1994 and 1995–2001; US production ended April 26, 2001[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) • [4](https://www.motor-car.net/chevrolet/item/21166-chevrolet-lumina) |
| Platform | GM W-body (GM10), front-wheel drive, 107.5 in wheelbase, shared with Pontiac Grand Prix, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and Buick Regal[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/) |
| Performance flagship | Lumina Z34 (1991–1994) with the 3.4 L LQ1 DOHC 24-valve V6, up to 210 hp with the Getrag 284 five-speed manual[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/) |
| NASCAR record | 61 NASCAR Cup Series wins as the Lumina, first won by Darrell Waltrip at Charlotte on May 28, 1989[5](https://media.chevrolet.com/dld/content/Pages/news/us/en/2021/may/0505-chevrolet-racing/_jcr_content/rightpar/sectioncontainer/par/download_450929901/file.res/NASCAR%20Cup%20Series%20Win%20History%20by%20Model.pdf) |
| Peak US sales | 237,973 units in 1996, falling to 17,649 in 2001 as the fleet-only end approached[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) |
| End of the nameplate | Four-door renamed Chevrolet Impala from model year 2000; 2000–2001 Luminas sold mainly to fleets[3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-03-29/pdf/FR-1999-03-29.pdf) • [6](https://www.cars.com/articles/2000-chevrolet-lumina-whats-new-1420687101406/) |
| Export version | Middle East and South Africa Lumina was a rear-wheel-drive Holden Commodore rebadge, sold until 2017[4](https://www.motor-car.net/chevrolet/item/21166-chevrolet-lumina) • [7](https://www.mecanum.ae/en/chevrolet/lumina) |
## First generation, 1990–1994
The first-generation Lumina was Chevrolet's W-body midsize car for the 1990 through 1994 model years. Taking over from the [Celebrity](https://www.edgepedia.org/celebrity), it became Chevrolet's primary front-wheel-drive midsize model and also occupied the two-door niche that had been vacant since the rear-wheel-drive [Monte Carlo](https://www.edgepedia.org/monte-carlo) was discontinued. The car shared its basic architecture with the contemporary [Pontiac Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/pontiac-grand-prix), Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and Buick Regal, and Chevrolet joined the platform after its 1988 launch.[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/)
**Trim structure.** Chevrolet sold the Lumina as a four-door sedan and two-door coupe in base and sportier Euro trims. The base car used a 2.5 L four-cylinder rated about 110 hp, paired mostly with a three-speed automatic, while the Euro models carried a 3.1 L V6 of about 135–140 hp depending on year and calibration. A 2.2 L four replaced the 2.5 L for 1993, and the four-cylinder was gone entirely by the final 1994 model year.[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/01/05/a-poll-apart-lifeless-lumina/febd3af8-d121-48a6-84f9-587e668a1607/)
**Lumina Z34.** Debuting in 1991, the Z34 paired distinctive aerodynamic styling, FE3 suspension calibration, and disc brakes at all four wheels with the 3.4 L LQ1 V6, whose dual-overhead-cam, 24-valve design set it apart from the pushrod units found in nearly every other W-body vehicle of that era. Early cars could be ordered with the Getrag 284 five-speed manual, available in 1991–1993 LQ1 applications; the 4T60-E four-speed automatic was the counterpart, and the 1994 Z34 was automatic-only. A companion Euro 3.4 sedan brought the same DOHC V6 family to four doors from 1992.[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/)
[Car and Driver](https://www.edgepedia.org/car-and-driver)'s March 1991 comparison of American performance sedans placed a pre-production five-speed Z34 second behind the [Ford Taurus SHO](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-taurus-sho). The magazine recorded 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, a quarter mile in 15.5 seconds at 90 mph, 0.79 g of skidpad grip, and a top speed limited to 113 mph, and called the Z34 far and away the best value in its class at an estimated $19,000 as tested.[9](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a36053183/1991-american-performance-sedan-comparison-test/)
## Marketing and NASCAR
Chevrolet put the Lumina name into NASCAR competition beginning in 1989, before the 1990 production model reached customers, giving the new nameplate immediate national exposure.[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/) The Lumina recorded 61 Cup Series wins between May 1989 and 1994, starting with [Darrell Waltrip](https://www.edgepedia.org/darrell-waltrip)'s victory at Charlotte on May 28, 1989, before Chevrolet switched to the Monte Carlo, with which [Jeff Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-gordon) won four championships.[5](https://media.chevrolet.com/dld/content/Pages/news/us/en/2021/may/0505-chevrolet-racing/_jcr_content/rightpar/sectioncontainer/par/download_450929901/file.res/NASCAR%20Cup%20Series%20Win%20History%20by%20Model.pdf) • [10](https://www.nascar.com/nascar75-stock-car-evolution/) Jeff Gordon's first Cup race came in a 1992 Chevrolet Lumina that, he recalled, looked similar to the Luminas fans drove to the track.[11](https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2013/01/03/car-advances-stand-test-of-time-for-gordon-burton/)
**Promotional campaigns.** Chevrolet signed a deal making the 1990 Lumina the Official Car of Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park, with television commercials showing Disney cartoon characters around the car.[12](https://mouseplanet.com/the-1989-lumina-commercials/5578/) • [13](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-fi-228-story.html) In 1990 the Lumina also appeared as [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise)'s race car in the film *Days of Thunder*, backed by a $50-million promotional effort, although the on-screen cars were rear-wheel-drive V8 machines unlike anything on the showroom floor.[13](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-fi-228-story.html)
## Second generation, 1995–2001
The Lumina was redesigned for the 1995 model year with dual air bags and a 160-horsepower engine at a base price of $15,995, against $17,585 for the 1995 Taurus sedan; GM aimed to sell more than 300,000 Luminas and similar Monte Carlo models annually.[14](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-08-fi-13394-story.html) The coupe version was replaced by the revived Monte Carlo in 1995, leaving the sedan alone from then on.[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) In IIHS testing, the 1995 Lumina 4-door sedan earned a Good overall rating in the moderate overlap front test, with Good ratings for structure and all driver injury measures; the rating applies to 1995–2001 models.[15](https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/chevrolet/lumina-4-door-sedan/1995)
**Fleet years and replacement.** US sales fell from 237,973 in 1996 to 97,607 in 1999, 46,573 in 2000, and 17,649 in 2001.[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) In a 1999 [Federal Register](https://www.edgepedia.org/federal-register) notice, GM informed NHTSA that the four-door Lumina's nameplate would change to [Chevrolet Impala](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevrolet-impala) beginning with the 2000 model year, continuing the same W platform and market segment; the renaming completed a process that had already turned the two-door model into the Monte Carlo.[3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-03-29/pdf/FR-1999-03-29.pdf) For 2000 the Lumina was trimmed to a single model, and production continued mainly for fleet sales at least until the end of calendar 2000.[6](https://www.cars.com/articles/2000-chevrolet-lumina-whats-new-1420687101406/) Retail sales ended in Canada in 1999, and GM ceased United States production on April 26, 2001.[4](https://www.motor-car.net/chevrolet/item/21166-chevrolet-lumina)
## Lumina APV
The Lumina APV, standing for All Purpose Vehicle, was a minivan sold from 1990 to 1996 as part of Chevrolet's response to the growing popularity of minivans in the late 1980s. It featured a long, sloping "dustbuster" design shared with the [Pontiac Trans Sport](https://www.edgepedia.org/pontiac-trans-sport) and [Oldsmobile Silhouette](https://www.edgepedia.org/oldsmobile-silhouette) on GM's U-body architecture, offered seating for up to seven passengers, and used V6 engines; the sole 1990 powertrain was a 120-horsepower 3.1 L V6 driving a three-speed automatic. In 1994 the Lumina prefix was dropped and the van was simply called Chevrolet APV, and by 1996 it was replaced by the Chevrolet Venture.[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) • [16](https://consumerguide.com/used/1990-96-chevrolet-lumina-apvminivan/) The APV shared the Lumina name but not the W-body platform.[2](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/)
## The Middle East Lumina
Outside North America, Chevrolet used the Lumina nameplate for a rear-wheel-drive sedan and Ute based on the Australian Holden Commodore, an entirely different car from the North American model with a stronger performance orientation, including sporty Lumina S and SS trims.[1](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/) • [17](https://www.drivearabia.com/news/2017/05/28/chevrolet-ss-ends-production-so-say-farewell-to-the-chevy-lumina/) GM began importing the Commodore-based Lumina and Caprice from GM Australia in 1998, and dealers in the Middle East took delivery of the Chevrolet Lumina in mid-1998.[18](https://gulfnews.com/uae/mideast-a-major-market-for-australian-auto-sector-1.395715) • [19](https://device.report/m/e8748066f9d1f7ac461227f9aaba779027ce7dd4e60d0ef8f93e744b98d21106.pdf) The model became the leading car in the region's six-cylinder midsize sector, ending 30 years of Japanese domination, and was the only vehicle in the history of GM in the Middle East to sell more than 2,000 units in a single month; total 2001 sales reached 11,500, more than double the 1999 figure.[18](https://gulfnews.com/uae/mideast-a-major-market-for-australian-auto-sector-1.395715) The new-generation Lumina SS introduced for 2007 was a rebadged Holden Commodore SS with V8 power, and sale of the Holden-Commodore-based Chevrolet Lumina in the Middle East ran until 2017.[17](https://www.drivearabia.com/news/2017/05/28/chevrolet-ss-ends-production-so-say-farewell-to-the-chevy-lumina/) • [4](https://www.motor-car.net/chevrolet/item/21166-chevrolet-lumina)
## References
1. [Chevrolet Lumina Sales Figures, GoodCarBadCar](https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/chevrolet-lumina-sales-figures/)
2. [Chevrolet Lumina 1990–1994, W-BodyTech](https://wbodytech.com/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet-lumina-1990-1994/)
3. [Federal Register, Vol. 64, No. 59, March 29, 1999 (GM antitheft exemption and Lumina-to-Impala nameplate change)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-03-29/pdf/FR-1999-03-29.pdf)
4. [Chevrolet Lumina 2nd gen (1994–2001), Motor-Car.net](https://www.motor-car.net/chevrolet/item/21166-chevrolet-lumina)
5. [NASCAR Cup Series Win History by Model, Chevrolet Media](https://media.chevrolet.com/dld/content/Pages/news/us/en/2021/may/0505-chevrolet-racing/_jcr_content/rightpar/sectioncontainer/par/download_450929901/file.res/NASCAR%20Cup%20Series%20Win%20History%20by%20Model.pdf)
6. [2000 Chevrolet Lumina: What's New, Cars.com](https://www.cars.com/articles/2000-chevrolet-lumina-whats-new-1420687101406/)
7. [Chevrolet Lumina Parts Dubai, Mecanum](https://www.mecanum.ae/en/chevrolet/lumina)
8. [A Poll Apart, Lifeless Lumina, The Washington Post, January 4, 1990](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/01/05/a-poll-apart-lifeless-lumina/febd3af8-d121-48a6-84f9-587e668a1607/)
9. [Tested: 1991 American Performance Sedan Comparison, Car and Driver](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a36053183/1991-american-performance-sedan-comparison-test/)
10. [NASCAR 75 Stock Car Evolution, NASCAR.com](https://www.nascar.com/nascar75-stock-car-evolution/)
11. [Car advances stand test of time for Gordon, Burton, NASCAR.com](https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2013/01/03/car-advances-stand-test-of-time-for-gordon-burton/)
12. [The 1989 Lumina Commercials, MousePlanet](https://mouseplanet.com/the-1989-lumina-commercials/5578/)
13. [Lumina Hopes to Hitch a Ride With Tom Cruise, Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1990](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-fi-228-story.html)
14. [Chevrolet Gearing Up to Regain No. 1 Position, Los Angeles Times, July 8, 1994](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-08-fi-13394-story.html)
15. [1995 Chevrolet Lumina moderate overlap front rating, IIHS](https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/chevrolet/lumina-4-door-sedan/1995)
16. [1990–96 Chevrolet Lumina APV/Minivan, Consumer Guide Auto](https://consumerguide.com/used/1990-96-chevrolet-lumina-apvminivan/)
17. [Chevrolet SS ends production, so say farewell to the Chevy Lumina, DriveArabia](https://www.drivearabia.com/news/2017/05/28/chevrolet-ss-ends-production-so-say-farewell-to-the-chevy-lumina/)
18. [Mideast a major market for Australian auto sector, Gulf News](https://gulfnews.com/uae/mideast-a-major-market-for-australian-auto-sector-1.395715)
19. [Holden Heritage 13 (Chevrolet Lumina Middle East delivery, mid-1998)](https://device.report/m/e8748066f9d1f7ac461227f9aaba779027ce7dd4e60d0ef8f93e744b98d21106.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › American automobile models › Full-size and family sedans*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license