It has often been said that the Olds- mobile Aurora is a make-or-break car for
Oldsmobile, which is the weakest of General Motors' car and truck divisions. Sales have slid from more than a million cars a year in the 1980s to less than 400,000 in 1993.
The Aurora is an effort to recast the Oldsmobile of old, create a new image and attract younger affluent buyers who otherwise might buy imports. As such, it sets the tone for Oldsmobile for the rest of the decade.
The Aurora is luxurious and expensive-looking. However, it comes in with a very competitive base price of under $32,000. Only a few options are available, so you won't ever have to spend much more than that. Our test model had optional 16-in. Michelin all-season radial tires and went for $32,390.
The Aurora has strayed only slightly from the original tubular shape sketched on paper by
Oldsmobile designers developing the all new-image car. That early design was reminiscent of the 1966
Oldsmobile Toronado. In fact, the Aurora, though it is a luxury performance sedan, replaces the Toronado, which was a coupe. The designers' game plan was to create the drama of a coupe in a practical sedan.
The Aurora's tubular shape has allowed for smooth flowing lines on the upper and lower body panels, and the bold design emphasizes the wheels. The Aurora does not sport a conventional grille, which is a clean break from Oldsmobile's tradition of using egg-crate grilles.
Despite its importance to the division, the Aurora presents little exterior evidence to indicate it's an Oldsmobile. The car's nose features a silver script "A" instead of the Oldsmobile rocket logo. This is most likely because consumer research conducted during Aurora development revealed that potential buyers loved the car when it had no Oldsmobile emblem; they were thumbs-down when the rocket was present. Also, references to the Aurora in advertising and print material call it "the Aurora by Oldsmobile."
Those same consumers told Oldsmobile they wanted to buy cars in a new way - more in the Saturn tradition. Oldsmobile has adopted Saturn's no-haggle selling concept, and dealers and their personnel must undergo special training to sell and service Auroras.
In fact, only dealerships who send their managers and employees to Oldsmobile's Vision Center, a school that features a showroom and service area, can sell the Aurora. These dealerships must spend $10,000 to $16,000 for training of two key managers and at least 20 percent of the sales staff, and must agree to stock a certain amount of Aurora parts.
