The Cadillac Cimarron car was first introduced by General Motors for model year 1982.

Although GM had experimented before with "smaller Cadillacs" such as the Seville models, the Cimarron was by far the smallest and, in many opinions, the least distinguished Cadillac model ever produced, before or since.

General Motors had originally planned on revealing the Cimarron model in the mid-80s. However, a rising demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and GM's desire to compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz helped to hurry the production.

The Cimarron was part of General Motors' "J-Car" line, which was an economy car concept (similar to Chrysler's K-Car) that spread over each GM marque. Each GM division had their version: the Buick Skyhawk, Pontiac Sunbird, Oldsmobile Firenza and the Chevrolet Cavalier. Of these models, only the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire are still in production but are scheduled to end with the 2004 model year. Each of these models were essentially the same basic car, with minor differences in features and major differences in price. This was the first and only time in history that General Motors produced a common model that spread over each GM division.

The car buying public did not fall for the Cimarron ruse. Most thought it an absurd concept to pay twice as much for what was essentially a well-optioned Chevy Cavalier with Cadillac emblems pasted on even though the Cimarron had grown comparatively more refined by the end of its production run. Oddly, the same strategy applied to an SUV , the Escalade, some 15 years later proved a sales success.

The final year of production for Cimarron was 1988.