The stunning 1990 Oldsmobile Expression concept was designed to be the station wagon of the future. But soon the world would learn that the station wagon didn’t have much of a future, and neither did Oldsmobile.
Introduced at the 1990 Chicago Auto Show, the Oldsmobile Expression was designed both to revive the sports wagon concept—the shooting brake, if you will, in European motoring lingo—among car enthusiasts, and to also breathe new life into the station wagon category in general.
According to Oldsmobile Studio 1 chief designer Dennis Burke in the introductory press release, the Expression boasted “the sleek styling of tomorrow’s sport sedans, but also features a host of convenience items normally associated with a more conservative station wagon.” The press materials further described the 6-passenger seating configuration, cleverly, as “2+2+2,” with the two hindmost passengers facing the rear.
The ultra-luxurious interior featured four overstuffed leather bucket seats in the forward cockpit, with a wide central console dominating the space. Instruments and controls were crowded closely around the driver, including steering wheel buttons for the audio, climate, and cruise control. A heads-up instrument display (a gadget introduced by Oldsmobile in 1988) is also visible.
While the console shifter seems to indicate an automatic transmission, it doesn’t seem that Oldsmobile ever described the Expression’s engine and transmission in any detail, as near as we could learn. And in fact, we don’t know if the Chicago show car was equipped with a functional drivetrain. Hower, the concept’s general proportions seem to favor a standard transverse V6 and front-wheel drive package as used on millions of General Motors vehicles of the period.
To keep the passengers entertained, the Expression was equipped with a television and videotape player, and for the two rearmost occupants, a Nintendo Entertainment System and a pair of controllers were built into the interior tailgate panel, as shown above.
With more than a little irony, Oldsmobile General Manager J. Michael Losh decribed the Expression at its introduction as “the future direction of Oldsmobile.” But as we know now, in 1990 the traditional station wagon was already being crushed in the marketplace by the minivan trend, and then would be flattened again by the rising popularity of SUVs and crossovers. In the U.S. market today, true station wagons are a niche product at best.
Meanwhile, the Oldsmobile division was hardly faring much better. Sales peaked in the mid-’80s at more than one million cars per year, then fell off a cliff as the division switched from rear-drive to front-drive vehicles, and they never did recover. On December 13, 2000, GM management announced that the Oldsmobile brand would be phased out of existence.
Shorten it up behind the rear wheels and you have pretty much every “cross over” SUV made today. Like many others, it was a little ahead of it’s time.
As to Olds sales falling when they switched to FWD, that was the market telling GM it still preferred RWD, but GM didn’t listen. GM thought {still do} they knew better. Had a mid 80’s Buick myself, but switched to Fords to keep a RWD my next vehicle. I still prefer RWD after owning several FWDs, just my personal preference. Each has it ‘s advantages and disadvantages.
I wish GM had of killed Buick instead of Olds, but by now they would have ruined it like they have Buick. I always wanted an 80’s Cutlass, but ended up with a 80’s Regal, a nice car in it’s own, but not as nice as the Cutlass was in my eye.
I would say Olds’ sales had more to do with the continuing hollowing-out of midprice brands, particularly with Olds and Buick so close together. Ford had no problem selling FWD Tauruses…
I wonder how the American wagon would’ve evolved without the minivan revolution and without the B-body wagons having stood pat for so, so long. Remember, in 1990 you could walk into any GM showroom in America (apart from Cadillac and GMC Truck exclusives) and buy a fake-wood paneled, square-cornered, chrome bumpered wagon whose design had scarcely changed since 1977.
This concept is one I’d never heard of. Nose looks like it was borrowed later for the ’95 Camaro…