Horizon; adopting much of the layout of the Volkswagen Rabbit (to the point of sourcing engines from Volkswagen), the five-door hatchbacks became the best-selling Chrysler model lines. While GM had produced front-wheel drive vehicles since 1966, its experience with the powertrain configuration involved large personal luxury coupes (the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado) and recreational vehicles (the GMC Motorhome), neither compact nor fuel-efficient. Following the reverse-engineering of Lancia vehicles, GM selected a transverse front-wheel drive layout as it downsized the X-body. Chevrolet was responsible for the front suspension design, with Pontiac to develop the rear suspension. During the summer of 1976, the first X-body prototypes entered testing. Intended for a 1978 model release, Chevrolet sought to retire the Nova nameplate, renaming its X-body line as the Chevrolet Condor. As GM shifted the downsizing of the A-body mid-size line to 1978, it shifted the launch of the X-body to an early 1980 release, as GM parts suppliers tried to accommodate large-scale production of a front-wheel drive vehicle. During the delay, Chevrolet withdrew the Condor nameplate in favor of Chevrolet Citation. History The first front-wheel drive Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Citation served as the direct replacement for the Chevrolet Nova as the Chevrolet compact model line. In line with the 1977 Chevrolet Impala/Caprice and the 1978 Malibu and Monte Carlo, the Citation was downsized over its predecessor. While packaged with similar interior space as the mid-size Malibu (and trunk space as the Impala), the Citation was far smaller than its 1979 Nova predecessor, shedding 20 inches of length (an inch longer than the Vega), 4 inches of width, and 800 pounds of curb weight. Through its production, as one of the front-wheel drive X-body vehicles, the Chevrolet Citation would undergo a number of manufacturer recalls. In 1980, 225,000 examples were recalled to fix a transmission hose related to underhood fires. The X-body cars (which included the Citation) were the target of an unsuccessful lawsuit by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which cited a tendency for the vehicles to lose control under heavy braking, and power steering problems. 1980 In April 1979, the Citation was released as a 1980 model in two trim levels. Alongside the standard trim, a sporty X-11 version was produced. Priced under US$6,000 ($ in dollars ), with hatchbacks in a much larger package than the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon, demand proved very high for the Citation. Helped