GM may revive the name of the Cavalier factory, which was closed just weeks ago.

The Chevrolet Cavalier was a tough car. It ran from 1982 to 2005. The Cavalier was originally intended to be an upmarket, domestic option for cars like the Honda Accord. However, a botched launch ended up limiting its potential.

The 1982 model’s 1.8-liter, carbureted four cylinder engine was a wheezy and unrefined affair. It made the car look cheap. The engine was eventually replaced with a fuel-injected 2.0 Liter model the following year.

The Cavalier became quickly an “also-ran” and was never given the opportunity to prove its merits. General Motors would have no toes if they counted all the times it had shot itself in the foot in the 1980s (and before that (and thereafter)).

The Cavalier was the car of choice for Midwesterners, who longed for an import but lived with relatives that forbade any vehicle not made by the UAW from taking up residence in their driveway. Although there were some bright spots, such as the first-gen Z24 and its 2.8 liter V6, product planners accepted this role with increasing apathy. Many people didn’t miss the Cavalier when it was replaced by the slightly better Cobalt in 2005.

Our friends at The Drive discovered that General Motors applied again for the Cavalier nameplate here in the United States. This news is quite bizarre for many reasons.

General Motors has closed the Lordstown assembly plant in Ohio that made the Cavalier. This is in addition to the baggage associated with the Cavalier’s name. GM has a long history of making Chevy small cars in Ohio. The Vega was followed by the Monza, Cavalier, Cobalt and most recently the Cruze.

We may be cynical but it seems like another insult to the Lordstown Assembly’s former employees. We’re actually waiting for the other shoe.

Chevrolet currently sells a small car in China and Mexico, the Cavalier. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Chevrolet plans to sell the car here in the coming weeks to replace the Cruze. It is very unlikely that it will be made in America.