Plymouth

Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation and DaimlerChrysler from 1928 to 2001.

History

Origins

The Plymouth automobile was introduced on July 7, 1928. It was the Chrysler Corporation's first entry in the low-priced field, which at the time was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford. Plymouths were actually priced a little higher than the competition, but they offered standard features such as hydraulic brakes that the competition did not provide. Plymouths were originally sold exclusively through Chrysler dealerships. The logo featured a rear view of the Mayflower ship which landed at Plymouth Rock, hence the name "Plymouth" as the brand.

The origins of the first Plymouth can be traced back to the Maxwell automobile. When Walter Chrysler took over control of the trouble-ridden Maxwell-Chalmers car company in the early 1920s, he inherited the Maxwell as part of the package. After he used the company's facilities to help create and launch the Chrysler car in 1924, he decided to create a lower-priced companion car. So for 1926 the Maxwell was reworked and re-badged as a low-end Chrysler model. Then at the end of the decade this model was once again reworked and re-badged, this time to create the Plymouth.

Great Depression, 1940s, and 1950s

While the original purpose of the Plymouth was simply to cover a lower-end marketing niche, during the Great Depression of the 1930s the car would help significantly in ensuring the survival of the Chrysler Corporation in a decade when many other car companies failed. Beginning in 1930, Plymouths were sold by all three Chrysler divisions (Chrysler, DeSoto, and Dodge). Plymouth sales were a bright spot during this dismal automotive period, and by 1931 Plymouth rose to the number three spot among all cars.

For much of its life, Plymouth was one of the top selling American automobile brands, along with Chevrolet and Ford ("the low-priced three"). Plymouth even surpassed Ford for a time in the 1940s as the second most popular make of automobiles in the U.S. Through 1956, Plymouth vehicles were known for their durability, affordability and engineering. In 1957, Chrysler's Forward Look styling theme produced cars with much more advanced styling than Chevrolet or Ford, although Plymouth's reputation would ultimately suffer as the cars were prone to rust and sloppy assembly. Because of its new "Forward Look" styling, however, 1957 total production soared to 726,009, about 200,000 more than 1956, and the largest output yet for Plymouth. The marque also introduced its limited production Fury line in 1956, and it too benefited from the crisp Forward Look designs.

Final years

Most Plymouth models offered from the late 1980s onward, such as the Acclaim, Laser, Neon, and Breeze, were badge-engineered versions of Chrysler, Dodge, or Mitsubishi models. Chrysler considered giving Plymouth a variant, to be called the Accolade, of the new-for-1993 full-size LH platform, but decided against it. By the late 1990s, only four vehicles were sold under the Plymouth name: the Voyager/Grand Voyager minivans, the Breeze mid-size sedan, the Neon compact car, and the Prowler sports car, which was to be the last model unique to Plymouth.

After discontinuing the Eagle brand in 1998, Chrysler was planning to expand the Plymouth line with a number of unique models before the corporation's merger with Daimler-Benz AG. The first model was the Plymouth Prowler, a modern-day hot rod. The PT Cruiser was to have been the second. Both models had similar front-end styling, suggesting Chrysler intended a retro styling theme for the Plymouth brand. At the time of Daimler's takeover of Chrysler, Plymouth had no unique models besides the Prowler not also available in the Dodge or Chrysler lines. Further, while all Plymouth dealers also sold the Chrysler line of cars, many Dodge dealers sold only Dodge; it would have caused much greater disturbance to the dealer network to discontinue Dodge than Plymouth. Consequently, DaimlerChrysler decided to drop the make after a limited run of 2001 models. This was announced on November 3, 1999.

The last new model sold under the Plymouth marque was the second generation Neon for 2000-2001. The PT Cruiser was ultimately launched as a Chrysler, and the Prowler and Voyager were absorbed into that make as well. Following the 2001 model year, the Neon was sold only as a Dodge in the US, though it remained available as a Chrysler in Canadian and other markets. The Plymouth Breeze was dropped after 2000, before Chrysler introduced their redesigned 2001 Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring sedan.

Plymouth car models

Plymouth Acclaim (1989-1995)

Plymouth Arrow (1976-1980, rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste)

Plymouth Arrow Truck (1979-1982, rebadged Mitsubishi Forte)

Plymouth Barracuda (1964-1974)

Plymouth Belvedere (1954-1970)

Plymouth Breeze (1996-2000)

Plymouth Caravelle (1985-1988)

Plymouth Cambridge (1951-1953)

Plymouth Champ (1979-1982, rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage)

Plymouth Colt (1983-1994, rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage)

Plymouth Concord (1951-1953)

Plymouth Conquest (1984-1986, rebadged Mitsubishi Starion)

Plymouth Cranbrook (1951-1953)

Plymouth Cricket (1971-1975, rebadged Hillman Avenger)

Plymouth Duster (1970-1976,1985-1986)

Plymouth Fury (1956-1978)

Plymouth Gran Fury (1975-1977, 1980-1989)

Plymouth Grand Voyager (1987-2000)

Plymouth GTX (1967-1971)

Plymouth Horizon (1978-1990)

Plymouth Laser (1990-1994, rebadged Mitsubishi Eclipse)

Plymouth Neon (1995-2001)

Plymouth Plaza (1954-1958)

Plymouth Prowler (1997-2001)

Plymouth Reliant (1981-1989)

Plymouth Road Runner (1968-1980)

Plymouth Sapporo (1978-1983, rebadged Mitsubishi Galant)

Plymouth Satellite (1966-1974)

Plymouth Savoy (1951-1965)

Plymouth Scamp (1971-1976, 1983)

Plymouth Sundance (1987-1994)

Plymouth Suburban

Plymouth Superbird (1970)

Plymouth TC3 (1979-1982)

Plymouth Trailduster (1974-1981)

Plymouth Turismo (1983-1987)

Plymouth Valiant (1960-1976)

Plymouth VIP (1966-1969)

Plymouth Volaré (1976-1980)

Plymouth Voyager (1974-2000)

Concept cars

Plymouth XX 500 was a 1950 concept car.

Plymouth Explorer, was a 1954 concept coupe.

Plymouth Belmont, was a 1954 concept roadster.

Plymouth Cabana was a 1958 concept station wagon, which featured a unique glass roof for the rear portion of the car.

Plymouth XNR 500 was a 1960 concept sports car.

Plymouth VIP was a 1965 concept four seater convertible with a unique roof bar from the top of the windshield to the rear deck.

Plymouth Duster I was a 1969 concept roadster, with a wraparound boat-style windshield.

Plymouth Slingshot, was a 1988 concept car. It featured very radical and futuristic styling, and even though it's obvious that it comes from the late-1980s, even today, it would still be very futuristic.

Plymouth Speedster was a 1989 2-seater concept car.