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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsHere’s How the K-Car Saved Chrysler
Nothing has saved a carmaker and changed a market like the K-Car saved Chrysler in the 1980s as it gave birth to the LeBaron, Dart, New Yorker, and Caravan.
A Historic Battle
In terms of David versus Goliath types of stories in the automotive manufacturing world, there are very few that are as inspiring and applicable as the story of the Chrysler K-Car. That name doesn’t apply to any single vehicle, but to an entire class of vehicles built on the K-Car platform. It’s that platform that changed not only the future of Chrysler, but the entire automotive industry as well.
1981 Dodge Aries 4-door – fcanorthamerica.com | Shop Dodge Aries on Carsforsale.com
To understand that impact, it’s important that we consider the context, the timing, and the innovative way that the K-Car solved the problems Chrysler was facing when they nearly went bankrupt in 1979. If Chrysler never came to market with the K-Car platform, we can be sure that the entire landscape of automotive manufacturing would be different today. Here’s how the K-Car saved Chrysler.
The Battleground Was Perilous
Chrysler was one of the most popular and successful manufacturers in the 1960s. They had to capitalize on that success as they expanded in the United States and pushed their reach around the globe as well. Sadly for them, the timing couldn’t have been worse. First, there was a recession in 1969 and 1970 that damped sales. Then, there was the 1973 Oil Crisis combined with another recession to effectively demolish large fuel-inefficient vehicle sales.
1974 Plymouth Gran Fury – carsforsale.com | Shop Plymouth Gran Fury on Carsforsale.com
Within that 4-year span, Chrysler saw sales and profits plummet at a time when they were already stretched thin. The company tried to stem the tide by cutting corners throughout the lineup, but this led to multiple recalls and diminished public opinion since build quality was seriously in question. Then when the energy crisis took hold in 1979, the only way to avoid bankruptcy was to turn to the US Government.
While that’s a simplification of the situation, it does give you an idea of the battleground that Chrysler found itself in. The deal with the government came in the form of a 1.5-billion, with a B, loan that Chrysler would end up paying back early. That was only possible thanks to the K-Car, a small but mighty platform that ultimately saved the entire Chrysler brand.
The K-Car Was A Dramatic Shift In More Ways Than One
While it certainly contributed to the financial peril that Chrysler found itself in, one factor that led all American automobile manufacturers to diminished sales was the quality and efficiency of Japanese vehicles, like the Honda Civic, that were becoming more popular. American cars were big, lavish, heavy, and could only be financially viable in a world with low oil prices. Chrysler’s latest platform was a complete departure. It wasn’t the first front-wheel-drive car or the first small car sold by an American manufacturer, but it was the first to combine those facets with that of a super-flexible platform.
That platform is what we generally refer to as the K-Car. It’s a platform not dissimilar to the skateboard platform that Tesla uses to build different cars on what is ultimately the same structure, saving time and money. The K-Car leveraged this by using the same drivetrain and many identical components. Unlike previous Chrysler cars, these K-Cars had an exceptional fit and finish. Using the same parts made quality control much more uniform and easy to achieve.
The first two vehicles to be sold that were sitting on this structure were the 1981 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant. These badge-engineered vehicles were available in multiple variants with room for up to 6 people in the largest models. Small external and internal changes set the Dodge apart from its Plymouth sibling, not unlike the similarities that we see between cars like the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon in 2020. What truly made the K-Car so capable of turning into a market-dominating force, was the number of vehicles that Chrysler could build on top of this strong foundation.
Sports Cars, Sedans, Wagons, And Vans All On One
Within just 3 years of the release of the Aries and the Reliant, the K-Car had changed the game entirely for Chrysler. Not only did the K-Car platform vehicles make up more than 50% of sales for Chrysler, but it had been expanded to be used for 12 different vehicles. It had also seen a literal expansion in the form of the E or “Extended Wheelbase” K-Cars. Some of the models derived from the K-Car are widely known historic vehicles that are appreciated down to this very day.
1982 Chrysler LeBaron – fcanorthamerica.com | Shop Chrysler LeBaron on Carsforsale.com
The Chrysler LeBaron is perhaps the most famous. While it existed before the K-Car, it was on that doomed Volare/Aspen platform and didn’t gain major success or traction until it transitioned in 1982. It was available in 4 and 2-door versions including a convertible. It even branched out to the LeBaron Town & Country which was a wagon variant. The LeBaron demonstrated how far the K-Car could be pushed without any major modifications to the platform itself. Once Chrysler tweaked it a little, the expansion became exponential.
1987 Dodge Daytona – carsforsale.com | Shop Dodge Daytona on Carsforsale.com
One example is the Dodge Daytona that used the G-platform, another derivative of the K-platform. This smaller coupe used the same drivetrain and allowed Chrysler to have a sporty, fuel-efficient car that could compete against the Toyota Celica Supra of the time. We see the impact of these small, fuel-efficient sports cars in American culture today like the Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST.
1987 Dodge Caravan – fcanorthamerica.com | Shop Dodge Caravan on Carsforsale.com
Lee Iaccoca, CEO of Chrysler at the time, got a little revenge on his former employer Ford by bringing the revolutionary Dodge Caravan to market with the same drivetrain and many similar parts from the K-Car. As a van that could comfortably and reliably transport people as well as fit easily in a garage, the Caravan and its Voyager counterpart flew off of dealer lots. Not only was Chrysler able to build the Caravan/Voyager without wild overhead and development costs thanks to the savings that the K-Car platform offered, but the success of the minivan as a product only provided the icing on the cake.
Chrysler’s From Rags to Riches Story
While the bailout that Chrysler needed in 2008 remains as a stain on the company, the way they went from rags to riches between 1979 and 1995 when the K-Car finally was discontinued is unparalleled. Over the course of nearly 15 years, the K-Car was used either as the platform or in components for forty-nine different vehicles in total. While many of them were simply badge-engineered examples, it set a new precedent for how to build multiple vehicles that were high-quality with exceptionally low overhead.
The staff director for the governing board that granted Chrysler the loan in 1979 said “Chrysler’s been brilliant in marketing the K-Car in a situation where Chrysler could not have afforded to strike out”. It’s obvious today how true that was. Now, some forty years later we still see the impact of that exceptional marketing, engineering, and manufacturing in every major mass-production automobile manufacturer on the planet. Surely in 1979, Chrysler must have felt the pressure, but like David, they conquered Goliath in a way that few would’ve ever thought possible.
Nice article about our chrysler k cars.. I own a 1986 Plymouth reliant base model 2.2 with 166k miles still purrs.. get around 365 miles per tank 22-25 mpg.
Thanks for reading and sharing!