1992: Chrysler’s Saturn Skinner
It was 1992 and Chrysler had begun testing advanced prototypes of its upcoming PL compacts – the 1994 replacements for the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance. Styled only conceptually along the lines of the Dodge Neon concept car, the first PL sedans would go into production in the fall of 1993.
Chrysler’s then president Robert A. Lutz described the new front-wheel-drive compacts as “Chrysler’s answer to GM’s Saturn” – in other words, low priced all-American import fighters.
Related Posts
1995: Bold New Bavarian →
1986: Buick gets Wild →
1986: A Celebrity With Crabs →
While I never really thought of these that way, it’s a great analogy. The way these cars were executed should have been the way GM handled the J-cars (and probably the N-cars, too). Even though they didn’t know it yet, GM needed less brands, or at least no new brands.
Pingback: » 1994 Dodge Neon Test Drive