Chrysler Europe

Chrysler Europe was a division of the U.S. car manufacturer Chrysler, which was founded in 1967 and acquired in 1979 by Peugeot.

Foundation

In the 1960s, Chrysler had the plan to establish itself as a global automaker. Unlike Ford Chrysler never had great success outside the American continent. General Motors also was much more successful with its foreign divisions Opel, Vauxhall, Holden and Bedford. 1967, however, Chrysler to buy the Rootes Group in the United Kingdom, as well as Simca in France ( where Chrysler since 1958 had a substantial proportion ) and Barreiros in Spain.

Models

The first European was the Chrysler 180, which came out in 1970. This car was born from the union of two projects that had previously been developed independently of each other at Simca and Rootes of the group.

This was followed by 1975, the Alpine hatchback, which was offered in France as a Simca 1307. This vehicle was in 1976 elected Car of the Year. Two years later, won the Horizon smaller the price.

Chrysler also designed the offered only in the United Kingdom 3 door hatchback Sunbeam, which had the chassis of the Hillman Avenger of the Rootes Group, but competing against vehicles such as the Ford Fiesta or VW Polo.

Brands

Initially kept to the original brands of the Rootes Group, but from 1975 all manufactured in the UK models were sold as Chrysler, while the Simca emblem appeared on the French versions ( sometimes together with the five-pointed Chrysler - star and on some markets under the brand name Simca - Chrysler). For utility of Simca and Rootes Group of Chrysler used the brand name Dodge ( Commer and Karrier also to the vehicles resulting from badge engineering overseas as Fargo or DeSoto ). In addition, the brand name Dodge and Simca in some countries, were such as Spain, also used for other vehicles, built mostly in Spain buses and trucks that were taken from the Barreiros model range, European versions of U.S. vehicles or built in the country Simca automobiles.

The Company had systematically die earlier Rootes brands Hillman, Humber and Sunbeam, but retained the brand name Simca 1969 closed Chrysler Europe a contract with the French engineering company Matra on the joint development of a Matra sports car, which then over the Simca dealer network as Matra Simca should be sold.

The buyer for the confusing brand conglomerate (at times there were cars on which front " Chrysler " and rear " Simca " status) in conjunction with mediocre designs and poor quality made ​​for the lack of profits. Chrysler in the U.S. was already in serious economic difficulties and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The new CEO Lee Iacocca showed little interest in the European market ( as he had already done in his time at Ford's management) and lost no time in implementing his plans.

Decline and sale to Peugeot

1978 Chrysler Europe was for the symbolic price of $ 1, - sold to Peugeot, who took over the huge debt of the division, their factories and product lines. The cars were given the resurrected brand name Talbot. The naming rights were among Chrysler Europe in two ways: once as Sunbeam - Talbot about the Rootes Group and once as Talbot -Lago on Simca But just eight years later, the French auto giant - the Talbot brand abandoned for cars again - even in financial difficulties and used them until 1991 only for commercial vehicles. The car, which was to be the successor to the Chrysler Horizon, came out in 1983 as a Peugeot 309. Peugeot sold his shares in Matra together with the initiated by Chrysler construction of a van to Renault where the car came out as ( built at Matra ) Renault Espace the first series. Peugeot was not interested in the production of heavy commercial vehicles and so the production of the former British and Spanish Dodge models went to Renault Trucks.

Chrysler itself but retained the rights to the design of the Avenger and the U.S. version of the Horizon. Peugeot was therefore forced to continue to bring the five-pointed star of the Chrysler Avenger, while Chrysler endeavored to a relocation of the production site to Argentina, as the car was in 1981 no longer offered in Europe. The U.S. version of the Horizon was still built in the United States as a Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni.

The former Simca and Rootes assembly plants in Poissy and Ryton -on- Dunsmore were further operated under Peugeot, but the Rootes factory in Linwood (Scotland ) the sale fell victim and was closed in 1981. The plant in Ryton -on- Dunsmore closed in December 2006 and since the summer of 1998, carried out there production of the Peugeot 206 was moved to Slovakia. Since 1985, the Peugeot models 309, 405 and 306 were manufactured in England. The work has since been demolished, so that space for new factories emerged.