Dodge Colt

Dodge Colt was the name of several manufactured by the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi in North America and marketed under the brand name Dodge automobiles.

Dodge Colt with rear wheel drive ( model years 1971-1980 )

Since the Chrysler Group had to offer in the United States at the beginning of the 1970s not own vehicles in the increasing importance class of subcompacts ( the European small car and lower middle class accordingly), we took instead the import of foreign-made corresponding models. While Plymouth initially sold the Hillman Avenger as Plymouth Cricket and the Simca 1100 ( both brands at that time belonged to the Group ), Sales Dodge selected Mitsubishi models in North America under the collective name of Dodge Colt; Chrysler had acquired 1970/71 shares in the Japanese company.

For the model year 1971 Dodge began selling the Colt, which corresponded to the Japanese Mitsubishi Colt Galant, as a four-door sedan, two-door coupe and hardtop coupe and fünftürigem station wagon, powered by a 1.6 - liter four-cylinder engine from initially 101, later 83 hp power.

In 1974 a model change, the slightly larger bodies and the Colt GT brought a 97 hp two- liter four-cylinder. In 1977, in addition to the slightly smaller Colt Mileage Maker as two - and four-door sedan with the 1.6-liter in the offering, based on the new Mitsubishi Lancer. From the larger Colt coupe and station wagon were left on offer at the same time just yet. 1978, the former Colt station wagon was replaced by a larger model, which was based on the available in Europe Mitsubishi Galant Sigma; the larger coupes were painted at the same time. According to the model year 1979, the sale of based on the Colt Lancer models was adjusted so that only the station wagon was available whose import was in 1980 but also finished.

Of each of these models, there were no Colt Plymouth counterparts. Of all the Colt with rear-wheel drive around 400,000 copies were sold from 1971 to 1980.

Dodge Colt with front wheel drive ( model years 1979-1994 )

From model year 1979, the Mitsubishi Colt was sold with front-wheel drive in the U.S. as the Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ as, initially only as a three -, from model year 1982 as a five-door hatchback. Its first generation was powered by four-cylinder engines of 1.4 or 1.6 liters (65 to 81 hp ), which in 1984 a 103 -hp turbo version was come. From this model generation sold Dodge and Plymouth together approximately 425,000 pieces, which gave the name Plymouth Champ favor of Colt from model year 1983.

From model year 1985, the import of the Mitsubishi Colt successor model, the version was made with 1.5 - liter naturally aspirated engine (69 hp) or 1.6 -liter turbo (104 hp) as three - and five-door hatchback as Dodge / Plymouth Colt, as well notchback that was known elsewhere under the name Mitsubishi Lancer. The Lancer Station Wagon was sold under the name Dodge / Plymouth Colt DL. From this generation about 175,000 copies were sold.

From 1989 to 1994 Dodge sold the Mitsubishi Colt third generation front-wheel drive, which was to go alongside as Eagle Summit, Plymouth Colt and Mitsubishi Mirage in North America. At first this was just as Colt hatchback model in the program in 1993/94 was the reintroduction of the saloon.

Dodge Colt Vista ( model years 1984-1994 )

Under this designation has been in North America as of 1984 Mitsubishi Space Wagon offered. Up to and including 1989 116.300 units have been sold. About the Chrysler - Plymouth dealer network, the model was also sold as the Plymouth Colt Vista.

Source

• Covello, Mike: Standard Catalog of Imported Cars 1946-2002. Krause Publications, Iola 2002. ISBN 0-87341-605-8.