Chrysler United Kingdom

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Chrysler United Kingdom

logo
legal form branch
founding 1970
resolution 1979
Seat Ryton-on-Dunsmore , United Kingdom
Branch Automobile manufacturer

Chrysler Sunbeam

Chrysler United Kingdom was the British division of the US car manufacturer Chrysler . It was founded in 1970 when the Chrysler-owned Rootes Group was renamed Chrysler.

The initial model range consisted of the models developed by Rootes with the brand names Hillman , Sunbeam and Humber . The first British Chrysler to bear this name was the Alpine in 1975 and a year later all remaining Hillman models were renamed Chrysler, while the French Chrysler models continued to be called Simca . The French version of the Alpine was called Simca 1307/1308 .

The next major launch from Chrysler United Kingdom in 1977 was the Sunbeam , a small, 3-door station wagon designed to replace the Hillman Imp . It was created on the rear-wheel drive chassis of the Hillman Avenger . In 1978 the Horizon , a 5-door station wagon, was presented to the lower middle class . It should be a more modern alternative to the Ford Escort , the Vauxhall Viva and the Austin Allegro . British Chryslers did quite well throughout the 1980s.

In 1979, the parent company Chrysler USA was in great financial trouble. In order to prevent a collapse of the company, the European divisions in the United Kingdom and France were sold to the French car manufacturer Peugeot , which continued to offer the vehicle range in Europe under the name Talbot . In 1987 this brand was also discontinued.

literature

  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 290. (English)