Chrysler M platform
The Chrysler M-Platform (also: M-Body in the USA ) is a family of vehicles from the American automobile manufacturer Chrysler , which was sold between 1977 and 1989 in different versions via the Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth brands. The technically simple vehicles of the M platform, which had hardly been modified over the years, were closely related to the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré models introduced in 1976 . When they were introduced, they were positioned as “small luxury cars” or “mid-size cars” below the intermediates belonging to the B platform and the even larger full-size models of the C and R platforms ; In the 1980s, on the other hand, they were by far the largest passenger cars of the Chrysler Corporation. Several other model series of the Chrysler Corporation were derived from the M platform.
The background
The oil crisis in the US in the mid-1970s led to increased interest in smaller but well-equipped vehicles. After a few imported vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz "Stroke Eight" had initially served the market on their own, domestic designs , the Mercury Monarch or the much more exclusive Cadillac Seville, increasingly appeared successfully in this segment. Chrysler was unable to offer a corresponding model until the mid-1970s: On the one hand, the B-platform vehicles were significantly larger than the market required, on the other hand, the compact Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant (A-platform) were outdated, and their successors, the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré (F platform) were in a lower price segment. The resulting gap in Chrysler's range should be closed by the M platform models. Over the years, the initial positioning of the M platform became increasingly blurred. The Chrysler Corporation always derived new variations, which ultimately covered both the area of affordable entry-level and fleet models as well as the luxury vehicle segment.
The M platform was cleverly positioned. With its not too large dimensions, it was between the compact models and the classic intermediate vehicles and was therefore of interest to customers in both market areas.
The technology of the M platform
From a technical point of view, the vehicles on the M platform were largely identical to the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Vorlaré models presented a year earlier under the name F platform. Since the M platform almost completely took over the body shell of the F platform, the basic dimensions of both series were very similar. The wheelbase of the sedans was completely the same, and most of the technical components such as the chassis, brakes, etc. were interchangeable. This also applied to some parts of the body and the glazing. In view of the technical similarities between the M and F platforms, the independent designation of the new series was basically not justified. The fact that the new series was not listed as a mere variant of the F platform, but was given its own name, was due to the fact that the Aspen and Volaré suffered from significant quality defects in their first years of production, which affected the company's reputation . By giving the new models the designation M platform, Chrysler wanted to conceal their relationship to the F platform so as not to endanger their sales.
landing gear
The front wheels were individually suspended on double wishbones and sprung with torsion bars that lay across the axle. At the rear, Chrysler used a rigid axle guided on leaf springs . This corresponded to the comparatively young construction of the F-platform of the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré; it should also give the compact models the feel of a “big car ride”.
Drive technology
The M platform vehicles were available with three different engines in different periods of time.
- Between 1977 and 1983 a 3.7 liter (225 cubic inch) in-line six-cylinder engine served as the base power unit. Its output was initially 100 hp (1977 to 1979), later 90 hp (from 1980). The vehicles equipped with this engine were generally perceived as underpowered. Their top speed was only 145 km / h, and the cars need over 23 seconds to accelerate from 10 to 100 km / h. On the other hand, the vehicles were comparatively economical. This old powerplant, conceived in the 1960s, was available even in Chrysler's high-priced New Yorker in 1983.
- During the entire production period, the M platform models were available with a 5.2 liter (318 cubic inch) eight-cylinder engine. The power of the engines equipped with a double carburetor was between 120 and 145 hp; the performance fluctuated depending on the respective emissions regulations. Chrysler made several adjustments here. For use in police vehicles, there was also a version with a quadruple carburetor that delivered 165 or 175 hp.
- In the first three years of production, a 5.9 liter (360 cubic inch) eight-cylinder engine that developed 155 hp was finally available.
The two smaller engines were optionally available with a manual four-speed gearbox or a three-speed automatic, the 5.9 liter eight-cylinder was only coupled with a three-speed automatic. Different transmission and rear axle ratios were available for the automatic transmissions.
Bodies
Three different body shapes were created on the M platform, two of which - the coupé and the station wagon - were only offered for five years.
limousine
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During the entire production period, the M platform was available as a four-door sedan. The structure was similar in its basic structure to the Dodge Aspen and the Plymouth Volaré. The front section has been redesigned several times over the years; individual Chrysler divisions used different designs one after the other. For example, Dodge took over the front section of the Chrysler Le Baron for the third series of the Diplomat, while the front section of the second series of the Diplomat was reused for the new edition of the Plymouth Gran Fury.
Station wagon
Between 1978 and 1981, a five-door station wagon was also offered that used the wheelbase of the sedan.
Coupe
Initially, there was an alternative two-door coupé. The first version of the coupe differed significantly from the two-door version of the F-platform. Unlike the Aspen and Volaré coupés, it was designed as a notchback coupé. While the Aspen and Volaré Coupés had a shorter wheelbase than the sedan, the M Coupé retained the wheelbase of the sedan. The rear fenders were noticeably curved.
For the 1980 model year, the coupe was significantly revised. It was now based on the shorter wheelbase of the F-platform coupes and received angular lines. The second series of the Chrysler Cordoba was derived from this version . Production of the coupé was discontinued after the model year 1981.
Model versions for North America
Between 1977 and 1989 Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth offered their own versions based on the M platform. The market positioning has been very different over the years. The history of the individual models is an example of the common practice in Detroit in the 1970s and 1980s of exchanging model names at will and changing the positioning of known vehicles for marketing reasons.
Chrysler
At Chrysler, the M platform appeared under four different names between 1977 and 1989.
- From 1977 to 1981, Chrysler's offshoot of the M platform was sold as the LeBaron . This name, which goes back to the body manufacturer LeBaron , had previously denoted a special equipment level of certain Chrysler models; now it has been made an independent model name for the first time. The Chrysler LeBaron was available as a sedan, coupé and station wagon, with the station wagon being offered in its highest level of equipment under the traditional name Town & Country . When it was launched in 1977, the LeBaron was located below the full- size Newport and New Yorker models , which were initially based on the large C platform and later on the reduced-size R platform.
- After the large Newport and New Yorker models were discontinued at the end of 1981, Chrysler's version of the M platform took over the name New Yorker in 1982. From that year the car was only available as a sedan. It was now Chrysler Corporation's largest passenger car.
- For the 1983 model year, the traditional name was passed on to a version of the K-Car version that had front-wheel drive and was significantly smaller. Chrysler's version of the M platform remained in the program; it was named New York's Fifth Avenue that year . Thus, in the 1983 model year, the name New Yorker was used for two completely different cars.
- For the 1984 model year, Chrysler resolved the confusion about the double use of names. The name New Yorker was only used from the front-wheel drive K-car offshoot, while the large, rear-wheel drive sedan was sold as Chrysler Fifth Avenue in the future . The car retained this model designation until production was discontinued in 1989. In the last few years there have been a number of changes, most of which were of a stylistic nature.
Dodge
The Dodge version of the M platform was offered from 1977 to 1989 under the name Dodge Diplomat. Until 1981 it was available as a sedan, a coupé (in two versions) and a five-door station wagon, from 1982 it was only available as a sedan. The model was created in three series, which differ from one another in the design of the front section (1977–1980, 1980–1982, 1983–1989). Within the three Chrysler brands, the Dodge variant of the M-Body occupied a middle position: The identical, but very lavishly equipped Chrysler LeBaron and its successors New Yorker and Fifth Avenue were significantly more expensive than the Diplomat during the Plymouth Gran Fury represented the basic version and was even cheaper than its Dodge counterpart. Initially, it was positioned below the much larger St. Regis, based on the R platform; after it ceased production in the late summer of 1981, the Diplomat was the largest passenger car in the Dodge range. Dodge built a total of around 411,000 copies of the Diplomat.
Plymouth
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Initially, Plymouth did not offer a vehicle on the M platform in the American market. It wasn't until 1981 that the large, R-platform-based Gran Fury was discontinued that the company realized the need for an inexpensive Plymouth-branded model. The Plymouth version presented in 1982 was named Gran Fury . It was an inexpensive addition to the expensive Fifth Avenue especially for Chrysler-Plymouth dealers who could not offer the Dodge Diplomat due to the separation of the dealer network.
In Canada, however, a Plymouth version of the M platform had been available since 1979. It was initially called the Plymouth Caravelle , later the Caravelle Saloon (in contrast to a version of the K-Car also known as the Caravelle).
Market entry and production
Positioning and success in the North American market
The M platform was launched in 1977; the cars derived from it remained in production until 1989.
The M platform was a successful concept from Chrysler Corporation. The construction was produced for 13 years without major changes. It outlived the F platform, its technical role model, by nine years. It appeared at a difficult time for Chrysler and ensured the company continued sales at an acceptable level well into the 1980s. That was all the more valuable as the market accepted the cars without requiring major and costly model updates.
In the 13 years of its production, the M platform went through a considerable change in image. While the car was initially marketed as an innovative, young vehicle that was easy to handle and fun to drive, it was increasingly emphasized in the 1980s that the vehicles represented the traditional interpretation of engineering and established properties such as durability, reliability and comfort more classic large sedans continued. With this move towards a conservative market segment, Chrysler tried to take into account the fact that the car had hardly been redesigned since its introduction and was increasingly viewed as obsolete in the 1980s, when competitors also offered modern front-wheel drive vehicles in larger classes.
During the entire production period, the Chrysler models were the most successful versions of the M platform. Chrysler was regularly able to sell more than twice as many vehicles as Dodge; the Plymouth versions were again regularly much more unsuccessful than the Dodge models. The most successful year of the M platform was 1978; Chrysler was able to sell more than 125,000 LeBaron vehicles here. In 1979, 1985 and 1986 more than 100,000 Chrysler Fifth Avenue were sold, and even in 1988, the penultimate year of production, over 40,000 cars were still sold. The Plymouth versions in particular, but later also the Dodge Diplomats, were typical fleet vehicles that were bought by authorities, taxi drivers and car rental companies.
production
The M-Body vehicles were initially manufactured in Chrysler's own factories. From 1981, on the other hand, production was carried out on behalf of the competing company AMC . Its factory in Kenosha , Wisconsin , could produce the M-Bodies cheaper than Chrysler's own plants.
| Production figures for all M-Body models |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model year | Chrysler LeBaron | Chrysler New Yorker | Chrysler New York's Fifth Avenue | Chrysler Fifth Avenue | Dodge diplomat | Plymouth Gran Fury |
| 1977 | 116.935 | - | - | - | 37,552 | - |
| 1978 | 150.908 | - | - | - | 78,552 | - |
| 1979 | 105.044 | - | - | - | 53,879 | - |
| 1980 | 62,591 | - | - | - | 35,200 | - |
| 1981 | 52,478 | - | - | - | 24,170 | - |
| 1982 | - | 50.509 | - | - | 23,146 | 18,111 |
| 1983 | - | - | 83.501 | - | 24,444 | 15,739 |
| 1984 | - | - | - | 79,441 | 22,169 | 14,516 |
| 1985 | - | - | - | 109,971 | 39,165 | 19.102 |
| 1986 | - | - | - | 104,744 | 26,952 | 14,761 |
| 1987 | - | - | - | 70,579 | 20,627 | 10,377 |
| 1988 | - | - | - | 43,486 | 19.173 | 11,183 |
| 1989 | - | - | - | 17,454 | 6,429 | 4,985 |
| total | 431,616 | 50.509 | 83.501 | 425,675 | 411,458 | 108,774 |
| M-Body overall |
1,511,592 | |||||
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Derivatives of the M platform
Several other Chrysler models are derived directly from the M platform. This includes the so-called J platform. The second generation Chrysler Cordoba , the Dodge Mirada and the Imperial are based on it , a luxury coupé from the early 1980s that was only sold in small numbers.
literature
- Albert R. Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies . Warne's Transport Library, London 1982. ISBN 0-7232-2870-1 .
- Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
Web links
- Private website for the Dodge Diplomat
- Private website about Chrysler automobiles with model history of the Dodge Diplomat.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, p. 197.
- ↑ Model history on the website www.angelfire.com
- ^ Chrysler Newport, Chrysler New Yorker, Dodge Royal Monaco, Dodge St. Regis, Plymouth Gran Fury.
- ↑ They included the Dodge Monaco and the Plymouth Fury .
- ↑ According to current standards, American vehicles were marketed in the 1970s on the basis of their wheelbase: a wheelbase of up to 2,814 mm (111 inches) was a so-called compact car, whereas a wheelbase of up to 3,084 mm was not from an intermediate vehicle. See Bochroch, American Cars of the 1970s, p. 4.
- ↑ Model history at www.allpar.com For example, the front windows and the driver's door windows of all versions of the F and M platforms are interchangeable.
- ↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, pp. 267 f.
- ↑ Model history on www.allpar.com
- ↑ See Albert Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies, p. 49.
- ↑ Performance quoted from: Auto Catalog No. 25 (1981/82), S: 242 f.
- ↑ Auto Catalog No. 26 (1982/83).
- ↑ Overview of the engines and power transmissions on the website www.allpar.com .
- ^ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, p. 269.
- ↑ Brief overview of the modifications on the website www.angelfire.com .
- ↑ Description in a sales brochure for the Chrysler LeBaron from 1979
- ^ Description in a sales brochure for the Dodge Diplomat from 1978.
- ^ From a sales prospectus for the Dodge Diplomat from 1987; quoted from www.allpar.com
- ↑ Sales figures quoted from www.allpar.com
- ↑ Oldest Auto Plant Make Newest V-6: Note on the website http://wardsauto.com/ ( Memento of the original from September 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the history of the Kenosha plant (accessed July 5, 2012).
- ↑ The production figures were taken from the website hwww.dippy.org ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. removed; In addition, the car catalog numbers 22 (1978/79) to 25 (1982/83) were used.
