Plymouth Cricket
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The Plymouth Cricket was a subcompact automobile sold by the Plymouth division of Chrysler Corporation in the US market from 1971 to 1973. The car was a captive import, being actually a re-badged version of the British Hillman Avenger. Four-door sedans and station wagons were sold.
The car was not successful in the US, primarily because of complaints of poor quality. It was discontinued, paradoxically, just as the gas crisis of 1973 began to push up demand for small cars sharply, and just as Dodge began to see real success with its similarly-sized Dodge Colt, built by Mitsubishi.
Chrysler Canada replaced the British-built Cricket with a Dodge Colt clone for the 1973 model year. The Cricket's version of the Colt GT was called the Cricket Formula S. For the 1975 model year, the Plymouth Cricket was replaced by the Plymouth Colt. Thus began Chrysler Canada's dual marketing system, selling the Colt as a Dodge and Plymouth. The Plymouth Arrow was similarly sold as a Dodge Arrow.
References
Carguide, Formula Publications, Toronto, ON : Published annually, 1972 to date
Motor Vehicle Data Book, Sanford-Evans Communications Ltd., Winnipeg, MB : Published annually, 1948 to date
Chrysler Canada sales literaure for Plymouth Cricket : 1971 to 1975.
External links
- Avenger/Cricket site (http://www.colin99.co.uk/avenger.html)
- One of the last Crickets (http://www.asoc.co.uk/plymouth_cricket.htm)
- Canadian Cricket (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/448302)
- Allpar's Avenger/Cricket page (http://www.allpar.com/model/cricket.html)
- A Cricket page from the UK (http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/avengercricketf.htm)