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Dodge Aries Plymouth Reliant
1985–1989 Plymouth Reliant sedan
Overview
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation
Also called	Dodge Dart K/Plymouth Valiant Volare K (Mexico) Dodge Michigan (Japan)
Production	October 1980 – December 1988
Model years	1981–1989
Assembly	United States:Newark, Delaware (Newark Assembly: sedans and wagons) United States:Detroit, Michigan (Jefferson Avenue Assembly),[1] United States:Fenton, Missouri (Saint Louis Assembly: 2-door sedans only) Mexico:Toluca (Toluca Car Assembly)
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size car
Body style	2-doorcoupe (1981–1989) 4-doorsedan (1981–1989) 4-doorwagon (1981–1988)
Layout	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive
Platform	K-body
Related	Chrysler LeBaron Chrysler Town & Country Dodge 400
Powertrain
Engine	2.2 LKI4 2.5 LK I4 2.6 LMitsubishiG54B I4
Transmission	4-speedA460manual 5-speedA465 manual 5-speedA520 manual 5-speedA525 manual 3-speedA413 automatic 3-speedA470automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	100.3 in (2,548 mm) Wagon: 100.4 in (2,550 mm)
Length	178.6 in (4,536 mm) Wagon: 178.5 in (4,534 mm)
Width	68.0 in (1,727 mm)
Height	Sedan: 52.9 in (1,344 mm) Coupe: 52.5 in (1,334 mm) Wagon: 53.2 in (1,351 mm)
Curb weight	2,300 lb (1,043 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volaré
Successor	Dodge Spirit /Plymouth Acclaim

ThePlymouth Reliant andDodge Aries aremid-size cars introduced for model year 1981 as the first "K-cars" manufactured and marketed by theChrysler Corporation. The Reliant and Aries were the smallest cars to have the traditional 6 passenger 2 bench seat with column shifter seating arrangement favored by customers in the United States (Chrysler marketed the car as being able to seat "six Americans"), similar to largerrear-wheel drive cars such as theDodge Dart and otherfront-wheel drive cars such as theChevrolet Celebrity. The Reliant was powered by a then-new2.2 L I4SOHC engine, with aMitsubishi "Silent Shaft" 2.6 L as an option (this engine also featured hemispherical combustion chambers, and all 1981 models equipped with it featured "HEMI" badges on the front fenders). The Reliant was available as a 2-doorcoupe, 4-doorsedan, or as a 4-doorstation wagon, in three different trim lines: base, Custom and SE ("Special Edition").Station wagons came only in Custom or SE trim.

Asrebadged variants, the Reliant and Aries were manufactured inNewark, Delaware,Detroit, Michigan, andToluca, Mexico — in a single generation. After their introduction, the Reliant and Aries were marketed as the "Reliant K" and "Aries K".^[2] The Aries was sold as the Dart K in Mexico,^[3] and as the Michigan in Japan.^[4] The Reliant replaced thePlymouth Volaré/Road Runner, while the Aries replaced theDodge Aspen.

The Reliant and Aries were selected together asMotor Trend magazine'sCar of the Year for 1981. Initial sales were brisk, with both Reliant and Aries each selling over 150,000 units in 1981, with cumulative sales of million Aries and 1.1 million Reliant units over the nine-year run.

Chrysler was facing a grave financial crisis due to poor business decisions, lack of investment in new products during previous years, and external factors outside of their control as the 1970s ended.Lynn A. Townsend, chairman from 1967 to 1975, had pursued a hands-off policy of running the company, refusing to spend more than the minimum on new drivetrains or platforms as long as the existing ones continued to sell. Sales of the company's larger cars started dropping after the1973 OPEC Embargo and an increased amount of company volume consisted of lower profit compact models. Chrysler also had a policy of producing cars regardless of whether a customer ordered them, which was in contrast toAMC,Ford, andGM who only produced vehicles for which they received orders. Soon, they were left with a backlog of unsold inventory which cost money to store and had to resort to the money-losing tactic of rebates to get rid of these excess cars. Compounding these difficulties were new Federal emissions and safety regulations during the 1970s which added more to the production costs of each car. Townsend retired in 1975 and left the reins toJohn J. Riccardo, who presided over a slowly-sinking company.

The following year, the compactDodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare debuted as replacements for the dated Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant, but were rushed into production and ended up with a major string of quality control problems that led to them being one of the most recalled cars in US history. In 1977, Riccardo petitioned newly elected US presidentJimmy Carter for a Federal bailout, but Carter would not consider the idea as long as Chrysler's present management was in charge. In January 1978, Chrysler released theDodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon, a US adaption of the EuropeanSimcaHorizon and the first domestic-builtFWD subcompacts. They came out in a year when larger cars were in demand and dealers struggled to move them from lots, costing the hard-pressed company yet more money. Ford presidentLee Iacocca was fired on July 13, 1978, and three months later, Chrysler offered him the position of company president. By this point, the smallest of the Big Three American automakers was close to collapse, struggling from the unexpected poor sales of the Omni, the fallout from the Aspen recalls, and the decision to discontinue full-sized Dodges and Plymouths in 1978, leaving it without a full-sized car in a year of strong sales for them. Since 1976, quality control on Chrysler vehicles had become worse.

Although the K-platform had been designed during 1978, the failing company could not afford by this point to put them into production. Thus, Iacocca and Riccardo decided to repeat the original 1977 request for government assistance, but since the Carter Administration would not offer any help until the existing management was removed, Riccardo stepped down as chairman and gave Iacocca the job. During a series of Congressional hearings, Lee Iacocca made his case for a Federal bailout of Chrysler, citing pastbailouts of the railroad industry and aerospace companyLockheed as precedent. He argued that thousands of American jobs would be saved and the company had been consciously attempting to build modern, economical cars such as the Omni, but fate had dealt them a bad hand. Iacocca also stated that excessive government regulations were costing needless money. Congress approved the bailout after Chrysler detailed the plans for their new FWD platform and the first handful of K-cars trickled off the assembly line at Detroit's Jefferson Avenue plant in late 1980.

The Reliant and Aries weredownsized replacements for the six-passenger Volare and Aspen, which in turn were modernized version of the original Valiant and Dart compact cars of the 1960s. Based on experience gained with subcompact Omni/Horizon of 1978, the roomier K-cars set out to build a family sized car with a front-wheel drive design powered by a four-cylinder engine. They were offered as two- and four-door notchback sedans and four-door wagons and retained six-passenger seating on two bench seats. While theChevrolet Citation introduced front-wheel drive in the 1980 model year to replace theNova, its unusual styling and problems with recalls hampered its success. The two original nameplates achieved nearly a million in sales between them before being rebadged and upgraded, not counting the numerous stretched, sporty, or minivan derivatives. Ford did not replace its family-sizedFairmont/Granada/LTD with a front-wheel drive design until the 1986Ford Taurus, while cars like theChevrolet Cavalier andFord Tempo were marketed as upscale compacts rather than family sedans.

Initial advertisements for the Aries were done in red, white, and blue and emphasized American industry's desire to answer the challenge of Japanese products and also promoted the low $5,880 base price. Since Chrysler was so financially strapped, early promotional shots featured the same car, but with Dodge and Plymouth badges and trim swapped. In 1981, sales of the Reliant and Aries got off to a slow, but early start and can be attributed to Chrysler's inadequate preparation. Instead of producing a sufficient amount of base models, Chrysler was producing a larger number ofSE andCustom models. When consumers arrived at Plymouth (and Dodge) dealers, they were shocked to find that the Reliant they were planning on purchasing would end up costing hundreds or thousands of dollars more. As a result of this, Chrysler corrected this and began building more base models and sales of the Reliant and Aries skyrocketed.

The Reliant and Aries were available in standard "base", mid-levelCustom, and high-endSE (later renamedLE) trim levels. Unlike the coupe and sedan, the station wagon was not available in base trim. "SE" Reliant/Aries wagons came standard with exterior woodtone siding, although it could be deleted. All models except base could be ordered with front bucket seats rather than the standard bench. By 1987, though, bucket seats became standard and bench seats were optional without charge.

Peak sales were reached in the first year, with another high in 1984, but in spite of the 1986 facelift they decreased steadily in the succeeding years. With sales down 19% part way through 1987, Chrysler announced massive price cuts (of up to 16%) and a whittling down of the range to two models, offering a limited number of options.^[5] Since the tooling and other fixed costs were long ago amortized for the aging design, Chrysler would still earn money on the Aries/Reliant.^[5] Sales shot up for 1988 and the car was still selling strong during the partial 1989 model year.

• 1982: A new hood ornament (changed from either a Plymouth "frog legs" hood ornament or a Dodge badge mounted flat on the hood to an upright Chrysler Pentastar), a counterbalanced hood, and black painted valve cover on the 2.2L engine (vs. the former blue). 1981 and 1982 were the only two years when a factory installed sunroof on coupes and sedans could be ordered. Actual production numbers are not known.
• 1983: A blacked out grille is made standard on the Aries. Also, the four-door sedan and station wagon models finally received roll-down rear door windows versus the former stationary glass with rear quarter pop-out panes.
• 1984: The hood ornament was removed and the Chrysler Pentastar moved to the grille; theMercedes-Benz-styled grille used on the Reliant was modified. Also, the tail lights received chrome trim, and the interior received a padded dash and new black instrument cluster with round gauges.
• 1985: The first major changes occurred when the Ks received a new, rounder front fascia, featuring either a new egg-crate or crosshairgrille for the Plymouth and Dodge that was the same height as the headlights (rather than going all the way up to the hood as with previous model years). A new rear fascia featuring five-section taillights. A new trim line, the top-tier LE ("Luxury Edition"), was added (it also replaced the Custom trim level on the wagon). The base engine was a transverse mounted, Chrysler-designed, 2.2-litre (134 cu in)inline-four engine with an electronic two-barrel carburetor (replaced by a fuel injection system in 1986), rated at 82 hp (61 kW). Transaxles were a four-speed floor shiftmanual or a three-speedautomatic with either a floor or column shift. A Mitsubishi motor was optional (automatic transmission was required with that engine), and cars so equipped for 1981 were badged "2.6 Hemi". Reliants and Aries equipped with this engine accelerated 0–60 mph in the 13-second range.
• 1986: There was the replacement of the 2.2 L engine'scarburetor by a new throttle-body electronicfuel injection system, while a new 2.5 L four-cylinder engine, also fuel-injected, was added to the option list, replacing the Mitsubishi 2.6 LG54B engine, but driveability and reliability problems led to its replacement. (Just like the 2.6, automatic transmission was mandatory for the 2.5.) The four-speedmanual transmission – previously offered as standard equipment – was dropped. The SE trim line was dropped, and the LE and base trim remained the only trims until the end of production.
• 1988: All Reliant models were renamedReliantAmerica in the U.S., andReliantCanada, in Canada, and was offered in one "LE" trim level. This marketing strategy was also practiced with theDodge Omni America/Plymouth Horizon America in 1988, and as a separate base series for theDodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance twins for 1992. It is also the last year for the station wagons.

After 1987, the Reliant and Aries underwent only minor changes throughout the rest of its production run. The last K-car rolled off the assembly line on December 9, 1988.^[6] The 1989 Reliant and Aries were carryovers from the 1988 model year and only the America and Canada trims were available on these models. No station wagon models were sold in 1989. The Reliant was replaced by theAcclaim for 1989, while the Aries was replaced by theSpirit.

* For 1981, coupe and sedan production figures were not listed separately.

• Base: 1981–1987; America/Canada: 1988–1989
• Custom: 1981–1984; LE: 1985–1989
• SE: 1981–1986

Wikimedia Commons has media related toPlymouth Reliant.

• [1] – Links for Plymouth Reliant on Allpar.com
• [2] – Chrysler K-car Club
• Car Lust: Popular culture review

• Plymouth vehicles
• Front-wheel-drive vehicles
• Mid-size cars
• Coupés
• Sedans
• Station wagons
• Cars introduced in 1980
• Cars of Mexico

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