Chrysler produced a cute compact (in American terms) called the Neon over model years 1995-2005 with a body revision in model year 2000. This is related by Wikipedia here.
Neons were a prime example of "badge engineering" whereby an automobile is marketed under two (or more) brand names with minimal differences. In the Neon's case, those brands were Plymouth and Dodge in the USA, and overseas Neons were sold as Chryslers. Basic first-generation Plymouth and Dodge Neons differed externally mostly via brand badges, though they also might have had different hub caps and other minor non- brand related items here and there.
Styling was of its time, featuring increased aerodynamic refinement compared to boxy Chrysler Corporation K cars that were marketed from the early 1980s into the 1995 model year. Passenger compartment greenhouses were large and the rest of the bodies were comparatively short, features also in line with styling fashion in those days. Ornamentation was minimal, this too a current practice.
The detail that made Neons seem "cute" and helped their marketplace success was the shape of their headlights and the smile-like effect of the lower air intake. The story goes that Chrysler bean-counters objected to the headlight design on the basis of cost, wanting cheaper round ones. This would have made Neons less distinctive and probably would have lessened sales. Fortunately, the financial folks were overruled and Neons sold well, especially during the first model years.
The images below have captions based on what I found on the Internet: in many cases it's hard to tell if a Neon is a Plymouth or a Dodge when looking at a small photo. Even the model years posted are problematical, though the Plymouth brand was dropped during 2001, so all USA Neons thereafter were Dodges.
Chrysler produced a cute compact (in American terms) called the Neon over model years 1995-2005 with a body revision in model year 2000. This is related by Wikipedia here.
Neons were a prime example of "badge engineering" whereby an automobile is marketed under two (or more) brand names with minimal differences. In the Neon's case, those brands were Plymouth and Dodge in the USA, and overseas Neons were sold as Chryslers. Basic first-generation Plymouth and Dodge Neons differed externally mostly via brand badges, though they also might have had different hub caps and other minor non- brand related items here and there.
Styling was of its time, featuring increased aerodynamic refinement compared to boxy Chrysler Corporation K cars that were marketed from the early 1980s into the 1995 model year. Passenger compartment greenhouses were large and the rest of the bodies were comparatively short, features also in line with styling fashion in those days. Ornamentation was minimal, this too a current practice.
The detail that made Neons seem "cute" and helped their marketplace success was the shape of their headlights and the smile-like effect of the lower air intake. The story goes that Chrysler bean-counters objected to the headlight design on the basis of cost, wanting cheaper round ones. This would have made Neons less distinctive and probably would have lessened sales. Fortunately, the financial folks were overruled and Neons sold well, especially during the first model years.
The images below have captions based on what I found on the Internet: in many cases it's hard to tell if a Neon is a Plymouth or a Dodge when looking at a small photo. Even the model years posted are problematical, though the Plymouth brand was dropped during 2001, so all USA Neons thereafter were Dodges.
EmoticonEmoticon