Small, unassuming, and secretly an enormous success.
They had been known as captive imports, they usually grew to become an necessary a part of the new-product lineups at Chrysler, Ford, and Normal Motors starting within the Seventies. The Dodge Colt was such a automotive, and for years gave Dodge an enviable showroom lineup of small and reasonably priced fashions. The Colt has an fascinating historical past.
1974 Dodge Colt: Favourite Automobile Advertisements
Japanese carmakers started promoting small automobiles and vans within the U.S. in some quantity within the late Sixties, however it took the disruptive OPEC Oil Embargo of 1973-1974—and the associated spike in fuel costs—to shock American shoppers into severely contemplating the acquisition of imported automobiles.
Captive Imports
Captive imports—automobiles constructed by a international carmaker and retailed domestically by a home model—allowed clients to think about imported autos, but additionally benefit from the security of a longtime seller community.
Of the all captive imports, maybe most famously, Chevrolet retailed a small pickup constructed by Japanese automotive builder Isuzu known as the LUV (1972-1980), whereas Ford bought a small Mazda-built truck named Courrier (1972-1982). Buick, too, bought German-built Opel merchandise at its shops, and Mercury sellers bought a German-built little sports activities coupe known as the Capri. All this started taking place proper across the time fuel costs went loopy.
Asian Invasion
On the identical time Japanese carmakers started establishing themselves within the U.S. with more and more sturdy seller networks and mainstream promoting. Datsun, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota had been changing into family names, and exhibiting up on an growing variety of shopper test-drive lists.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi, nevertheless, had no plans to market automobiles or vans within the U.S. below its personal identify, establishing as a substitute a relationship with Chrysler (the then company identify for what’s now the American arm of Stellantis). In 1971 Chrysler took a 15-percent stake in Mitsubishi, and the 2 firms instantly started doing enterprise.
Enter the Colt
Among the many first merchandise sourced from Mitsubishi for U.S. sale was the Dodge Colt. Based mostly on Mitsubishi’s home-market Galant, the Colt was a tidy, environment friendly, and reportedly fun-to-drive little automotive that plugged an enormous maintain in Dodge’s mannequin lineup. Plymouth sellers bought an similar line of autos known as Cricket, which had been priced the identical because the Colts.
New for 1971, the Colt was quickly supplied as a complete lineup of sensible little automobiles powered by spunky 4-cylinder engines, and sporting costs comfortably under the least costly American-made Dodge.
1974 Dodge Colt Advert
This advert showcases the whole Colt lineup, and demonstrates to some extent that the little Mitsubishi-built automobiles weren’t bare-bones choices.
1974 Colt Lineup
For 1974, as seen within the advert, the Colt was supplied within the following configurations:
- Base (2-door coupe): $2264 ($14,800 in 2026 {dollars})
- 2-door hardtop: $2497 ($16,300)
- 4-door sedan: $2437 ($15,900)
- 4-door station wagon: $2675 ($17,500)
- 2-Door GT: $2578 ($16,800)
Fashionable choices included an AM Radio (normal on some fashions) at $65, computerized transmission at $200-$250, and air con at $350-$420.
For comparability, the Dart, Dodge’s least-expensive American-made mannequin, ranged in worth from $2878 to $3837.
Enter the Neon
The Colt would evolve by way of a number of generations, and was lastly retired after the 1994 mannequin yr, simply as Dodge and Plymouth had been introducing the home-grown Neon small sedan and coupe.
All advised, almost 900,000 examples of the Colt had been bought within the U.S., plus an excellent variety of Plymouth Crickets and similar-size Eagle Summits.
Overcoming its shyness, Mitsubishi started promoting automobiles below its personal banner in 1982. It’s first two automobiles, the Cordia small sedan and Tredia small coupe, had been typically nicely reviewed, however bought in restricted numbers till Mitsubishi constructed out a distribution community.
As for the advert, we discover it fascinating that Dodge selected to have a good time the Colt’s Japanese heritage versus trying to hide it. And, so far as captive imports are involved, we expect the Colt’s close to 25-year run is fairly spectacular. Actually, no different Dodge mannequin on sale in 1971 when the colt was launched was nonetheless in manufacturing when the colt was retired. Click on right here to get pleasure from extra basic automotive adverts.
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1974 Dodge Colt Photos
(Click on under for enlarged photographs)
Mannequin-Yr Insanity! 10 Traditional Advertisements From 1974