History of the Mitsubishi-Chrysler alliance
Mitsubishi's cars arrived in the U.S. in 1971 as Dodge Colts sold through the Chrysler dealership network. Though badged as Dodges, they were Mitsubishis through and through. During the 1970's Chrysler helped the vehicles meet emission and safety regulations and had some minor styling influence. It is widely known that the Chrysler imports had Mitsubishi engines, but few realize that these cars were designed and built by Mitsubishi and were nearly identical to versions sold in Japan under the Mitsubishi name.
The Colt was a rear-wheel-drive vehicle built on a unitized platform. It utilized a strut suspension in the front and leaf springs in the rear. The first engine was a 1.6 liter inline four with chain-driven overhead camshaft. The Colt was available as a coupe, sedan, and station wagon.
In 1976 the Plymouth Arrow was introduced. It was a two-door hatchback with an all-new structure and chassis though still rear-drive. It continued through 1980 and was the basis for the 1977 through 1979 Colt coupe and sedan. For 1979 and 1980 a special package called the Fire Arrow was available. It included a 2.6 liter engine, four-wheel disc brakes, factory aluminum wheels and unique styling.
In 1978 the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo were added to the lineup. They were a two-door hardtop. They were essentially unchanged through 1980 and shared much of the structure and chassis with the 1978-1980 Colt wagon. For these vehicles a multi-link rear suspension was a major improvement over leaf springs. The 2.6 engine was by far the most common for the Challenger/Sapporo/Colt wagon, and factory alloy wheels were a commonly chosen option for the Challenger and Sapporo.
1979 was a split year for the Colt in which the front-wheel-drive Colt hatchback was sold alongside the rear-drive coupe, sedan and station wagon. The Colt hatchback had almost nothing in common with any of its siblings.
Challenger and Sapporo were significantly remade for their final model years of 1981-1983. For 1983 an options package called Technica strongly foreshadowed the styling of the Mitsubishi Starion.