K-cars

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

You talk about Chrysler doing badly, look what happened to GM a few years back. Same thing! Government bailout! Lee Iacocca had to pay back the loan way early, as he didn't like owing THEM money.

I wasn't ragging on Chrysler either. In fact I find it hard to understand why they were doing so badly in the 70s considering their offerings during the smog era were the best of the big three in my opinion. That isn't saying much, but still. Even their least visually appealing models from back then aren't that bad. Putting the Charger name on a full-size seemed kind of weird though.

Too bad Chrysler was unable to make 2-door and wagon versions of the R-platform cars, which might have done better had they been introduced a few years later. The 1979 New Yorker Fifth Avenue at least with a 360 and dual exhaust came without cats up here which must have been some help at least.

I'm aware of GM's problems from a few years back but I don't hear as much about that. Besides, I was speaking of smog-era vehicles, not those whose biggest advantage is that when they're used up their owners can step on them and return them for a refund.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I wasn't ragging on Chrysler either. In fact I find it hard to understand why they were doing so badly in the 70s considering their offerings during the smog era were the best of the big three in my opinion. That isn't saying much, but still. Even their least visually appealing models from back then aren't that bad. Putting the Charger name on a full-size seemed kind of weird though.

Too bad Chrysler was unable to make 2-door and wagon versions of the R-platform cars, which might have done better had they been introduced a few years later. The 1979 New Yorker Fifth Avenue at least with a 360 and dual exhaust came without cats up here which must have been some help at least.

I'm aware of GM's problems from a few years back but I don't hear as much about that. Besides, I was speaking of smog-era vehicles, not those whose biggest advantage is that when they're used up their owners can step on them and return them for a refund.

Chryslers problem at the time was poor planning! The wrong product at the wrong time. Lee Iacocca stated that in his book.
When the other US manufactures were started building small cars to compete with the imports, they were still building the old product line.