Plymouth

Plymouth is a brand of automobiles manufactured by the auto giant Chrysler, in the United States, and which lasted from 1928 to 2001. The third largest auto maker behind Ford and Plymouth, Walter P. Chrysler founded the brand in July 1928. The brand name was inspired by "Plymouth Binder Twine", a twine widely used in those days by American farmers. The message was that it was a simple, economical car accessible to everyone, with a name known by everyone.

Walter Chrysler wanted to create automobiles that were accessible to everyone, but with 4 doors and an air conditioning system consisting of vents going all the way back, a technological novelty at the time. He decided to launch a new brand in order to expand his range. The initial logo, a depiction of the "Mayflower", was selected by Chrysler to honor the English pilgrims of 1620 who landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. The first Plymouth produced was the 1929 Model U. The last model released was the Plymouth Prowler in 1997. It was produced until 2001, when the brand was shuttered. In between, models like the Plymouth Barracuda in 1964, the Plymouth Fury, the 5.2l V8 engine in 1961, the Valiant from 1960 to 1976 and the Belvedere (1954-1970) left their mark on automotive history.

The brand's success was also closely linked to Lee Iacocca. The former Ford CEO was courted fairly radically by Chrysler, and he was made director at Chrysler in 1979, during the oil crisis. The new boss made a splash by taking a salary of only $1 per month, and lobbied the U.S. Congress for a $1.5 billion loan. Congress approved the loan, and it would be repaid in 5 years and the company's finances stabilized. Lee Iacocca's second action was to launch the Plymouth Voyager (known in Europe as the Chrysler Voyager).

In 1998, Chrysler merged with Daimler. The new entity, Daimler-Chrysler ran into financial trouble, and the decision was made to do away with Plymouth.