Early Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries K-Cars

By 1980 Chrysler Corporation was well into one of its periodic financial crises.   It was saved in part by a federal government loan.  A more concrete salvation factor was the 1981 model year launch of a line of front wheel drive compact cars (wheelbase: 100.3 in (2,548 mm)) that proved to be popular.  I wrote a general post about these "K-cars," as they were called, here.

For 1981, the K-cars were the entry-level Plymouth Reliant and the slightly more expensive Dodge Aries. A Wikipedia entry dealing with them is here

As my post indicated, variations of these basic cars appeared later.  The present post offers a brief look at some 1981 and 1982 models.

Gallery

Press release showing the four-door Dodge Aries.  Styling was the then-fashionable "three box" theme of angular main body elements where rooflines were flat and windows large.  Aerodynamically refined shapes began appearing in America a few years later.

PR release showing what has been termed either a two-door sedan or a coupé.  (It looks more like a coupé to me, but some of my reference materials call it a sedan.)  The thick C-pillar was another fashionable styling feature.

Rear quarter view of a for-sale 1982 Aries.  Very angular with rectangular details.  More coherent thematically than seen on many current cars and SUVs.

Its instrument panel was angular also, instruments being in square frames.

For some reason usable Plymouth Reliant images are hard to find on the Internet.  This might be from a 1981 brochure showing the basic models.  A station wagon was added for 1983.

1982 Plymouth Reliant with fashionable vinyl top covering.  Reliants and Aries mostly differed is their frontal styling -- grilles had different patterns and Reliants were squared-off in front whereas Aries fronts were slightly angled to the rear.