On November 3, 1999, Jim Holden, President of the Chrysler side of DaimlerChrysler, announced that the Plymouth brand would be discontinued at the end of the 2001 model year. On September 23, 1999, the Detroit News had carried an article which, in essence, said that the Plymouth brand was dead. A companion article was an obituary and eulogy for the Plymouth brand. At the time, DaimlerChrysler refused to comment on the articles - a sure sign, at the time, that the discontinuation was a done deal. (Ironically, Jim Holden himself was later discontinued (fired) by DaimlerChrysler.)
The Germans at DaimlerChrysler have been busy cleaning house - changing business management. American executives have been bailing out (or have been tossed out) with retirement packages and the dealer organization has been indifferent to Plymouth's demise - after all, they can all just sell Dodge products instead. So ... no one at the factory or at the dealerships was left to champion the Plymouth brand. The Germans didn't care about Plymouth's heritage (it had minimal presence in Europe) - and, after all, the Germans are the ones calling the shots. Thus, the death announcement came as a surprise to few.
There's a sick little joke that's been going around Detroit: Question - "How do you pronounce 'DaimlerChrysler'?" Answer - "The 'Chrysler' is silent!" Here's another - when DaimlerChrysler killed Plymouth, they did a blasphemous thing. After all, Plymouth was the brand of automobile which God used to drive. It's in the bible - "... then God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Paradise in a Fury!"
The Plymouth Breeze sedan will disappear, the Plymouth Voyager becomes a Chrysler Voyager, the entry-level Chrysler minivan, and you'll be buying a Dodge Neon rather than a Plymouth Neon. The Plymouth Prowler will become the Chrysler Prowler just as the original Plymouth PT Cruiser showcar evolved into a Chrysler brand when it reached production.
The Plymouth automobile was introduced for the 1928 model year as a direct competitor to Ford and Chevrolet. It was a sturdy and durable little car which attracted a legion of loyal owners. Plymouth became one of the low-priced-three from Detroit and was usually #3 in sales, just behind Ford and Chevy. In good times, Plymouth sold almost 750,000 cars per year. Sometimes stodgy (think 1953 Cranbrook), sometimes wild (those '57 fins), sometimes strategically brilliant (the 1960 Valiant compared with the Falcon and Corvair), sometimes crazy/goofy (the Roadrunner - beep, beep), sometimes muscle car king (Richard Petty winning all those stock car races in a blue Road Runner in '73), sometimes poorly made (too many model years to mention, although the name Volare´ somehow comes to mind), Plymouth certainly had its moments. And created its own history and heritage.
In the 1960s, Chrysler began to re-position Dodge as a brand alternative to Plymouth, reducing the price spread between the two brands and offering low-priced, compact and intermediate-sized models with both Dodge and Plymouth badges. By 1982, Dodge was outselling Plymouth. Plymouth sales continued to decline relative to Dodge and, by 1990, offered no unique products. Ultimately, Plymouths became rebadged Dodges, except for the Prowler. The 1999 PT retro-show car was initially badged as a Plymouth, then re-appeared with Chrysler badges, hinting that Plymouth's end was near. By 1999, Plymouth sales were less than 300,000 per year.
In my first business book, first published in mid-1997, I detailed Plymouth's problems in a chapter called 'Lessons From Detroit' about automotive marketing fiascos (and how you could use these lessons to prevent marketing mistakes in your own business).
Some of Plymouth's automotive friends are also in poor health - there is a great deal of industry speculation regarding the possible demise of Oldsmobile and Mercury. Time will tell for these brands. (Oops! On 12/12/00, GM announced that it was phasing out the Oldsmobile brand.) Like Plymouth, Olds and Mercs have their loyal fans but seem to lack corporate sponsorship and direction.
As for Plymouth - farewell old friend. You had some great years, but it was sad to see you in your decline. Rest in Peace - alongside your long-dead relatives, Maxwell and DeSoto.
