Plymouth (automobile)

Plymouth was a brand of automobiles based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler. The brand was founded in 1928 and ended in 2001. They are popular to vintage car enthusiasts and classic car enthusiasts, especially models like the Plymouth Valiant, Plymouth Barracuda, Plymouth GTX, Plymouth Roadrunner, and more.
History.
Founding and origin of the company:.
Plymouth was founded by Walter Chrysler on July 7, 1928 at Madison Square Garden at New York City, New York, which started Chrysler's entry into the low-end car market, which was the same thing Ford and Chevrolet did years ago. Cars produced by the company costed more money, but had standard features not included in vehicles produced by Chevrolet and Ford (e.g. Hydraulic Brakes) and were originally sold at dealerships made by Chrysler. The first automobile (car) produced by Plymouth was the 4-Door Plymouth Touring Sedan, costing US$695 Dollars (US$12,062.80 in 2023 Dollars). The logo for the company represents the Mayflower ship but was actually inspired by the Plymouth Binder Twine produced by the Plymouth Cordage Company. It was also the reason why the company was named as Plymouth. 
The earliest evidence goes back the Maxwell Motor Company during the time when Walter Chrysler took over the company. During that time, the Maxwell automobile was reworked into the Chrysler 52 in 1926, which would later be renamed to create the Chrysler-Plymouth Model Q. 
1930s, 1940s, and 1950s:.
While the specified purpose of Plymouth was to be a lower-end class of the Automobile Market, the Great Depression was the reason why the Chrysler Corporation and Plymouth itself were extremely successful unlike many other defunct car companies during the time. During the decade, Plymouth's cars were produced by the "big three" of Chrysler, which were Dodge, DeSoto, and Chrysler. Plymouth was so successful that it rose to number three in car sales and introduced the Floating Power. In 1933, Plymouth introduced the Carburetor for Chrysler's Inline-6 engine on the newly introduced Plymouth PC/PD. 4 years later (1937), the flat dashboard and back-front seat pads for rear-seat passengers were introduced for most of Plymouth's vehicles. 2 years later, Plymouth introduces the world's first mass-produced power-folding top convertible at the New York's World Fair. During this time, Plymouth was the second-largest automobile company in sales, nearly surpassing Ford in both 1940 and 1941. Together with Chevrolet and Ford, it was called the "low-priced three".
In 1953, Plymouth develops the 3-speed manual Hy-Drive torque converter. 2 years later in 1955 was Plymouth's first successful redesign for its vehicles. Designed by Chrysler's stylist, Virgil Exner, sales went up by 52% a year later. Plymouth's first V8 and automatic transmission "PowerFlite" was introduced. Plymouth rose to even more fame when they introduced the Plymouth Fury 2 years later in 1956 with a 5.0L V8. It replaced the Belvedere in 1959 along with introducing the Sport Fury, which was a sportier Fury.
Plymouth's second redesign was in 1957 with the new Forward Look, designed by Virgil Exner again. Sales went up by 18% to approximately 720,000 sales compared to the previous model year. However, it heavily damaged Chrysler's reputation due to poor materials, build quality, and the lack of good corrosion protection.
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s:.
Although there was bad reception, people had bought enough cars to keep the company alive. In 1961, the sales were boosted due to the new Plymouth Valiant, which was originally introduced 2 years earlier in 1959. In 1962, Chrysler shrunk down the size of their products due to rumors of Chevrolet downsizing their cars. This was not the case however, turning Plymouth into the "bigger equals better" market. This caused them to be resized a year later in 1963 with a new body style. In 1964, Plymouth's new body style proved to be popular, gaining more buyers and boosting sales by a minor amount. In 1964, Plymouth introduces the Barracuda with a V6 or V8 Big Block as the answer to Ford's extremely popular Ford Mustang. 3 years later in 1967, the Plymouth Belvedere GTX is introduced, which is the first Plymouth to include the 7.2L Super Commando or 7.0L Hemi Engine. In 1968, the Roadrunner is introduced as a "stripped-down" Belvedere.
During the 1970s, emission and safety/exhaust requirements along with increasing gas prices and economic downturns meant less demand for cars with low fuel economy and cars with high fuel economy. This caused many V8s and muscle cars to either be discontinued or shrunk down in performance. This heavily impacted Plymouth, causing sales to heavily drop in 1970 while showing an uptick in 1973. Thus, Chrysler introduces the Chrysler E platform for its cars, specifically for cars like the Plymouth Barracuda.
In 1971, the Plymouth Valiant (rebadged/clone of the Dodge Dart Swinger) was introduced as the Plymouth Valiant Scamp, which was replaced 5 years later in 1976 by the Plymouth Volare, which was an instant success in terms of sales and popularity. For 1978, Chrysler introduces the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni due to FWD and I4 cars becoming standard in the 1980s as predictions. The car sold well, selling for 11 years until 1987. Plymouth was hurt by Chrysler when downsizing their cars to compete with downsized cars produced by both Chevrolet and Ford.
During the 1980s, most of Plymouth's models were rebadged/re-engineered Dodges or Mitsubishis. In 1981, the Plymouth Reliant K and Dodge Aries K were introduced coming with 2.2L Inline-4 engines and Mitsubishi 2.6L, while also replacing the Plymouth Volare and Plymouth Roadrunner. Sales were of average, selling 150,000 units in 1981. In 1982, the M-Body Gran Fury was introduced based on the F-Platform. Just like most Dodges and Chryslers, they were identical in terms of design and engineering. However, it was dropped early in 1989 due declining sales, lack of ads/promotion, and outdated technology. In 1984, Plymouth introduced its first minivan, which is the Plymouth Voyager, which is a rebadged Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan, which introduced the world's first cup holders.
1990s to 2000s:.
The 90s and 2000s was the beginning of the fall of Plymouth, losing its identity when compared to Chrysler, Dodge, Eagle, and more companies. As a result, Chrysler put Plymouth as an entry-level brand, modernized its logo, and promoted the value of its cars. This only made things worse for Plymouth, causing sales to fall even further. Only the Voyager, Breeze, Neon, and the Prowler were the only remaining models made by Plymouth. Chrysler was originally going to expand Plymouth with the Plymouth Prowler and the Chrysler PT Cruiser, but ended up being produced by Chrysler instead. Sales of Plymouth drastically went from 973,000 all the way down to less than 200,000 cars. In 1999, Plymouth was defunct in Canada. Then in 2000, the Plymouth Neon would be sold into the 2001 year as Plymouth's last automobile, noting the end of Plymouth.