The Plymouth Caravelle is a

mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

sedan that was introduced by

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

as a 1983 Canadian model. The Caravelle came to the United States in 1985 to replace the Chrysler E-Class. It was essentially identical to the concurrent

Dodge 600 The Dodge 600 is a mid-size car that was built by Dodge. It was introduced in 1982, as a 1983 model, based on the Chrysler E platform and was discontinued after the 1988 model year. It was Chrysler's answer to the GM A-body, whereas the M-body ...

. It was replaced by the

Plymouth Acclaim The Plymouth Acclaim is a mid-size sedan produced in the 1989 to 1995 model years. The Acclaim was Plymouth's updated replacement for both the similarly sized E-body Caravelle and the K-body Reliant. Badge engineering was employed to give Dodge ...

in 1989. The Caravelle was Plymouth's first

front wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional lon ...

mid-size sedan. The name of the vehicle was inspired by the word

Caravel The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...

, a 15th-century sailing ship used by the Portuguese; the ship was noted for its speed and agility.

United States

For 1985, the Chrysler brand dropped its unsuccessful entry-level variant of the E platform, the Chrysler E-Class (the idea of a more mainstream Chrysler was not well received by consumers). Even though the Dodge 600 was mainstream, Dodges were not generally sold with Chryslers, so rather than only having the upscale

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * ''The New ...

Chrysler-Plymouth Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

dealer lots, the former E-Class was given a new grille and rebranded as a Plymouth and thus the U.S. Caravelle was created. This model was slotted between the compact Reliant K and the large rear-wheel drive

Gran Fury Emerging from ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in 1988, Gran Fury was an AIDS activist artist collective from New York City consisting of 11 members including: Richard Elovich, Avram Finkelstein, Amy Heard, Tom Kalin, John Lindell, Lo ...

. For its first year the Caravelle came in one trim level with a number of standard features, the Caravelle SE. These standard features including: AM/FM stereo, power windows, power locks, power adjustable mirrors, deck lid release, cruise control, air conditioning, and a 50/50 split front bench seat, with dual recliners. For 1986, the Caravelle was given a facelift, which rounded many of the sharp angles, giving it a more aerodynamic appearance. Also from 1986 onward, a base model was offered, without some of the standard features of the "SE". The Caravelle continued in the U.S. until 1988, when it was replaced by the new A body Acclaim for 1989. Unlike the identical Canadian Caravelle, a 2-door

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

model was never offered in the U.S.

Engines

*2.2L I4 - 96 hp (72 kW) and of torque - 1985-1988 *2.2L I4 Turbo - 146 hp (109 kW) and of torque - 1985-1988 *2.5L I4 - 100 hp (75 kW) and of torque - 1986-1988 *2.6L I4 - 1986 (replaced by Chrysler's 2.5 L engine)

Trim levels

Trim levels for U.S. version, 1985-1988 *''SE'' - 1985-1988 *base - 1986-1988 Production figures for U.S. version: Figures obtained fro
Encyclopedia of American Cars

Canada

In Canada, the Caravelle first appeared for the 1978 model year as a version of the

Dodge Diplomat The Dodge Diplomat is an American mid-size car that was produced by Dodge from 1977 to 1989. At launch, it shared a common design with the Chrysler LeBaron and for much of its later production run was the counterpart of the Chrysler Fifth Aven ...

for Canadian

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

-Plymouth dealers. As all Chrysler Canada dealers sold Chryslers, only the top-of-the-line LeBaron was sold in Canada, and the

Diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and Caravelle did not offer the top line models. The top of the range Caravalle was approximately $670 cheaper than the LeBaron. Between 1978 and mid-1981, all Caravelles were built at the Chrysler plant in

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. In 1983, Chrysler Canada added the E-body version of the Dodge 600, also offering it as a Plymouth Caravelle. The

rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...

Caravelle then became the Caravelle Salon, rather than taking the American "Gran Fury" name. Also in 1983, Chrysler Canada added a Caravelle version of the

Dodge 400 The Dodge 400 was a mid-size car built by Dodge. It was similar to the Chrysler LeBaron of the same era. The 400 was introduced for the 1982 model year but renamed and merged into the Dodge 600 lineup just two years later. An improved version o ...

2-door

. Thus the Caravelle came in three sizes based on three platforms - K, E, and M. The coupe was dropped after 1986 while sedan production came to an end in 1988. Like the U.S. version, the Canadian Caravelle was replaced by the

for 1989. The Caravelle Salon, which was the original

version, survived until 1989.

References

Allpar.com
- Plymouth Caravelle front wheel drive

- Plymouth Caravelle Salon rear wheel drive {{Plymouth Timeline Caravelle Front-wheel-drive vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Mid-size cars Coupés Sedans 1980s cars Cars introduced in 1983 Cars of Canada