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 status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

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. 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 Dodg ...

in 1989. The Caravelle was Plymouth's first

front wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

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

Caravel The caravel (Portuguese language, Portuguese: , ) is a small sailing ship developed by the Portuguese that may be rigged with just lateen sails, or with a combination of lateen and Square rig, square sails. It was known for its agility and s ...

, 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 may refer to: * A resident of New York: ** A resident of New York City and its suburbs *** List of people from New York City ** A resident of the New York (state), State of New York *** Demographics of New York (state) * ''The New Yor ...

on Chrysler-Plymouth 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. 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 typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...

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
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Canada

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

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

-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 ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and Caravelle did not offer the top line models. The top of the range Caravelle 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 ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. 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-whee ...

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 2-door

. Thus the Caravelle name was used for three models 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 Cars discontinued in 1988