View source for Chrysler K platform

{{Distinguish|Kei car}}
{{Infobox automobile platform
|name         = K-platform
|image        = 85-89 Dodge Aries sedan.jpg
|caption      = 1989 Dodge Aries K Sedan
|manufacturer = [[Chrysler Corporation]]
|production   = 1981–1995
|predecessor  = {{br separated entries
  | [[Chrysler L platform|L-body]]}}
|successor    = {{br separated entries
  | [[Chrysler PL platform|PL]]
  | [[Chrysler JA platform|JA]]
  | [[Chrysler LH platform|LH]]
  | [[Chrysler S platform|NS]]}}
|class        = {{br separated entries
  | [[Compact car]]
  | [[Mid-size car]]
  | [[Full-size car]]
  | [[Sports car]]
  | [[Minivan]]}}
|layout       = [[FF layout]]
|body_style   = {{br separated entries
  | 2-door [[Convertible (car)|convertible]]
  | 2-door [[coupe]]
  | 4-door [[sedan (car)|sedan]]
  | 4-door [[station wagon]]
  | 4-door [[limousine]]}}
|engine       = {{br separated entries
  | 2.2 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.2|K]]'' [[Inline-four engine|I4]]
  | 2.2 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.2 Turbo I|Turbo I]]'' I4
  | 2.2 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.2 Turbo II|Turbo II]]'' I4
  | 2.2 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.2 Turbo III|Turbo III]]'' I4
  | 2.2 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.2 Turbo IV|Turbo IV]]'' I4
  | 2.2 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.2 TC|TC]]'' I4
  | 2.5 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.5|K]]'' I4
  | 2.5 L ''[[Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine#2.5 Turbo|Turbo]]'' I4
  | 2.6 L [[Mitsubishi Motors|Mitsubishi]] ''[[Mitsubishi Astron engine|G54B]]'' I4
  | 3.0 L [[Mitsubishi Motors|Mitsubishi]] ''[[Mitsubishi 6G7 engine#6G72|6G72]]'' [[V6]]
  | 3.3 L ''[[Chrysler 3.3 engine#3.3|EGA]]'' V6
  | 3.8 L ''[[Chrysler 3.3 engine#3.8|EGH]]'' V6}}
}} 

The '''K-car platform''' was a key [[automobile platform|automotive design platform]] introduced by [[Chrysler Corporation]] for the 1981 model year, featuring a [[transverse engine]], [[front-wheel drive]], independent front and semi-independent rear [[Independent suspension|suspension]] configuration—a stark departure from the company's previous reliance on [[solid axle]], [[Rear-wheel drive|rear-drive]] [[unibody]] configurations during the 1970s. Derived from Chrysler's L-cars, the [[Plymouth Horizon]] and [[Dodge Omni]], the platform was developed just as the company faltered in the market, at first underpinning a modest range of compact/mid-size sedans and wagons—and eventually underpinning nearly fifty different models, including [[all-wheel drive]] variants—and playing a vital role in the company's subsequent resurgence.

==Common platforms==
The use of a common platform is a widely used practice for reducing the number of parts and engineering time. Before creating the K platform, Chrysler was building vehicles on a small number of common platforms (e.g. F/L/J/M and R), but the different models shared few parts.<ref name=Allpar-platforms>{{cite web|url=http://www.allpar.com/model/rwdbodies.html |title=Rear-drive platforms |publisher=Allpar.com |date=1978-10-05 |access-date=2012-08-24}}</ref> In announcing his decision to develop the K platform, Chrysler CEO [[Lee Iacocca]] said the company's huge number of parts in inventory and the complexity of building many completely different versions of vehicles were reasons Chrysler was losing money. He directed the engineers to focus on making a larger number of common parts where they would not be visible to customers; this was already common practice in Japan and Germany and would help to make the K-cars profitable even at low prices.<ref name="Iacocca">{{citation | title = Iacocca: An Autobiography | first1 = Lee | last1 = Iacocca | first2 = William | last2 = Novak | date = 1986-06-01 | publisher = Bantam Books | isbn = 978-0553251470 }}</ref>

Arriving on the brink of Chrysler's near-certain financial collapse, the new platform had a dramatic effect, helping Chrysler report a profit in October 1980 of $10 million (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|10000000|1980}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}), its first profit in two years.<ref name="nyt07"/> A plethora of K-platform body styles and [[badge engineering|badge-engineered]] variants followed the original range, including the company's [[Chrysler minivans|minivans]] and upscale [[Chrysler (division)|Chrysler]] division models. The platform interchangeability saved production and purchasing costs, initially costing Chrysler $1 billion over three years to develop (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1000000000|1980}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}), but only costing $50 million (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|50000000|1980}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}) to generate the second group of badge-engineered variants, the LeBaron and Dodge 400.<ref name="nyt07">{{cite news
  | title = THE K CAR: VARIATIONS ON A THEME HELPED TO SAVE CHRYSLER
  | work = The New York Times
  | date = January 29, 1984
  | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/29/automobiles/the-k-car-variations-on-a-theme-helped-to-save-chrysler.html}}</ref> Within two years, the K platform vehicles accounted for roughly half of Chrysler's operating profits.<ref name="nyt07"/>

In 1984, ''[[The New York Times]]'' said, "Not only did [K-cars] almost single-handedly save Chrysler from certain death, they also provided the company with a vehicle that could be stretched, smoothed, poked, chopped and trimmed to create almost a dozen different models."<ref name="nyt07"/>

In 1984, David Lewis, an auto industry historian and professor of business history at the [[University of Michigan]] said no platform "in the history of the automobile industry has so dramatically allowed a company to survive in such a substantial way. No company has been down so low, in such difficult straits, and then depended on practically a single product to bring it back."<ref name="nyt07"/>

{{Blockquote
|text=We talk about all these cars being K car derivatives, which is correct, but that doesn't mean they all have to have K car characteristics. Through different selections of springs, shocks, tires, added sound insulation, improving rubber bushings, the character of the car can be changed quite dramatically. That has been the secret of being able to take a car of the K body compact class all the way up to the New Yorker luxury class.<ref name="nyt07"/>
|author=L. Donald Gschwind, Chrysler's VP for Program Management, in 1984
}}

{{-}}

==Sales figures==
Following the [[1973 oil crisis]], compounded by the [[1979 energy crisis]], American consumers began to buy fuel-efficient, low-cost automobiles built in [[Japan]]. With the market for large [[V-8 engine]]d [[automobiles]] declining, American domestic auto manufacturers found themselves trying to develop compact vehicles that could compete with the Japanese imports of [[Toyota]], [[Honda]], and [[Nissan]] in price and finish. [[Chrysler Corporation]]'s answer to the import pressure was the K platform, which featured an economical 4-cylinder engine, [[front-wheel drive]] and used many modern weight-reducing measures, such as replacing metal styling parts with plastic interior and exterior components.

The K-cars (Dodge Aries, [[Plymouth Reliant]], [[Chrysler LeBaron]], [[Dodge 400]], and, in Mexico, [[Dodge Dart]]) sold over 2 million vehicles from 1981 to 1988, and around 100,000 in their final year, 1989.

The manual transmission provided acceleration of {{convert|0|-|60|mph|abbr=on}} in 10 seconds, while the automatic was between 13 and 14 seconds, similar to or better than most competitors, while fuel economy was rated by the EPA at {{convert|26|mpgus|abbr=on}} city and {{convert|41|mpgus|abbr=on}} highway with the manual transmission. All had a {{convert|100.1|in|adj=on}} wheelbase. The overall length of the two- and four-door models was {{convert|176|in}}. The wagon was {{convert|0.2|in}} longer. The vehicles had an approximate {{convert|14|gal|adj=on}} fuel tank. The coupe and sedan had approximately {{convert|15|cuft}} of luggage space; the wagons, {{convert|35|cuft}} with the rear seat upright and about {{convert|70|cuft}} when folded down.

Numerous improvements to the sound insulation and general feel were made for the model year 1983. In 1985, the Reliant, Aries, and LeBaron received a facelift, with a rounded front fascia, smoother hood, and bigger taillights. In 1986, the cars began using fuel injection on the 2.2-liter [[Chrysler K engine|engine]] and a 2.5-liter [[Chrysler K engine|engine]] replaced the arguably unreliable Mitsubishi 2.6-liter engine.<ref name=allpar-K>{{cite web|url=http://allpar.com/eek/k/k.html |title=Allpar/K-cars |publisher=Allpar.com |access-date=2012-08-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| first = Peter | last = Cheney |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-life/cheney/10-worst-cars-chosen-by-our-readers/article1477474/singlepage/#articlecontent |title=10 worst cars chosen by our readers |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=2010-02-22 |access-date=2012-08-24}}</ref>

They were initially very profitable, and Iacocca credited them with allowing the company to pay off its bankruptcy loans early.<ref name="Iacocca"/>

==Derivatives==
[[File:Plymouth Reliant Station Wagon late.jpg|thumb|Plymouth Reliant station wagon]]
[[File:1983-1984 Chrysler T&C convertible front, Esplanade.jpg|thumb|1983-84 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible]]
The K-derivatives offered a large variety of engines, depending on year and model. Four-cylinder engines were initially equipped with carburetors; fuel injection was phased in beginning in 1986. Engine output ranged from {{convert|86|hp|abbr=on}} to {{convert|224|hp|abbr=on}}. Most vehicles had the {{nobr|2.2 L}} or {{nobr|2.5 L}} [[Chrysler K engine|Chrysler four-cylinder engine]]; however, from 1981 to 1985, a [[Mitsubishi Astron engine|{{nobr|2.6 L}} four]] and from 1987 to 1995, a [[Mitsubishi 6G7 engine#6G72|{{nobr|3.0 L}} V6]], both made by [[Mitsubishi Motors|Mitsubishi]] were offered.
* K [[mid-size car]]s
** 1981–1989 Dodge Aries (often referred to as the '''Aries K''', owing to strong publicity for the K cars; 1981 models are badged as such.)
** 1981–1989 [[Plymouth Reliant]] (as above, also known as the '''Reliant K''')
** 1982–1988 [[Chrysler LeBaron]] (coupes and convertibles were produced on this platform until 1986)
** 1982–1988 [[Chrysler Town and Country (pre-1990)|Chrysler LeBaron Town and Country]]
** 1982–1983 [[Dodge 400]]
** 1982–1985 Dodge Dart K (Mexico only)
** 1982–1985 Valiant Volare K (2-door) (Mexico only)
** 1986–1988 Dart by Chrysler (2-door and wagon) (Mexico only)
** 1986–1988 Volare by Chrysler (2-door) (Mexico only)
** 1986–1987 Volare by Chrysler (4-door) (Mexico only)
** 1983–1988 [[Plymouth Caravelle]] coupe (Canada only)
** 1984–1986 [[Dodge 600]] coupe and convertible
** 1985-1987 Dodge Michigan (Japan only)
** 1984–1987 Dodge Magnum 400 and Dodge Magnum Turbo (Mexico only)
** 1985 Chrysler 600 Sedan (Mexico only)
* [[Chrysler E platform|E]] (Extended-wheelbase) [[mid-size car]]s
** 1983–1984 [[Chrysler E-Class]]
** 1983–1986 [[Chrysler Executive]] limousine
** 1983–1987 [[Chrysler New Yorker]] 
**[[File:1987 Chrysler New Yorker.jpg|thumb|1987 Chrysler New Yorker, an E Body]]1988 [[Chrysler New Yorker|Chrysler New Yorker Turbo]] (For 1988, the non-turbo [[Chrysler New Yorker#1988–1993|Chrysler New Yorker]] began using the larger C Platform (see below) but the Turbo did not)
** 1983–1988 [[Dodge 600]] sedan
** 1985–1988 [[Plymouth Caravelle]]
** 1986–1989 Dart by Chrysler (4-door) (Mexico only)
** 1988–1989 Volare by Chrysler (4-door) (Mexico only)
* G [[sports car]]s (designated as the AG platform from 1989)
** 1984–1986 [[Chrysler Laser]]
** 1984–1993 [[Dodge Daytona]] and [[Chrysler Daytona]] (Canada)
* [[Chrysler S platform|S]] [[minivan]]s
** 1984–1990 [[Dodge Caravan]]
** 1984–1990 [[Plymouth Voyager]]
** 1990 [[Chrysler Town and Country]]
* H [[mid-size car]]s
** 1985–1988 [[Chrysler LeBaron|Chrysler LeBaron GTS]]
** 1985–1989 [[Dodge Lancer]]
** 1987 [[Shelby Lancer]]
* P [[compact car]]s (designated as the AP platform from 1989)
** 1987–1994 [[Dodge Shadow]]
** 1987–1994 [[Plymouth Sundance]] and [[Plymouth Duster#Revivals of the Duster name|Duster]]
** 1987–1989 [[Shelby CSX]]
* [[Chrysler J platform|J]] [[sport car]]s (designated as the AJ platform from 1989)
** 1987–1995 [[Chrysler LeBaron]] coupe and convertible
** 1988–1994 Chrysler Phantom coupe only (Mexico only)
* [[Chrysler C platform|C]] [[mid-size car]]s (designated as the AC platform from 1989)
** 1988–1993 [[Chrysler New Yorker]]
** 1988–1993 [[Dodge Dynasty]]
** 1988–1993 [[Chrysler Dynasty]] (Canada only)
* [[Chrysler A platform|AA]] [[mid-size car]]s
** 1989–1994 [[Chrysler Saratoga]] (Europe only)
** 1989–1995 [[Dodge Spirit]]
** 1989–1995 [[Plymouth Acclaim]]
** 1990–1994 [[Chrysler LeBaron]] sedan
** 1990–1994 Chrysler New Yorker (Mexico only)
* Q [[sports car]]
** 1989–1991 [[Chrysler TC by Maserati]]
* Y [[luxury car]]s (a stretched variant of the C platform used for two top-line models, also designated as the AY platform)
** 1990–1993 [[Chrysler Fifth Avenue|Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue]]
** 1990–1993 [[Chrysler Imperial#1990–1993|Chrysler Imperial]]
* [[Chrysler minivans (AS)|AS]] [[minivan]]s
** 1991–1995 [[Chrysler Town and Country]]
**[[File:1993 Town and Country.jpg|thumb|1993 Chrysler Town & Country, an AS platform minivan]]1991–1995 [[Dodge Caravan]]
** 1991–1995 [[Plymouth Voyager]]

==See also==
{{Portal|1980s|1990s}}
* [[Metrication in the United States]] – First Chrysler car to be produced in the metric system with [[ISO metric screw thread|metric screw thread]]s and components.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Chrysler platforms|K]]
[[Category:1981 introductions]]