Talk:Chrysler Horizon

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The following was found on Simca Horizon. I changed that to a redirect to point here, but we should check to see if any information should be merged. —Morven 19:14, Aug 2, 2004 (UTC)

Chrysler Europe launched the Simca Horizon as a French-built five-door hatchback in 1978, for a while it was sold in the USA as a Dodge Sunbeam. But for the first year it was unavailable in Britain.

That all changed at the end of 1979, when Chrysler sold its European division to Peugeot and the Horizon was badged across Europe as a Talbot. Production also took place at the Ryton plant in Coventry.

The Horizon was good to drive and reasonably practical but its design quickly became outdated in comparison with modern designs like the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra/Opel Kadett.

Horizon production ceased at the end of 1985 but the chassis lived on until 1993 underneath the new Peugeot 309, which was also built at Ryton.

Few people can remember that there was once a car called a Simca/Talbot Horizon, and even fewer can remember that it was once European Car of the Year. It is probably one of the most forgotten cars in the history of motoring.

I can't find anything that useful here, Morven, and certainly didn't know the 309 and Horizon shared a platform. Sounds like it was written by that 213.122.x.x chap. Stombs 06:59, Jan 6, 2005 (UTC)

Chrysler -Plymouth produced, but never marketed, a 4-passenger electric subcompact city car in the US in late 1977-early 1978/I actually saw a shipment of such cars on the lot of a Cioncinnati Chrysler-Plymouth dealer. I'm certain Chrysler would never have designed, profuced or deliverd such a car to dealers had it not been financially worthwhile. So my question is: Why did Chrysler never market this car? Who stood to lose if this elevtric car were marketed? Who stood to gain if it were not marketed? One thing is for certain: Had this electric car been marketed, the US and perhaps the rest of the world as well would have been much less dependent today on oil. JDS, Kefar-sava, Israel

I don't think it would have been feasible for Chrysler to actually mass produce those (if they weren't custom jobs), since they were close to bankruptcy during that time. --ApolloBoy 02:23, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

In the late '70's third party conversions (to electric) of mass produced gasoline automobiles were fairly widespread in the US. I worked at a Toyota dealer that had an electric Renault 5 in it's inventory that was eventually destroyed in the late '80's after sitting unsold for over 5 years. I suspect the Chryslers you saw were similar third party conversions (probably of an Omni or Horizon.) And, ApolloBoy is 100% right: Chrysler had a hard enough time not losing its shirt selling gas powered cars at the time.Meersman 05:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Picture

We could do with a picture of a European Horizon - there was one of the American version, but I notice that someone has quite reserved it for the Omnirizon page.