Dodge Colt

Dodge Colt
Overview
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Motors
Also called	Plymouth Champ Plymouth Colt Eagle Summit Plymouth Cricket
Model years	1971–1994
Assembly	Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan
Body and chassis
Class	Compact (1971–1979) Subcompact (1979–1994)
Chronology
Successor	Dodge/Plymouth Neon Eagle Summit (For sedan, U.S. only)

Second generation
Overview
Also called	Mitsubishi Galant Chrysler Galant/Valiant Galant (AUS) Plymouth Colt (CDN) Plymouth Cricket (CDN)
Production	1974–1977
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop (pillarless coupe) 2/4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L 4G32 I4 2.0 L G52B I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,420 mm (95 in)

Third generation "Mileage Maker"
Overview
Also called	Mitsubishi Lancer Plymouth Colt
Production	1977-1978
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe 4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L 4G32 I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,340 mm (92 in)

Fourth generation
Overview
Also called	Mitsubishi Mirage/Colt Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore Plymouth Colt Plymouth Champ
Production	1979–1983
Body and chassis
Body style	3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback
Layout	FF layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.4 L 4G12 I4 1.6 L 4G32 I4 1.6 L 4G32T turbo I4

Fifth generation
1987-1988 Dodge Colt three-door
Overview
Also called	Mitsubishi Mirage Mitsubishi Colt Mitsubishi Lancer Eagle Vista (CDN) Plymouth Colt
Production	1984–1988
Body and chassis
Body style	3/5-door hatchback 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Layout	Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	1.5 L G15B I4 1.6 L 4G32 turbo I4 1.8 L 4G37 I4 (4x4 Wagon)
Transmission	3-speed automatic 4/5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	93.7 in (2,380 mm)
Length	Hatch: 157.3 in (3,995 mm) Sedan: 157.3 in (3,995 mm)
Width	63.8 in (1,621 mm)
Height	50.8 in (1,290 mm)

Sixth generation
Overview
Also called	Mitsubishi Mirage/Lancer Plymouth Colt Eagle Summit
Production	1989–1992
Assembly	Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan (Hatchback) Normal, Illinois (Sedans)
Body and chassis
Body style	3-door hatchback 4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.5 L 4G15 I4 1.6 L 4G61 I4 1.6 L 4G61T turbo I4
Transmission	3-speed automatic 4-speed manual 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	93.9 in (2,385 mm)
Length	158.7 in (4,031 mm)
Width	65.5 in (1,664 mm)
Height	52.0 in (1,321 mm)

Seventh generation
Overview
Also called	Mitsubishi Mirage Eagle Summit Plymouth Colt
Production	1993–1994
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe 4-door sedan 3-door van (see Mitsubishi RVR)
Layout	FF layout
Related	Mitsubishi Lancer
Powertrain
Engine	1.5 L 4G15 I4 1.8 L 4G93 16V I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 3/4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Sedan: 98.4 in (2,499 mm) Coupe: 96.1 in (2,441 mm)
Length	Sedan: 174.0 in (4,420 mm) Coupe: 171.1 in (4,346 mm)
Width	Base: 66.1 in (1,679 mm) ES: 66.5 in (1,689 mm)
Height	Sedan: 51.4 in (1,306 mm) Coupe: 51.6 in (1,311 mm)

The Dodge Colt were subcompact cars manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors and marketed by Dodge for model years 1971-1994 as captive imports. Badge engineered variants included the Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, marketed by Plymouth.

The Colt was initially a rebadged variant of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive Mitsubishi Mirage subcompacts in 1979.

Introduced in 1970 as model year 71, the first generation Dodge Colt was a federalized first generation Mitsubishi Colt Galant. Available as a two-door pillared coupe, two-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, and 5-door wagon, the Colt had a 1,597 cc (97.5 cu in) four-cylinder engine. The unibody layout was traditional, front engine and rear-wheel drive with MacPherson struts in front and a live rear axle. Standard transmission was a four-speed manual, with a three-speed automatic being an option. The engine initially produced 100 hp, but this dropped to 83 in 1972 when stricter emissions standards took effect. For 1973 a sporty GT hardtop coupe was added, featuring rally stripes, sport wheels and a center console amongst other features. The Dodge Colt was Chrysler's response to the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega but because it was a captive import from Mitsubishi, the Colt competed directly with other Japanese imports, such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Datsun 1200.

Based on the underpinnings of the first generation model, Galant sedans and coupes received a new, somewhat rounder body in 1973, while wagons continued with the old body and new nose. The new version, with single headlights rather than the doubles of the previous generation, became the 1974 Dodge Colt in the US, available in the same bodystyles as the first one. The base engine also remained the same, but a larger G52B "Astron" engine became optionally available (standard in the GT coupe). This one develops 96 hp (72 kW) at 5500 rpm. Ratings varied from 79–83 hp (59–62 kW) for the smaller one and 89–96 hp (66–72 kW) for the larger engine in different publications.