Plymouth Arrow

The Plymouth Arrow was a Mitsubishi-built product introduced in 1976 that shared the chassis and drivetrain of the contemporary Dodge Colt, and was Plymouth's first subcompact model since the 1973 Cricket. Unlike the Colt, however, the Arrow was available only as a sporty 3-door hatchback coupe. Engines were a 1.6L I4 with a 4-speed manual transmission, with a 2.0L I4 with a 4- or 5-speed manual transmission, a 3-speed automatic optional. Available were 3 trim levels: the 160, GS and GT. 1977 and 1978 models had a couple of new colors and trim revisions, but 1979s had a restyled nose with rectangular headlights and revised taillights. Also debuting in 1979 was the interesting Fire Arrow, a sport package with a unique 2-tone paint scheme, the 2.6L I4 "Silent Shaft" engine and 4-wheel disc brakes. Fire Arrows were somewhat quick for the day, one 0-60 test registered at 9.6 seconds. The pokey 1.6L I4 was dropped this year also. There were no changes to the 1980 model, which was the Arrow's final year. There was no direct successor to the Arrow.

The "Arrow" name was also applied to a Plymouth version of the Dodge Ram 50 mini-pickup truck (itself a version of the Mitsubishi Mighty Max) that competed with the Chevrolet LUV and Ford Courier. The Arrow pickup was discontinued after the 1982 model year, but the Ram 50 and Mighty Max would continue until the end of 1993 and 1995 respectively.

Competitors

 * Chevrolet Chevette
 * Chevrolet Vega
 * Datsun 210
 * Ford Pinto
 * Mercury Bobcat
 * Pontiac Astre
 * Toyota Corolla
 * Volkswagen Scirocco