Plymouth Cricket was the name given to two distinct badge-engineered cars sold by Plymouth: a version of the British-built Hillman Avenger in 1971–1973 and a Canadian version of the Mitsubishi-built Dodge Colt in 1974–1975.
Plymouth Cricket at a glance
| Maker | Chrysler Europe (Rootes) and Mitsubishi |
|---|---|
| First Cricket | Hillman Avenger, North America, 1971–1973 |
| Second Cricket | second-generation Dodge Colt, Canada only, 1974–1975 |
| Bodies | British car as saloon, with a wagon for 1972 |
| Canadian car | all Dodge Colt body styles, with the 1974–1977 wagon grille |
| Sporting trim | Cricket Formula S, the Colt GT equivalent |
| Renamed | Plymouth Colt for 1976 |
Both English Wikipedia pages are short, so this article is shorter than usual.
History of the Plymouth Cricket
The first Cricket was Chrysler’s attempt at a small car for North America while it worked on a domestic subcompact of its own. Chrysler had bought into Simca and taken control of the Rootes Group by the middle of 1964, and after disappointing results with a separate Simca-Rootes dealer network it began selling Rootes and Simca products through Chrysler-Plymouth dealers. The newly developed Hillman Avenger came to the United States and Canada for the 1971–1973 model years as the rebadged Plymouth Cricket, a four-door saloon (with a five-door estate for 1972). The Cricket, and the Mitsubishi-built Colt sold through Dodge dealers, were both seen in the industry as stop-gap measures until Chrysler could design a small car of its own, and the Cricket in particular failed to resonate in the market.
The Canadian Cricket
For the 1974 and 1975 model years Chrysler Canada rebadged the second-generation Dodge Colt as the Plymouth Cricket. All Colt body styles were shared, and all Canadian Crickets of these years wore the grille from the 1974–1977 Dodge Colt station wagons; the sporting Colt GT had its Cricket equivalent in a Cricket Formula S. These Canada-only cars were rebadged again as Plymouth Colts for 1976.
Design and features
- Rootes engineering: the first Cricket was a Hillman Avenger built in Britain by Chrysler Europe.
- Canadian twin: the second Cricket was a Mitsubishi-built Mitsubishi Colt with a Plymouth badge.
- Stop-gap role: both cars filled the small-car slot until Chrysler’s own subcompact was ready.
- Short life: neither version lasted more than three model years.
Plymouth Cricket versions
- Cricket saloon (1971–1973): the Hillman Avenger four-door sold in North America.
- Cricket estate (1972): the five-door wagon version of the British car.
- Canadian Cricket (1974–1975): the rebadged Dodge Colt, replaced by the Plymouth Colt for 1976.
- Cricket Formula S: the sporting trim of the Canadian car, matching the Colt GT.
The second Cricket became the Plymouth Colt, and the Horizon was the small Plymouth that finally replaced these imports. More cars are in the Plymouth collection.
Sources
- Plymouth Cricket, English Wikipedia: the two distinct cars sold under the name
- Dodge Colt, English Wikipedia: Canadian Cricket details and the 1976 rename
