Collectible Automobile avoids big question about 1971-74 Dodge Coronet

The latest issue of Collectible Automobile offers an overview of the 1971-74 Dodge Coronet. As usual, the photography is gorgeous and the product details are exhaustive. But also as usual, there was strikingly little historical analysis.

Karl Pippart III (2025) pretty much avoided the big question about these cars: Did the Chrysler Corporation’s expensive gamble with a 1971 redesign pay off? The automaker not only stopped sharing any sheetmetal between the mid-sized Plymouth and Dodge, but it also took the unusual step of giving two-door models completely different styling than the four-door sedan and wagon.

The theory behind this approach was that the styling of coupes and family sedans/wagons would no longer be compromised. Even so, this was financially risky because of the added costs of four different sets of sheetmetal for only two brands competing in the same class.

In keeping with Collectible Automobile’s format, which is as consistent as a McDonald’s menu, Pippart presented production data for each year. However, he gave the numbers very little context, at least aside from a bit of pom-pom waving.

For example, when noting that 1971 production almost reached 78,000 units, Pippart declared that Chrysler’s new approach was a “winning formula” that “paid off” (2025, p. 50). However, he didn’t provide any comparisons, either with previous years or competing makes. So let’s do that right now.

Coronet is eventually outsold by Satellite

It’s true that the Coronet’s 1971 production did increase by 32 percent. That was substantially driven by the wagon, which was up by 58 percent (to roughly 23,000 units) whereas sedan output only grew by 23 percent (54,000 units).

That performance was better than the four-door variants of the Plymouth Satellite, which increased only 3.5 percent in 1971 to roughly 65,000 units. Wagons were up almost 28 percent (to roughly 22,000 units) but sedans actually declined by 5 percent (to 45,000 units).

This resulted in an interesting shift. Whereas in 1970 Plymouth’s sedans and wagons outsold Dodge’s (roughly 65,000 to 59,000 units), the reverse was true in 1971. Meanwhile, Plymouth’s two-door models continued to be outsold by Dodge’s, albeit by a narrower margin (80,220 to 82,114 units).

Dodge’s advantage was short-lived. In 1972 Plymouth’s four-door models would surpass Dodge (roughly 71,000 to 55,000 units) and in 1973 were slightly behind (90,375 to 90,533 units). The result was that between 1971-73 the Satellite four-door models would beat the Coronet by roughly 228,000 to 223,000 units.

How did Chrysler do against GM and Ford?

Making apples-to-apples comparisons is a bit trickier when comparing Chrysler’s mid-sized sedans and wagons against those of General Motors and Ford because production breakdowns by body style are not always available. But based on data I have access to, Chrysler had a mixed record.

As a case in point, from 1971-73 the Coronet consistently outsold the mid-sized Pontiac and Buick sedans and wagons, mostly outsold Mercury’s and only outsold Oldsmobile’s in 1973. I will leave the discussion of 1974 for another day because an oil embargo essentially opened the door to a new era in the U.S. auto industry.

Also see ‘Ford did better than Chrysler in differentiating its 1970s mid-sized coupes’

Even when you add Dodge together with Plymouth, the two only matched the output of mid-sized Ford sedans and wagons in 1971. A redesigned Torino in 1972 proceeded to leave Chrysler in the dust. On the other hand, the Chrysler siblings consistently outsold the mid-sized Chevrolet from 1971-73. GM placed more emphasis on its two-door models, which utterly dominated the mid-sized field.

If a goal was to turbocharge sales of sedans and wagons, that wasn’t achieved. And as we have previously discussed here, giving the Charger unique sheetmetal didn’t prove to be all that successful. That said, Chrysler kept this generation of four-door models in production for eight years — and without major changes. So perhaps it penciled out, albeit not as well as it might have.

Was Chrysler too timid in its experimentation?

I don’t think that it was a bad idea to give different body styles unique styling. In the 1980s Honda would do that with its Civic lineup with great success. Perhaps part of Chrysler’s problem was that it didn’t go far enough.

As a case in point, Harry Bradley (2022) argued that wagons should be given their own body that was taller, boxier and had a smaller footprint (go here for our discussion). One step in that direction might have been to meaningfully increase the greenhouse’s height and reduce its tumblehome.

By the same token, might the sedans have sold better if Chrysler had placed more emphasis on practical features? This could have been done in a variety of ways, such by reducing the trunk’s liftover height and emphasizing good visibility and more upright packaging. And how about trimming the Coronet’s bloated flanks, which ballooned the car’s width to 79 inches — within an inch of its big cars?

Or, if such moves went too far in violating Chrysler’s religious devotion to form over function, management might have at least not given up on the mid-sized luxury market by ditching in 1972 a Brougham series that had been offered by both the Coronet and Satellite. Ford in particular would show that this niche had significant growth opportunity.

NOTES:

Product specifications and production figures were from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993, 2006), Flory (2004, 2013) and Gunnell (2002). 

Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.

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RE:SOURCES

• Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL.
• Bradley, Harry; 2022. “The American Station Wagon.” Dean’s Garage. Posted Nov. 4.
• Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
• ——; 2013. American Cars, 1973-1980. McFarland & Co., Inc.
• Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised Fourth Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
• Langworth, Richard M. and Jan P. Norbye; 1985. The Complete History of Chrysler Corporation 1924-1985. Publications International, Skokie, IL.
• Pippart III, Karl; 2025. “No Compromises: The Story of the 1971-74 Dodge Coronet.” Collectible Automobile. October issue: pp. 46-55.

ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:

• oldcarbrochures.org: Dodge Coronet (1971, 1972); Plymouth Satellite (1971)