1960s
Beginning in 1962, Chrysler Australia assembled the American Plymouth Valiant, marketed as the Valiant by Chrysler.[18] By 1963, they had developed a local version, the AP5 Valiant, with distinctive styling giving the car a separate identity from the US Plymouth and Dodge variants. The reason for developing different styling was concern that the local manufacturer could not afford to make substantial styling changes as quickly as in the US. Hence, a modified appearance would minimise the risk of accusations that Australia was selling "last year's model".
Through the 1960s, Chrysler expanded the Valiant range, with 2-door hardtop, long wheelbase (VIP) and sporty (Pacer) variants.
Also, in 1966, with the Chrysler USA acquisition of the British Rootes Group, Chrysler Australia took over the Rootes Australia as well as the operation of their Port Melbourne factory. The principal Rootes model sold in Australia was the Hillman Hunter and this car became a steady seller for Chrysler until 1973.
1970s
In 1970, they introduced the unique-to-Australia "Hemi" 6-cylinder engine—launched with an endorsement from Stirling Moss. Billed as being "Right—for all the right reasons", this engine went on to become the most powerful 6-cylinder engine produced in Australia (equipped with triple Weber carburettors). Though this engine was based on a US engine design for trucks, it was never produced in North America.
The Valiant was a good seller, but never quite gained the level of market acceptance as its major competitors—the Holden and the Falcon.
In 1971, Chrysler Australia released the Valiant VH model (still based on the US A-Body platform), it was significantly wider than earlier Valiants, with the lineup including the memorable Valiant Charger. This was a short-wheelbase (105-inch) two-door hardtop version of the standard Valiant. The car had distinctive sporty styling, including an integrated rear spoiler.
The base model Charger was A$2750, and the range extended upwards with high-performance and luxury models.
Charger won the "Wheels" magazine Car of the Year award in 1971. It was also a winner in the sales stakes, capturing the imagination of the Australian public in the same way as the Ford Mustang did in the US and the Ford Capri did in the UK.
By the mid-1970s, sales of the Valiant range stalled, as a combination of factors worked against Chrysler Australia: In 1975, Chrysler introduced the Centura with a choice of a 2-litre (4-cylinder) and 3.5-litre or 4-litre (6-cylinder) engines, and two equipment levels, XL and GL. This was a medium-sized competitor for the Holden Torana and the Ford Cortina.
The 'KB' Centura was based on the European Chrysler 180 (which had been introduced in Europe in 1970), with facelifted front and rear styling (reputedly based on the intended design for a Sunbeam version of this car, which never reached production).
The launch of the Centura was delayed by several years as a result of embargoes placed on French imports, due to France conducting Pacific nuclear bomb tests, which impeded the supply of parts.
By the time the car arrived in Australia, its appearance was dated and, as a result, the Centura did not generate significant market interest. A mild 'KC' Centura update in GL and GLX variants combined with a simplified choice of two versions of the 4-litre engine arrived in 1977, but the car then quietly disappeared from the market by the end of 1978.
- 1) The Oil Crisis led to the rise of smaller economical 4-cylinder cars;
- 2) Japanese competitors made significant inroads into the Australian marketplace, and 4-cylinder cars were their forte;
- 3) Valiant was increasingly perceived as being outmoded—notwithstanding a major facelift in 1971 (billed as an "all-new" model) with a new body surrounding the existing mechanicals—the styling rapidly dated compared with other new cars, and the body was only lightly facelifted in 1973 and 1975. A significant facelift in 1976 arrested the slide in sales, and the Valiant continued to sell steadily until 1981.
