The Dodge Omni (also known as the Plymouth Horizon) is a subcompact car that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Corporation from the 1978 to 1990 model years. The first front-wheel drive Chrysler vehicles, the Omni and Horizon were the first American cars sold with front-wheel drive and a transverse-mounted, four-cylinder engine.
The Omni/Horizon were the central model lines of the Chrysler L platform, an evolution of the Chrysler Horizon designed by Chrysler Europe. Heavily inspired by the Volkswagen Rabbit, the model line was sold exclusively as a five-door hatchback. In the 1980s, the L platform chassis architecture subsequently also supported 3-door coupes and a 2-door pickup.
Overshadowed by the introduction of the K-cars, the Omni/Horizon saw few running changes over eleven years of production. While the model line helped Chrysler escape its dire financial situation, its discontinuation was necessitated by advances in front collision requirements. In addition, Chrysler had introduced the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance hatchback sedans for 1987 to replace the model line, with the Neon replacing both generations for 1993.
From 1977 to 1987, Chrysler manufactured the Omni and Horizon (alongside the entire L platform model range) at its Belvidere Assembly facility (Belvidere, Illinois). In 1987, production shifted to the AMC Kenosha Plant (Kenosha, Wisconsin), finally moving to the Jefferson Avenue Assembly (Detroit, Michigan) facility in 1989. The Omni/Horizon were the final model lines produced at the latter two facilities. In total, approximately 2.5 million vehicles were produced; the Plymouth Horizon is the final Plymouth model to outsell its Dodge counterpart.
Development
Background In the early 1970s, Chrysler Corporation had repeatedly announced it would enter the North American small car market to compete with Chevrolet Vega, Ford Pinto and AMC Gremlin, by developing and manufacturing its own domestic small car, known as its Project R-429 — only to repeatedly delay the project.
In an attempt to stave off the U.S. small car competition, the company increased its stake to 77% of Simca in 1963 and had taken control of the Rootes Group by mid-1964, marketing numerous Simca and Rootes models, e.g. the Simca 1204 and Sunbeam Arrow via a new Simca-Rootes Division, formed in 1966 — with 850 dealers selling four Simca models and 400 dealers selling four Rootes models. Results were dismal, and in late 1969, Chrysler announced it would market its Rootes and Simca products directly via its Chrysler-Plymouth Division.
Chrysler introduced its newly developed Hillman Avenger to the U.S. and Canadian market for model years 1971-1973 as the rebadged Plymouth Cricket, directly via its Plymouth dealerships — as a 4-door saloon/sedan (and a 5-door station wagon for MY 1972). The Cricket, and the Mitsubishi-built Colt, marketed concurrently by Dodge dealerships, were both seen in the industry as stop-gap measures until Chrysler could design a small car to be domestically manufactured. The Cricket in particular failed to resonate in the market.
At the same time Chrysler marketed these captive imports, Chrysler executives denounced the concept of subcompact cars, Chrysler's Chairman, Lynn A. Townsend saying "the subcompacts are just too small, the American people won't climb into them. They have to give up too much in creature comfort.
In 1974, Townsend sent an American management team to Chrysler Europe to find a suitable small-car design for the U.S. market, ultimately rejecting a front-wheel drive compact (codenamed C6) as unsuitable for the U.S. production, the design subsequently manufactured in Europe as the Chrysler Alpine. At the end of 1974, Chrysler Europe approved the final clay model design of a shorter wheelbase version (codenamed C2) as a subcompact in the 1.3 L engine range. The C2 project provided multinational Chrysler Europe with a single model line to replace the outdated Simca 1100 and the Hillman Avenger.
The development of the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon began life in 1975. Following the retirement of Townsend, Chrysler management decided to develop an American-market version of the C2 project, working in tandem with Chrysler Europe. While one American design team sought to redevelop the body as a coupe, designers ultimately retained the five-door hatchback, favoring its European-style configuration similar to the five-door Volkswagen Golf.
At the time, Chrysler Europe was splitting design and engineering work between France (chassis, powertrain, and manufacturing) and the United Kingdom (body design and development). Alongside component design for European use, American designers developed the C2 project to comply with local standards. Notably, in order to accommodate its cross-Atlantic development, it was the first project where CAD design drawings were transferred electronically, via satellite.
As part of the dire financial situation of its parent company, Chrysler Europe was sold to PSA Peugeot Citroën in August 1978. As part of the sale, Peugeot phased out the Chrysler brand in Europe in favor of a revived Talbot marque; the rebranded Horizon continued production (nearly unchanged) through 1987.
The sale of Chrysler Europe ended further design work on the C2 project; at the time, the company was seeking to expand the model line to a four-door sedan and a shorter-wheelbase three-door hatchback.
Notably, the front-wheel drive layout at this time had been largely reserved in the U.S. for low-volume luxury cars (including the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado). By 1976, Honda (with the Civic and the Accord) and Volkswagen (with the Rabbit) would become the first manufacturers to offer competitive front-wheel drive economy cars in the American market.
Transition to American design To further develop the C2 project for the American market, Chrysler Corporation purchased nearly 100 Volkswagen Rabbits in the United States for the purposes of reverse engineering.
At the end of 1977, the C2 project entered production in both Europe and North America, with Chrysler Europe sharing the Horizon nameplate (as the Chrysler-Simca Horizon) with the American Plymouth division. While Chrysler had trailed the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto, and Chevrolet Vega to market by eight years, the $2,500 (US$ in ) Omni/Horizon provided the company an extensive headstart on its American competitors (which were released in 1981 and 1982, respectively) with the adoption of front-wheel drive, transverse-mount powertrains.
Following the 1978 sale of Chrysler Europe, Chrysler Corporation retained the design rights to its version of the C2 project and continued production in Illinois.
Model overview The Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon are five-door hatchbacks sold in North America. Introduced in January 1978, the model line was developed in tandem with Chrysler Europe, leading to the namesake Chrysler Horizon. Chrysler also sold multiple variants of the model line derived from the same chassis, including 2+2 coupes and coupe utility pickup trucks. The Omni and Horizon appeared at a critical time for Chrysler, when the company was on the brink of bankruptcy and sought government support to survive.
However, the L-bodies miscarried at first, since 1978 was a year of strong sales for larger cars and demand for compacts and subcompacts noticeably shrank. These initial poor sales of the cars contributed to Chrysler's financial woes at the time, but when the company requested federal assistance, the Omni was an important piece of evidence that they were attempting to compete with imports and build small, fuel-efficient cars and might be worth saving. For the three years leading up to the introduction of Chrysler's K-cars, the Omni/Horizon was Chrysler's best selling model line.
Produced nearly unchanged from the 1978 to the 1990 model years, Chrysler had beaten out Ford and General Motors to the market with a domestically produced front-wheel drive car to challenge the VW Rabbit.
Chassis
The Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon use the front-wheel drive Chrysler L platform on a 99.2-inch wheelbase (shared with its European namesake). Initially designed by Chrysler Europe, Chrysler Corporation made substantial changes to the suspension design for the American market. In contrast to the Chrysler Horizon, which has a front torsion bar suspension, the model line uses front MacPherson struts. The rear suspension uses a semi-independent twist-beam layout in contrast to the independent trailing arms on the European variant; both are coil-sprung in the rear.
The model line is equipped with power-assisted front disc brakes and rear drum brakes and a rack and pinion steering system.
Powertrain While sharing a transverse engine layout, the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon diverge furthest from the Chrysler Horizon in its engine offerings. At the time, Chrysler did not have capability to supply four-cylinder engines for the North American market (of any type), and the Simca-designed 1.1 to 1.4 L engines were deemed insufficient in terms of output. Instead, Chrysler adopted a 1.7 L I4, sourced from Volkswagen in the United States with a Chrysler-designed intake manifold. Torque was and the engine was paired with a 4-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed automatic. At the time of introduction, only the CARB-certified version with an air pump and had been available. In 1979 power climbed to , while by 1980 it dropped to and of torque in all fifty states.R&T Buyer's Guide 1979, p. 93
Chrysler's 2.2 L K-car engine appeared for the 1981 model year as an upmarket option to the Volkswagen engine, mated to a new four-speed manual with an overdrive fourth. It produced at first, rising to in 1986. For 1983, Chrysler introduced a Peugeot-supplied 1.6-liter Simca unit as a new base engine (requiring only an alternator to be added by Chrysler); the engine was paired with a manual transmission and the deletion of air conditioning. This engine was related to the Simca/PSA engines available in European Horizons. For 1987, the 1.6 was dropped, with the 2.2-liter becoming the standard engine offering. The 2.2 received fuel injection for 1988, accompanied by three additional horsepower. Latterly, the 2.2 L engine was paired to a 5-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed automatic.
Chrysler had planned on offering PSA's new 1.9-liter diesel in the Omni/Horizon for the 1984 model year. Thanks to the implosion of the diesel market in North America, this never saw the light of day – although the engine was used in the European Horizon. For 1985, Chrysler had planned to build a "fast-burn, high-swirl" 1.8-liter four for the Omni as well as K-cars, but these plans also stalled.
+1978–1990 Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon Powertrain DetailsEngine nameEngine configurationProductionOutputNotesHorsepowerTorqueVolkswagen EA827 I4 SOHC I41978–19831978: 1979: 1980: 1978: 1980: Engine built by Volkswagen in Germany and supplied to Chrysler. Chrysler installed this engine and designed/installed the carbureted induction system. Volkswagen 4-speed manual; Chrysler A404 3-speed automaticPeugeot/Simca 6J I4 OHV I41983–1986Simca-designed engine supplied by Peugeot; alternator added by Chrysler 4/5-speed manual onlyChrysler K I4 SOHC I41981–19901981: 1986: 1988: 1981: 1986: 1988: Shared with Chrysler K cars (and later minivans) 4/5-speed manual; Chrysler A413 3-speed automaticChrysler K High Output I41984–1985Dodge Omni GLH (naturally-aspirated); shared with Dodge Shelby Charger 5-speed manual onlyChrysler K Turbo I I4 SOHC I4,single turbocharger1985–1986GLH-T: GLHS: GLH-T: GLHS: Dodge Omni GLH-T, GLH-S (turbocharged) 5-speed manual only
Body