Plymouth Reliant History

The Reliant — twin of the Dodge Aries — was Plymouth's version of the Chrysler K-car, launched for 1981 as a roomy, efficient, front-wheel-drive compact. The K-platform is widely credited with rescuing Chrysler from near-bankruptcy and spawned a huge family of derivatives, including the minivans.

Sold as a sedan, coupe, and wagon and marketed on space and economy, the Reliant ('Reliant K') was a high-volume seller through the 1980s before being phased out after 1989 in favor of the Acclaim.