The
600 was
DodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
's version of the
Chrysler E-ClassThe Chrysler E-Class was a mid-size car produced by the Chrysler Corporation. Introduced in 1983 on a stretched version of the Chrysler K platform, the E-Class was targeted at those who wanted Chrysler luxury, but could not afford the opulence nor hefty price tag of the New Yorker...
luxury car of the 1980s. It was introduced in 1983, as a 1984 model, as a small
mid-size carA mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
on the
Chrysler E platformChrysler used the designation E platform for two separate car ranges.One was used for rear wheel drive cars in the 1970s:* 1970-1974 Dodge Challenger, wheelbase* 1970-1974 Plymouth Barracuda, wheelbase...
and was discontinued after the 1988 model year. It was
ChryslerChrysler Group, LLC is an American automobile manufacturer headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler AG...
's attempt to compete with the
GM A-bodyThe General Motors A platform was a mid-size car automobile platform designation used from 1982 to 1996. Previously the A body designation had been used for rear wheel drive mid-sized cars....
, whereas the
M-bodyThe M-Bodies were Chrysler Corporation's successor to the F-body Aspen/Volare. In fact, the platform is almost identical to the F. It was introduced in 1977 and was the basis for some mid-sized Chrysler models throughout the 1980s until its demise in 1989. The M platform was the final production...
Dodge DiplomatThe Dodge Diplomat was a mid-size car and it was manufactured from 1977 to 1989 by the Chrysler Corporation's Dodge brand and practically identical to the Chrysler LeBaron of 1977, the Plymouth Caravelle sold in Canada, and the Plymouth Gran Fury from 1982...
would compete with
full-size carA full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....
s. It replaced both the
400The Dodge 400 was Dodge's second K-car in the early 1980s. It was similar to the Chrysler LeBaron of the same era. The 400 was introduced for the 1982 model year, yet was renamed and added to the midsize Dodge 600 lineup just two years later.-1982:...
. (Dodge 600 coupes and convertibles were, essentially, rebadged 400s.) Like the preceding 400, it slotted between the
AriesThe Dodge Aries is an automobile sold by the Chrysler Corporation from 1981 to 1989. It replaced the Dodge Aspen as Dodge's family car with "mid-size room" in a size and front-wheel drive format commonly associated with compact cars...
and
DiplomatThe Dodge Diplomat was a mid-size car and it was manufactured from 1977 to 1989 by the Chrysler Corporation's Dodge brand and practically identical to the Chrysler LeBaron of 1977, the Plymouth Caravelle sold in Canada, and the Plymouth Gran Fury from 1982...
.
The 600 was intended to be Dodge's answer to the European sedans of the day.
The
600 was
DodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
's version of the
Chrysler E-ClassThe Chrysler E-Class was a mid-size car produced by the Chrysler Corporation. Introduced in 1983 on a stretched version of the Chrysler K platform, the E-Class was targeted at those who wanted Chrysler luxury, but could not afford the opulence nor hefty price tag of the New Yorker...
luxury car of the 1980s. It was introduced in 1983, as a 1984 model, as a small
mid-size carA mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
on the
Chrysler E platformChrysler used the designation E platform for two separate car ranges.One was used for rear wheel drive cars in the 1970s:* 1970-1974 Dodge Challenger, wheelbase* 1970-1974 Plymouth Barracuda, wheelbase...
and was discontinued after the 1988 model year. It was
ChryslerChrysler Group, LLC is an American automobile manufacturer headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler AG...
's attempt to compete with the
GM A-bodyThe General Motors A platform was a mid-size car automobile platform designation used from 1982 to 1996. Previously the A body designation had been used for rear wheel drive mid-sized cars....
, whereas the
M-bodyThe M-Bodies were Chrysler Corporation's successor to the F-body Aspen/Volare. In fact, the platform is almost identical to the F. It was introduced in 1977 and was the basis for some mid-sized Chrysler models throughout the 1980s until its demise in 1989. The M platform was the final production...
Dodge DiplomatThe Dodge Diplomat was a mid-size car and it was manufactured from 1977 to 1989 by the Chrysler Corporation's Dodge brand and practically identical to the Chrysler LeBaron of 1977, the Plymouth Caravelle sold in Canada, and the Plymouth Gran Fury from 1982...
would compete with
full-size carA full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....
s. It replaced both the
400The Dodge 400 was Dodge's second K-car in the early 1980s. It was similar to the Chrysler LeBaron of the same era. The 400 was introduced for the 1982 model year, yet was renamed and added to the midsize Dodge 600 lineup just two years later.-1982:...
. (Dodge 600 coupes and convertibles were, essentially, rebadged 400s.) Like the preceding 400, it slotted between the
AriesThe Dodge Aries is an automobile sold by the Chrysler Corporation from 1981 to 1989. It replaced the Dodge Aspen as Dodge's family car with "mid-size room" in a size and front-wheel drive format commonly associated with compact cars...
and
DiplomatThe Dodge Diplomat was a mid-size car and it was manufactured from 1977 to 1989 by the Chrysler Corporation's Dodge brand and practically identical to the Chrysler LeBaron of 1977, the Plymouth Caravelle sold in Canada, and the Plymouth Gran Fury from 1982...
.
The 600 was intended to be Dodge's answer to the European sedans of the day. Its numerical name and rear-end styling was designed to evoke thoughts of
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz...
models, however it fell more in line with North American contemporaries such as the
Chevrolet CelebrityThe Chevrolet Celebrity was a mid-size car built by General Motors. The Celebrity was introduced in 1981 for the 1982 model year. Sales were strong — the Celebrity was the best-selling car in the United States in 1986. Celebrities were built at Oshawa Car Assembly in Ontario, Canada; Oklahoma City,...
,
Pontiac 6000The Pontiac 6000 was a mid-size car introduced by the Pontiac division of General Motors in 1981 for the 1982 model year, slotting between the Bonneville and above the Phoenix...
and the
Ford FairmontThe Ford Fairmont was a North American compact car, produced between 1978 and 1983.The 1978 Ford Fairmont was the first vehicle built on the Ford Fox platform, which would be the basis for a variety of other models, including the 1980 to 1988 Thunderbird, the 1981 to 1982 American Ford Granada, the...
(the 600 actually resembled the
Dodge MiradaThe Dodge Mirada was a mid-sized, rear-wheel drive coupe built from 1980-83, and was one of the three cars based on the Chrysler J platform, the other models being the second generation Chrysler Cordoba and the Imperial, these three vehicles being CHRYSLER's response to the downsizing of its car...
more than any
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an car). It debuted as a four-door sedan, available in two trims: base and ES ("Euro/Sedan"). Power was provided by Chrysler's 2.2 L 4-cylinder engine, with the Mitsubishi-built 2.6 L
4-cylinderThe inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
available as an option.
Sales of the 600 nearly doubled in its second year. This was in large part due to the addition of the former
400'sThe Dodge 400 was Dodge's second K-car in the early 1980s. It was similar to the Chrysler LeBaron of the same era. The 400 was introduced for the 1982 model year, yet was renamed and added to the midsize Dodge 600 lineup just two years later.-1982:...
coupe and convertible body styles to the 600's range (which continued to stay on the
K platformThe Chrysler Corporation's K-cars were compact-to-midsize cars designed to carry six adults on two bench seats and were aimed not only to replace Chrysler's nominally-compact F-body Aspen and Volaré, but also to compete with intermediates like the Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fairmont...
). Like most midrange-to-upscale K-car derivatives, digital dashboards and the
Electronic Voice AlertThe Electronic Voice Alert, or EVA, was an option available on many Chrysler Corporation K-car-based vehicles in the mid-1980s. Using technology from Texas Instruments similar to what was used in the Speak & Spell, the EVA would automatically lower the radio volume and deliver eleven different...
were options.
Mid-way into 1984 Dodge introduced a sporty new "ES Turbo" package for convertibles. It featured Chrysler's new 2.2 liter 142 HP Turbocharged engine (which also became an option on sedans and coupes) and a special sport-tuned "ES" suspension. The interior came with standard leather seats, digital dashboard, and four-spoke steering wheel (redesigned in 1985). Visual exterior cues differentiate ES models from base convertibles by way of blacked-out trim (replacing much of the chrome), 15-inch "pizza" style aluminum wheels, "ES Turbo" decklid badges, Turbo fender badges, and functioning dual hood vents.
Sales of the ES Turbo were initially slow, with only 1786 copies being sold for the 1984 model year. Output increased to 5621 for 1985, then eased to 4759 for 1986, after which the model was discontinued along with all 600 convertibles. Base price for the 1986 ES Turbo convertible was $14,856.
Production Figures
| Year |
Units |
| 1983 |
33,488 |
| 1984 |
61,637 |
| 1985 |
58,847 |
| 1986 |
59,677 |
| 1987 |
40,391 |
| 1988 |
55,550 |
| Total Production = 309,590 |
Several changes were made to the 600 in 1985. The 600 sedan was moved to a longer wheelbase and the former base and ES trims were dropped, replaced by a new SE trim. This was due in part to the new Lancer, which would have competed directly with the 600 (the 5-speed
manual transmissionA manual transmission, or manual gearbox is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
was no longer offered as well, in an attempt to keep competition between the Lancer and 600 to a minimum). The
coupeA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
and
convertibleA convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. Many different automobile body styles are manufactured and marketed in convertible form....
remained relatively unchanged except for minor trim and interior changes. The only significant advancement was the replacement of the 2.2 L engine's two-barrel Holley electronic feedback
carburetorA carburetor or carburettor is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It was invented by Karl Benz before 1885 and patented in 1886...
by an electronic throttle-body
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in gasoline automotive engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
system.
The sedan's base trim returned in 1986, while all 600s were given new, restyled front and rear fascias (the front in particular adopted the now familiar "crosshair" grille, dropping the
MiradaThe Dodge Mirada was a mid-sized, rear-wheel drive coupe built from 1980-83, and was one of the three cars based on the Chrysler J platform, the other models being the second generation Chrysler Cordoba and the Imperial, these three vehicles being CHRYSLER's response to the downsizing of its car...
-inspired horizontal slats). The 2.6
L
engine was replaced by a larger 2.5 L version of the Chrysler 2.2 L.
The 600 was nearing its end. The coupe and convertible were dropped for 1987, while the sedan would only last another year, ending production in 1988. The 600 was replaced by the 1988
DynastyThe Dodge Dynasty was a front-wheel drive sedan that was introduced in 1987 as a 1988 model to replace the 600 as Dodge's mid-size car. The Dodge Dynasty was related to the Chrysler New Yorker; both cars were built on the Chrysler C platform....
(badged as a
ChryslerChrysler is the flagship brand of Chrysler Group LLC, named after founder Walter Chrysler. Chrysler offers a line of entry luxury vehicles which compete with General Motors Buick line, Ford Motor Company's Lincoln and Mercury lines, as well as other international and domestic brands.Following...
in Canada, whereas the Canadian successor is the
Dodge SpiritThe Dodge Spirit is a mid-size 5- or 6-passenger sedan introduced in January 1989 as a replacement for the similarly-sized Dodge 600. The Spirit was Dodge's version of the Chrysler AA platform, a stretched variation of the Chrysler K platform...
).