Replacing the
Dodge Aspen, the Dodge Aries was sold by the
Chrysler Corporation from 1981 until 1989. The
Dodge Aspen was replaced because it had quality control issues, but the Aries quickly overshadowed the problems and was named Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1981. The Aries was based on the Chrysler K platform, which was known to have saved Chrysler from bankruptcy. The Aries could comfortably seat six passengers, which was rare for the time for compact cars, as most of them seated just four or five. A station wagon version of the Aries was quite popular because it offered even more room than the sedan. The Aries was produced in Delaware, Mexico, and Michigan with production lasting until late 1988 for the last year, the 1989 model.
The Aries was available in three body types, which were the two-door coupe, the four-door sedan, and the four-door station wagon. The Aries had three trim lines known as the base, Custom, and SE. The station wagons were only offered in the Custom and the SE trim. In 1982 a vinyl roof was offered on the 2 door Custom and Special Edition models. Dodge powered the Aries with a 2.2-liter I4 single overhead cam engine or an optional 2.6-liter Mitsubishi engine. In 1986 changes were made to the Aries by replacing the 2.2-liter engine carburetor with a new throttle body electronic fuel injection system, while offering a 2.5-liter engine as an option. After this the Aries was changed very little with exception to body styles changes. Though the Aries was a very basic model, Dodge right around a million units, and was eventually replaced by the Dodge Shadow.
