Dodge Omni

Dodge Omni & Plymouth Horizon
1979 Horizon (left) & 1978 Omni (right)
Overview
ManufacturerChrysler Corporation
American Motors (1985–1987)
Also calledPlymouth Horizon
Plymouth Expo (Canada)[1]
ProductionDecember 5, 1977 – February 2, 1990
Model years1978–1990
Assembly
Body and chassis
ClassSubcompact
Body style5-door hatchback
LayoutTransverse front-engine, front-wheel drive
PlatformL-body
RelatedChrysler/Simca/Talbot Horizon
Dodge Charger
Dodge Omni 024
Dodge Rampage
Plymouth Horizon TC3
Plymouth Scamp
Plymouth Turismo
Shelby GLHS
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission4-speed Volkswagen manual
5-speed Chrysler manual
3-speed A404 automatic
3-speed A413 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase99.2 in (2,520 mm)[2]
Length163.2 in (4,145 mm)[2]
Width66.2 in (1,681 mm)[2]
Height53.4 in (1,356 mm)[2]
Curb weight2,137 lb (969 kg)[2]
Chronology
SuccessorDodge Shadow
Plymouth Sundance

The Dodge Omni and the nearly identical badge engineered variant, the Plymouth Horizon, is a subcompact car manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Corporation for model years 1978–1990.[3] The first Chrysler model line produced with front-wheel drive,[4] the Omni and Horizon were also the first front-wheel drive economy cars assembled in the United States. Marketed for eleven years with very few changes, around 2,500,000 Omnis and Horizons were manufactured, with the Plymouth variants more popular than the Dodge-branded models.[4]

The first (and only) world car designed by Chrysler, the model line originated from a design of Chrysler Europe (who developed the namesake Chrysler Horizon). While visually similar, the American Omni/Horizon would have extensive functional differences from its European counterpart, primarily to accommodate US marketing and regulatory requirements.

From 1977 to 1990, Chrysler manufactured the Omni and Horizon at its Belvidere Assembly Plant facility (Belvidere, Illinois); from 1987 to 1989, the model line was manufactured under contract by American Motors Corporation (AMC) at its own facility in Kenosha, Wisconsin. From 1987 to 1990, the model line was marketed alongside its successor, the Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance hatchback sedan.

  1. ^ www.curbsideclassic.com Retrieved April 23, 2018
  2. ^ a b c d e 1978 Dodge Omni (brochure), Chrysler Corporation, December 1977, retrieved November 16, 2019 – via oldcarbrochures.com
  3. ^ Mastrostefano, Raffaele, ed. (1985). Quattroruote: Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1985 (in Italian). Milano: Editoriale Domus. p. 249. ISBN 88-7212-012-8.
  4. ^ a b "Dodge Omni, Plymouth Horizon, and Friends". Allpar.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020.