In the American automobile industry, downsizing was a direct response to the 1973 oil crisis, which resulted in the enaction of CAFE fuel economy standards in 1975.
[1] By the early 1980s, the downsizing practice had expanded to nearly all size segments as product lines completed model cycles within each company.
[2] From 1977 to 1982, in order, General Motors would physically downsize its full-size, intermediate, compact, and subcompact vehicle product lines as each platform completed its model cycle.
The strategy included vehicles from every General Motors division (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac).
As a direct response to the 1973 oil crisis, the first automobiles to undergo downsizing in the interest of increased fuel efficiency were the full-size GM B-body and C-body platforms (used by all divisions except GMC).
Used by the Buick LeSabre/Electra, Chevrolet Impala/Caprice, Cadillacs, Oldsmobile 88/98, and Pontiac Catalina/Bonneville, the B and C-bodies were among the best-selling car platforms in North America at the time.
With the exception of station wagons, the full-size cars of Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac (along with most of the Cadillac model line) were downsized, becoming front-wheel drive, mid-size sedans.
In contrast to Ford and General Motors, full-size vehicle sales of Chrysler would never recover from the gas crisis, along with other factors, the company was nearly forced into bankruptcy by the end of the 1970s.
Forced to concentrate its remaining resources on development of fuel-efficient compact cars, Chrysler created a separate strategy from Ford and General Motors, adapting existing vehicle architecture for new model segments.
For the 1979 model year, the success found by GM and the upcoming introduction of smaller full-size cars by Ford necessitated a response from Chrysler.
Unable to commit resources to downsize its full-size C-platform chassis (redesigned in 1974), Chrysler was relegated to introducing the R-body vehicles, matching Ford and GM in exterior footprint.
With the exception of the Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler, the 1989 M-platform vehicles were the last rear-wheel drive Chrysler cars produced until the 2005 introduction of the LX platform.
Though far smaller than their predecessors in exterior footprint, interior dimensions changed little, with 6-passenger seating remaining intact; the Reliant and Aries were classified as mid-size vehicles by the EPA.
Alongside the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant, over 40 vehicles were derived from the K platform from 1981 to 1995 (not including minivans) in several size segments.
While three inches shorter than the K-cars, the Voyager and Caravan could be configured to hold up to 7 passengers; with seats removed, interior volume closely matched the cargo-carrying capability of a full-size station wagon.
After 1988, Chrysler exited station wagon production entirely until the debut of the LX-platform Dodge Magnum in 2005.Ford Motor Company would become the first American auto manufacturer to introduce downsized model lines, largely as a response to consumer demand.
Along with eliminating the duplication, the marketing revision produced a smaller and less costly Thunderbird that competed against the quartet of GM A-body personal luxury coupes and the Chrysler Cordoba for the first time.
At the end of the Panther-platform model cycle in 2011, none of the vehicles were left with a direct replacement (with the Mercury brand discontinued altogether).