Chrysler Cordoba Overview
The Cordoba was introduced by Chrysler for the 1975 model year as an upscale personal luxury car. At the time, this market segment was large and growing, with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix selling over 300,000 units each annually. The car carried the Chrysler name, then still associated exclusively with large luxury models like the Imperial. It was, however, priced to compete with rivals such as the Monte Carlo, Ford Elite, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. The Cordoba was originally intended to be a Plymouth (the names Mirada, Premier, and Grand Era were associated with the project), but losses from the newly introduced full-size C-body models due to the 1973 oil crisis encouraged Chrysler executives to seek higher profits by marketing the model as a Chrysler, a name with a more upscale appeal.
The car was a success, with over 150,000 examples sold in 1975, a sales year that was otherwise dismal for the company. For 1976, sales increased slightly to 165,000. The mildly tweaked 1977 version also sold well, with just under 140,000 cars. The success of using the Chrysler nameplate strategy is contrasted to sales of its similar and somewhat cheaper corporate cousin, the Dodge Charger SE. The similar Dodge achieved only a quarter of Cordoba's sales during the same model years, due to the fact that the Cordoba cost only $160 more than the Charger, leading customers to spend the extra for the prestige of the Chrysler nameplate. Interiors were somewhat more luxurious than the Dodge Charger SE and much more than the top-line standard intermediates (Plymouth Fury, Dodge Coronet) with a velour cloth notchback bench seat and folding armrest standard.
Optionally available were bucket seats upholstered in Corinthian leather with a center armrest and cushion, or at extra cost, a center console with floor shifter and storage compartment. The dash kit and door panels featured simulated burled elm trim and metal stampings in 1975, while 1976-79 models featured simulated rosewood trim. A 60/40 bench seat was introduced in 1976 and other seating/upholstery options were added each year through 1979. The original design endured with only small changes for three years before a variety of factors contributed to a decline in sales. For 1978, there was a modest restyling with the then popular rectangular headlights in a stacked configuration. This made the Cordoba look similar the 1976 to 1977 Monte Carlo from the front.
The restyle also made the car appear heavier than its predecessor at a time when other cars in this class were being downsized to smaller dimensions such as the Ford Thunderbird in 1977 and Chevy Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix in 1978. Cordoba's sales decline in 1978-79 could also be attributed to the introduction of the smaller Chrysler LeBaron in mid-1977 which was available in both sedan and coupe models, and offered similar personal-luxury styling and options. At the same time, Chrysler's financial position and quality reputation was in steady decline. Rising gas prices and tightening fuel economy standards made the Cordoba's nearly 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) weight with 360 cu in (5.9 L) or 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 engines obsolete.
The Cordoba was downsized for the 1980 model year. The new smaller model used the J-platform, which dated back to the 1976 Plymouth Volare and was twinned up with the newly-named but very similar Dodge Mirada. Chrysler also revived the Imperial for 1981 as a third variant of the J-platform. The Cordoba and Mirada now had a standard six-cylinder engine (the famous 225 Slant Six), which, while very reliable, did not seem to be suitable power for these slightly upmarket coupes. The much-detuned 318 cu in (5.21 L) V8 was an option (standard on the Imperial), along with the 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8 that was available only in 1980, its final year in Chrysler's cars. The 1980 and 1981 LS model featured an aerodynamic nosecone with "crosshair" grille.
Other features of this model were vinyl top delete and monotone coloring. The second-generation Cordoba's styling did not attract the praise of the original, and sales were off substantially. It is true that downsizing was tough on personal luxury models generally; both the Chevrolet Monte Carlo in 1978 and the 1980 Ford Thunderbird shrank in size and sales simultaneously. However, those models eventually recovered as their makers moved to correct their cars' flaws, while the smaller Cordoba never did. Chrysler was increasingly concentrating on its compact, front wheel drive models with modern four and six-cylinder engines, and management stopped producing the Cordoba in 1983. Total sales of the second generation cars was just under 100,000 units.
