NationMaster - Encyclopedia: DeSoto (automobile)

The DeSoto (sometimes De Soto) was a brand of automobile based in the United States, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto. Image File history File links DeSotologo. ... Image File history File links DeSotologo. ... Karl Benzs Velo model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race An automobile (or motor car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... The Chrysler Corporation was a United States-based automobile manufacturer that existed independently from 1925â€“1998. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Hernando de Soto. ...

1929–1942

The DeSoto make was founded by Walter P. Chrysler on August 4, 1928, and introduced for the 1929 model year. It was named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. Chrysler wanted to enter the brand in competition with its arch-rivals General Motors, Studebaker, and Willys-Knight, in the mid-price class. Image File history File links Desoto1943promart. ... Image File history File links Desoto1943promart. ... Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 - August 18, 1940) was an American automobile pioneer. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hernando de Soto. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... Studebakers Lazy S logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966 The worlds largest living sign was planted at the Studebaker Proving Grounds, west of South Bend, Indiana. ... Willy on Wheels Willys Knight was an automobile produced by Willys. ...

Shortly after DeSoto was introduced, however, Chrysler completed its purchase of the Dodge Brothers, giving the company two mid-priced makes. Had the transaction been completed sooner, DeSoto never would have been introduced. Dodge is a brand name of automobiles and light to heavy-duty trucks. ...

Initially, the two-make strategy was relatively successful, with DeSoto priced below Dodge models. Despite the economic times, DeSoto sales were relatively healthy, pacing Dodge at around 25,000 units in 1932. However, in 1933, Chrysler flipped the marques in hopes of boosting Dodge sales. By elevating DeSoto, it received Chrysler's streamlined 1934 Airflow bodies. But, on the shorter DeSoto wheelbase, the design was a disaster and was unpopular with consumers. Unlike Chrysler, which still had more traditional models to fall back on, DeSoto was hobbled by the Airflow design until the 1935 Airstream arrived. 1934 Chrysler Airflow Chrysler advertising readily compared the the Airflow to the streamlined locomotive engines of the era Image from the 1936 Chrysler Imperial Airflow brochure showing how Airflow passengers rode inside of the cars advanced frame design, instead of on top of it as other cars of the era... Ad promoting the 1936 DeSoto Airstream The Desoto Airstream was an automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation and sold through its DeSoto division during model years 1935 and 1936. ...

Aside from its Airflow models, DeSoto's 1942 model is probably its second most memorable model from the pre-war years, when the cars were fitted with pop up headlights, a first for an American mass-production vehicle. DeSoto marketed the feature as "Air-Foil" lights "Out of Sight Except at Night". A SAAB headlight with combination projector/reflector optics A headlight or headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as night or precipitation. ...

1946–1960

After restrictions on automotive production were ended, DeSoto returned to civilian car production when it reissued its 1942 models as 1946 models, and without the hidden-headlight feature. Until 1952, DeSoto used the Deluxe and Custom model designations. Image File history File links Desotobrochure53. ... Image File history File links Desotobrochure53. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1951 DeSoto Deluxe promotional art image The DeSoto Deluxe (also known as the DeLuxe) was an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1946 through the 1952 model year. ... 1950 DeSoto Custom four-door sedan The DeSoto Custom was an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1946 through the 1952 model year. ...

In 1953, DeSoto dropped the Deluxe and Custom names and designated its six-cylinder cars the Powermaster and its V8 car the Firedome. 1953 DeSoto Powermaster series The DeSoto Powermaster was an automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation for sale through its DeSoto division during model years 1953 and 1954. ... 1959 De Soto Firedome Sportsman The DeSoto Firedome was a full-size automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation for its DeSoto brand vehicles from 1952 to 1959. ...

At its height, DeSoto's more popular models included the Firedome, Firesweep, and Fireflite. The DeSoto Adventurer, introduced for 1956 as a hard-top coupe, became a full-range model in 1960. 1959 De Soto Firedome Sportsman The DeSoto Firedome was a full-size automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation for its DeSoto brand vehicles from 1952 to 1959. ... This 1957 DeSoto Firesweep wagon illustrates the cars Dodge-like front end sheet metal. ... 1957 De Soto Fireflite The DeSoto Fireflite was introduced in 1955 as De Sotoâ€™s flagship model. ... Promtional image of the 1956 DeSoto Adventurer, the Official Pace Car of that years Indianapolis 500 The DeSoto Adventurer was an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1956 through the 1960 model year. ...

DeSotos sold well through the 1956 model year. In 1957, they, along with all Chrysler models, were redesigned with Virgil Exner's "Forward Look". Exner gave the DeSoto soaring tailfins fitted with triple taillights, and consumers responded by buying record numbers of the car. The 1957 DeSoto had a well integrated design, with two variations: a full-size hardtop Sportsman coupe body based on the corresponding Dodge and a larger four door hardtop and conventional sedan based upon the chassies of the Chrysler models. Between the two levels there were variations in the front end design, primarilly around the headlight area, with the Sportsman using two dual beam headlights and a less aerodynamic front end and the larger models using the then popular quad design. As was conventional in the era, subseqent years within the typical three year model block were distinguished by trim, bumper, and other low cost modifications, typically by adding bulk to bumpers and grilles, tailight changes, color choices, instrumentation and interior design changes and often addtional external trim. The two 1957 designs were close to ideal in their balance of design elements, and the 1958 model was not at all an improvement (especially in the front bumper design), reflected by the fact that sales of the 1958 DeSoto were 60 percent lower than those of the preceding year—DeSoto's worst year since 1938. The 1960 model, almost identical to the re-styled Chryslers, saw sales down 40 percent from 1959 figures. Virgil Ex Exner (September 24, 1909â€“December 22, 1973) was an automobile designer for numerous American companies, notably Chrysler and Studebaker. ...

1961

By the time the 1961 DeSoto was introduced, in the fall of 1960, rumors spread that Chrysler was moving towards terminating the brand; these were fueled partly by the reduction of model offerings for the 1960 model year. Image File history File links DeSoto1961. ... Image File history File links DeSoto1961. ...

For 1961, DeSoto lost its series designations, a move reminiscent of Packard's final lineup. And, like the final Packards (often derisively called Packardbakers), the final DeSoto was of questionable design merit. Again, based on the smaller Chrysler Windsor wheelbase, the DeSoto featured a two-tiered grille (each tier with a different texture) and revised shark-nosed taillights. Only a two-door hardtop and a four-door hardtop were offered. Cars were trimmed to 1960 Fireflite standards. Packard red hexagon symbol made its debut in 1905, with the color red added in 1913 Packard was a United States based brand of luxury automobile built by the Packard Motors Company of Detroit,Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... The rear quarter panel of the 1958 Packard shows the type of modification to the Studebaker President body that helped the brand earn the dubious nickname of Packardbaker Packardbaker is the slang term applied to 1957 and 1958 Packards. ... 1951 Chrysler Windsor The Chrysler Windsor was a full-sized car built by the Chrysler Corporation of Highland Park, Michigan (USA) during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ...

While the decision to discontinue DeSoto had been made earlier, Chrysler warehouses, by the time of the announcement, contained several million dollars in DeSoto parts, so the company ramped up production in order to rid itself of the otherwise unusable parts. Without internal support and dealer interest, and lacking in customer confidence, the DeSoto was discontinued on November 30, 1960, forty-seven days after the 1961 model year was announced. Chrysler and Plymouth dealers, which had been forced to take possession of DeSotos under the terms of their franchise agreements, received no compensation from Chrysler for their unsold DeSotos at the time of the formal announcement. Making matters worse, Chrysler kept shipping the DeSoto backstock through December 1960; much of this was sold at a loss by dealers eager to be rid of the cars themselves. November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

The DeSoto name survived on a line of heavy trucks built overseas, particularly in Turkey.

Termination factors

Despite being a successful mid-priced line for Chrysler for most of its life, DeSoto's failure is due to a combination of corporate mistakes and external factors that were beyond Chrysler's control.

First, the 1958 recession, which seriously affected demand for mid-priced automobile makes, hurt DeSoto sales, which failed to recover in 1959 and 1960. Because of development costs, the marque had generated enough in sales to support its dealer network and production costs. As DeSoto's numbers sank lower in 1959 and 1960, it was apparent to Chrysler that DeSoto, as a brand, lacked consumer backing for future development.

Chrysler's dealer network also had an effect on the termination of the DeSoto brand name. Following World War II, Chrysler had a large number of dealers that were dualed with two or more Chrysler makes, with Plymouth–DeSoto and Chrysler–Plymouth relationships being the most common. However, as Chrysler attempted to spin Plymouth off into stand-alone dealerships, existing dealers chose higher-volume Plymouth dealerships over the slower-selling DeSoto brand, leaving the marque with a weakened dealer network and fewer outlets to sell its cars. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

But it was Chrysler's own in-house brand management, which pitted each of Chrysler's five marques against one other, that did the greatest damage to DeSoto and, ultimately, to the company itself in long-range product planning. Rather than carefully managing the market relationship to specific price points for all consumers, as General Motors had done so successfully until then, Chrysler allowed its own divisions to develop products targeting markets covered by their own sister divisions. Dodge was, by far, the most successful when it introduced the Dodge Dart, the advertisements for which compared the Dart's advantages to the "C" car, the "F" car, and the "P" car—Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth. While Dart sales soared in 1960, they did so at the expense of Dodge's sister division of Plymouth, which lost sales to the Dart. General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... 1971 Dodge Dart 4-door sedan with aftermarket fender mirrors The Dodge Dart was an automobile built by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1960 to 1976. ...

When Chrysler marketing showed that consumers were likelier to buy an entry-level Chrysler than a DeSoto, Chrysler, seeing the opportunity, introduced the Chrysler Newport in 1960, as a 1961 model, selling more than 45,000 units in its first year alone. 1971 Chrysler Newport The Newport was a name used by the Chrysler division of the Chrysler Corporation used as both a hardtop body designation and for its entry level model between 1961 and 1981. ...

While various collectors claim to own the last DeSoto sold to the public, DeSoto's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) system was altered in its final days, showing that the "final" DeSoto could have been produced on any number of dates in the last half of November 1960.

Models

Promtional image of the 1956 DeSoto Adventurer, the Official Pace Car of that years Indianapolis 500 The DeSoto Adventurer was an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1956 through the 1960 model year. ... DeSoto promtional art rendering of the 1935 Airflow 2-door coupe The DeSoto Airflow was an automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation for sale through its DeSoto division during model years 1934, 1935 and 1936. ... Ad promoting the 1936 DeSoto Airstream The Desoto Airstream was an automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation and sold through its DeSoto division during model years 1935 and 1936. ... 1950 DeSoto Custom four-door sedan The DeSoto Custom was an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1946 through the 1952 model year. ... Chrysler advertising ad for the 1960 DeSoto Diplomat, which was badge engineered using the 1960 Dodge Dart with DeSoto styling cues. ... 1951 DeSoto Deluxe promotional art image The DeSoto Deluxe (also known as the DeLuxe) was an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1946 through the 1952 model year. ... 1959 De Soto Firedome Sportsman The DeSoto Firedome was a full-size automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation for its DeSoto brand vehicles from 1952 to 1959. ... 1957 De Soto Fireflite The DeSoto Fireflite was introduced in 1955 as De Sotoâ€™s flagship model. ... This 1957 DeSoto Firesweep wagon illustrates the cars Dodge-like front end sheet metal. ... 1953 DeSoto Powermaster series The DeSoto Powermaster was an automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation for sale through its DeSoto division during model years 1953 and 1954. ...

Trivia

In the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota", he drives a 1953 DeSoto. Alfred Matthew Weird Al Yankovic (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, satirist, parodist, accordionist, and television producer. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area Ranked 12th - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 kmÂ²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 400 miles (645 km) - % water 8. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In the comic strip The Piranha Club, the character of Ernie Floyd drives a purple 1957 DeSoto Fireflite. The Piranha Club is the title of a comic strip by Bud Grace, which started under the title Ernie. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the comic strip Shoe, the main character, "Perfesser" Cosmo Fishhawk, drives a pink 1959 DeSoto. Shoe is the name of a comic strip that was written and drawn by its creator Jeff MacNelly until his death in 2000. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 1958 classic Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo, the main character, Det. John "Scottie" Ferguson, drives a grey 1956 DeSoto Firedome. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A 1960 DeSoto squad car serves as the main transportation for the comic book characters Sam & Max, and was also featured in the computer game Sam & Max Hit the Road. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Sam and Max are a pair of fictional comic book characters who occupy a parody of American popular culture. ... Sam & Max Hit the Road is a graphical adventure game, originally developed and released by LucasArts in 1993 for DOS and Macintosh computers. ...

For the majority of the 1950's themed TV show "Happy Days", Mr. Cunningham drives an old Blue 1946 DeSoto.

In the "Rascal Flatts" song "Elssworth", a DeSoto is mentioned in the first part of the song.

Contents

1929–1942

1946–1960

1961

Termination factors

Models

Trivia

See also

References

External links

Contents

1929–1942 var ACE_AR = {Site: '756743', Size: '300250'};

1946–1960

1961

Termination factors

Models

Trivia

See also

References

External links

1929–1942