Shortly after the start of the Malaise Era, American manufacturers began
to turn away from powerful two-door cars in favor of the growing SUV category
People took a while to adjust to the higher petrol costs, even after the 1973 oil shock
Chrysler introduced the Plymouth Trail Duster and Dodge Ramcharger at that time in an effort to attract
more buyers to the quickly expanding sport-utility vehicle market.
However, the latter failed in 1981, not long after the model's debut into the second generation,