De Soto 1929-1961 - Misjudged cars of the future
Summary
There were around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is De Soto, active from 1929 to 1961. Situated between Chrysler and Dodge, De Soto stood out in particular with its aerodynamically optimized Airflow models, which, however, were not as popular with the conservative American public as had been hoped. The great success failed to materialize.
Estimated reading time: 3min
Preview (beginning of the article)
To expand his company, Walter P. Chrysler announced two new brands in mid-1928: Plymouth as an entry-level brand and De Soto as a bridge to the Dodge brand. In the very first model year 1929, 80,000 De Soto with a 2866 cc six-cylinder engine were produced. In 1930, the first year of the crisis, there were still 57,000, including 19,500 eight-cylinder models. Then, with the 1934 model year, the Chrysler and De Soto Airflow model series were launched. The De Soto was even available exclusively in this aerodynamically inspired form, which embodied a radical departure from the boxy design. The vehicle structure was also new, with the rear seats moved forward (instead of over the rear axle) and more effective ventilation. But these "cars of the future" were not accepted by the conservative US public. De Soto's sales fell to 13,940 units in 1934. The more conventionally shaped Airstream models were therefore added in 1935.
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