At its introduction, the Avenger was considered a crucial car for Rootes, [ 7 ] and by , final UK production had reached , As a completely new design, the Avenger was a conventional, straightforward and economical design β the sedan distinguished by its four-doors, chair-height seating, four-link coil rear suspension and unique, J-shaped or "hockey stick" taillights.
The project was conceived in ; [ 6 ] Design Director Roy Axe received his styling brief in ; [ 7 ] and engineering began in Manufacture moved completely to Linwood in Rootes marketed the Avenger for model years β as the Hillman Avenger. After Rootes became a division of Chrysler Europe , it was marketed for model years β as the Chrysler Avenger. Notably, Unlike previous Rootes designs, there were no badge-engineered high-level variants for the group's upmarket brands, Humber and Singer.
The Avenger would ultimately spawn a host of global badge engineered variants, including prominently a North American variant marketed for model years β as the Plymouth Cricket ; by Chrysler Brazil for β as the Dodge notably in a two-door body style ; [ 13 ] later as the Dodge Polara; and by Volkswagen Argentina as the VW Despite its conventional underpinnings, the Avenger was a successful car in motorsport including been rallied in Plymouth Cricket form to win the Press on Regardless Rally of ; in Northern Ireland winning the British Group 1 Rally Championship in and , winning the British Saloon Car Championship numerous times, and winning the Heatway Rally of New Zealand.
While the Avenger was one of the most popular British cars of the s, by reportedly fewer than remained in use in Britain. Introduced in February , the Avenger was significant as it was the first and last car to be developed by Rootes after the Chrysler takeover in Its styling used conventional three-box and two-box styling featuring an American-influenced " Coke Bottle " waistline and semi- fastback rear-end, later spawning a station wagon variant. The Avenger used conventional unibody construction and a 4-cylinder all-iron overhead valve engine in or capacities driving a coil spring suspended live axle at the rear wheels.
The Avenger was praised by the press for its handling characteristics and overall road competence. Initially, the Avenger was available as a four-door saloon in DL or Super trim levels with either the or cc engines, as well as a GL trim level with the cc engine. The DL featured rubber mat floor covering and a simple dashboard with a strip-style speedometer.
