Title: DeSoto (automobile) - Wikipedia
Headings: DeSoto (automobile)
DeSoto (automobile)
Contents
1929–1942
1929–1942 gallery
1946–1960
1946–1960 gallery
1961
Termination factors
Recession
Dealer networks
Brand management and marketing
DeSoto trucks
Models
Advertising
Motorsport
See also
References
External links

Content: DeSoto (automobile) - Wikipedia
DeSoto (automobile)
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Brand of automobile
DeSoto

Industry
Automobile
Successor
Chrysler Newport
Founded
1928
Founder
Walter Chrysler
Defunct
1961; 60 years ago
( 1961)
Fate
Brand discontinued
Headquarters
Highland Park, Michigan
Products
Vehicles
Parent
Chrysler
DeSoto (sometimes De Soto) was an American automobile marque that was manufactured and marketed by the DeSoto division of Chrysler from 1928 to the 1961 model year. More than two million passenger cars and trucks bore the DeSoto brand in North American markets during its existence. Contents
1 1929–1942
1.1 1929–1942 gallery
2 1946–1960
2.1 1946–1960 gallery
3 1961
4 Termination factors
4.1 Recession
4.2 Dealer networks
4.3 Brand management and marketing
5 DeSoto trucks
6 Models
7 Advertising
8 Motorsport
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
1929–1942
The DeSoto was introduced for the 1929 model year
The DeSoto make was founded by Walter Chrysler on August 4, 1928, to compete with Oldsmobile, Studebaker, Hudson and Willys in the mid-price class. Introduced for the 1929 model year, DeSoto served as a lower-priced version of Chrysler products, with Dodge and Plymouth also added to the lower end of Chrysler family in 1928. The marque was named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States (Florida, Georgia and Alabama) and was the first documented European to have crossed the Mississippi River. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of the explorer. In 1929 a total of 81,065 single-model DeSotos were produced, a first-year record in the U.S. until eclipsed by the 1960 Ford Falcon. However, shortly after the DeSoto was introduced, Chrysler completed its purchase of Dodge Brothers, giving the company two mid-priced makes. Initially, the two-make strategy was relatively successful, with DeSoto priced below Dodge models.