History of the De Soto

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The DeSoto was named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. Chrysler wanted to enter the brand in competition with its arch-rivals Oldsmobile, Nash and Pontiac in the middle-price class. Shortly after De Soto was introduced, however, Chrysler completed its purchase of Dodge Brothers, giving the company two medium priced makes. Had the transaction been completed sooner, De Soto never would have been introduced. Initially, the two-make strategy was relatively successful. The last decent selling year for De Soto was 1957, at the time when big tailfins and triple taillights were De Soto's trademark. Because the make was fitted with the same body work as the Chrysler, De Soto lost its place in the hard-selling market of the late 1950s.

The production of De Soto automobiles ceased on November 30, 1960, shortly after the 1961 model year was announced. However, the name survived on a line of heavy trucks built overseas (particlarly in Turkey).

De Soto had been a successful medium-priced line for Chrysler for most of its life. It fell victim to the 1958 recession that dropped the bottom out of the market for medium priced makes, and had claimed Edsel a year earlier. In addition, De Soto's price range was being infringed upon by higher-line Dodge models and the lower priced Chryslers. After De Soto was discontinued, Chrysler introduced the lower-priced Chrysler Newport that filled in at De Soto's price point (just under US$3,000), and was tremendously successful.