The Hillman Avenger is a compact automobile manufactured by the Rootes Group, and latterly Chrysler Europe. It has been produced under various guises and badges over a production run that lasted over 15-years.
Introduced in 1970, the Avenger was significant as it was the first and last car to be developed by Rootes after the Chrysler takeover in 1967. Stylistically, and from an engineering perspective the Avenger broke very little new ground, being available in 4-door sedan or 5-door station wagon body styles, using 4-cylinder overhead valve engines in 1.3 or 1.5 litre capacities driving a leaf spring suspended live axle at the rear wheels.
The engines and transmissions were in fact, all new and owed nothing to its larger brother, the Hunter or "Arrow" series. The Avenger was a steady seller in the 1970's, going head-to-head with the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Viva. Chrysler wanted the Avenger to be a "world car", and took the ambitous step of marketing the Avenger as the Plymouth Cricket in the United States, but poor build quality, unreliability plus American apathy towards small cars saw it being withdrawn after only two years.