Low Priced Three
1941 Chevrolet

You can’t exactly say that Plymouth created a market segment, but the new-for-1928 Chrysler division went to great lengths to define one. Plymouth was founded specifically to tackle the “low-cost” competition, which at the time was primarily Chevrolet and Ford.

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The Low Priced Three

From the start, Plymouth advertising made reference to the “low-cost field,” which quickly gave way to the “the low-cost three.” Though period ads rarely identified the competition by name, consumers understood that the “three” were Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth.

The Hudson, Pontiac, and Studebaker ads below are interesting, as the ad copy makes reference to the low-cost three, which feels something akin to Burger King discussing special sauce. But again, consumers of the era understood the terminology.

Chevrolet and Ford marketers seemed reluctant to engage Plymouth on its own level, and—per my research—made less use of the low-priced-three terminology. That said, the 1941 Chevrolet ad below is pretty enlightening—especially the quiz.

It’s interesting to consider that just three volume brands were positioned on the bottom-price rung back then, as most contemporary makers compete in that space today. Gone are mid-price brands including DeSoto, Mercury, and Oldsmobile.

For whatever reason, probably the emergence of Rambler and import brands, the low-cost three terminology faded completely away in the Sixties. I can’t think of a similar automotive-branding exercise, certainly not one as successful. Today a similar effort might make reference to the low-priced dozen.

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The Low Priced Three

1936 Plymouth

1936 Plymouth Ad
1936 Plymouth Ad

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1938 Hudson

1938 Hudson Ad
1938 Hudson Ad

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1940 Plymouth

1940 Plymouth Ad
1940 Plymouth Ad

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1941 Chevrolet

1941 Plymouth Ad
1941 Plymouth Ad

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1950 Studebaker

1950 Studebaker Ad
1950 Studebaker Ad

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1956 Pontiac

1956 Pontiac Ad
1956 Pontiac Ad

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1959 Edsel

1959 Edsel Ad
1959 Edsel Ad

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1959 Plymouth

1959 Plymouth Ad
1959 Plymouth Ad

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Low Priced Three

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