The Dodge Spirit was introduced in 1989 as the compact sedan to replace the Aries and was similar to the Chrysler LeBaron and Plymouth Acclaim . It was based on the Chrysler K platform. It was built in Newark, Delaware and Toluca, Mexico . Production ended on December 2, 1994 and it was replaced by the Stratus.

The base engine was a 2.5 liter stroked derivative of the 2.2 liter four introduced with the K-cars in 1982. In 1991, Dodge introduced the Spirit R/T with a 16-valve DOHC head designed by Lotus on the 2.2 liter engine. It was fed by a Garrett Systems intercooled turbocharger and put out 224 horsepower (167 kW) and 210 ft.lbf (285 Nm) of torque. The R/T had 15 inch (381 mm) wheels, a 5-speed manual transmission from Getrag GmbH, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS.

At the time, the R/T model was the fastest stock car produced. It has since been overtaken by the Dodge Neon SRT-4. The engines are virtually identical, but with a more aerodynamic body and lighter materials, the SRT-4 has a much higher top speed and acceleration.

1991 was also the first year Dodge began to produce the Spirit with the Chrysler V6 3.0L SOHC. The V6 model produced less power than it's I-4 counterpart, but it was designed for greater fuel efficiency with less of a drop in power. Turbocharged models of the V6 reach nearly 300 horsepower (220 kW) if they are properly tuned.