Dodge

Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles and trucks, sold by Chrysler LLC in over 60 different countries and territories worldwide.

Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company in 1900 to supply parts and assemblies for Detroit’s growing auto industry, Dodge began making its own complete vehicles during 1914. The brand was sold to Chrysler Corporation in 1928, passed through the short-lived DaimlerChrysler merger of 1998-2007 as part of the unofficial "Chrysler Group", and is now a cornerstone of the new Chrysler LLC run by Cerberus Capital Management (a private equity investment firm).

Founding and early years

After the founding of the Dodge Brothers Company by Horace and John Dodge in 1900, the Detroit-based company quickly found work producing precision engine and chassis components for the city’s burgeoning number of automobile firms. Chief among these customers were the established Olds Motor Vehicle Company and the then-new Ford Motor Company. Dodge Brothers enjoyed much success in this field, but the brothers' growing wish to build complete vehicles was exemplified by John Dodge's 1913 exclamation that he was "tired of being carried around in Henry Ford's vest pocket."

By 1914, he and Horace had fixed that by creating the new four-cylinder Dodge Model 30. Pitched as a slightly more upscale competitor to the ubiquitous Ford Model T, it pioneered or made standard many features later taken for granted: all-steel body construction (when the vast majority of cars worldwide still used wood framing under steel panels), 12-volt electrical system (6-volt systems would remain the norm up until the 1950s), and sliding-gear transmission (the best-selling Model T would retain an antiquated planetary design all the way until its demise in 1927). As a result of all this, as well as the brothers' well-earned reputation for quality through the parts they had made for other successful vehicles, Dodge cars were ranked at second place for US sales as early as 1916.

Death of the brothers

Dodge cars continued to rank second place in American sales in 1920. But that year, tragedy struck as John Dodge was felled by pneumonia in January. His brother Horace then died of cirrhosis in December of the same year (reportedly out of grief at the loss of his brother, with whom he was very close). The Dodge Brothers Company fell into the hands of the brothers' widows, who promoted long-time employee Frederick Haynes to the company presidency. During this time, the Model 30 was evolved to become the new Series 116 (though it retained the same basic construction and engineering features).

Stagnation in development was becoming apparent, however, and the public responded by dropping Dodge to fifth place in the industry by 1925. That year, the Dodge Brothers Company was sold by the widows to the well-known investment group Dillon, Read and Company for no less than US$146 million (at the time, the largest cash transaction in history).

Dillon, Read quickly installed one of their own men at the company, one E.G. Wilmer, who set about trying to keep the firm on an even keel. Changes to the car, save for superficial things like trim levels and colors, remained minimal until 1927, when the new Senior six-cylinder line was introduced. The former four-cylinder line was kept on, but renamed the Fast Four line until it was dropped in favor of two lighter six-cylinder models (the Standard Six and Victory Six) for 1928.

Despite all this, Dodge’s sales had already dropped to seventh place in the industry by 1927, and Dillon, Read began looking for someone to take over the company on a more permanent basis.

The Chrysler Corporation era

Purchase from Dillon, Read

Enter Walter P. Chrysler, head of the recently-founded (in 1924) Chrysler Corporation and former president of General Motors’ successful Buick division. Chrysler had originally wanted to purchase Dodge two years prior, and had in the meantime created his own new DeSoto brand of cars to challenge Dodge’s new entries in the medium-priced field.

When Chrysler called again in 1928, Dillon, Read was finally ready to talk. In a foreshadowing of much later acquisitions by his company, Chrysler wanted Dodge more for its name and its factory than anything it was producing at the time. The big sale came about in July of 1928, when Chrysler and Dodge engaged in an exchange of stock worth US$170 million. Production of existing models continued, with minor changes here and there, through the end of 1928 and (in the case of the Senior) into 1929.

Pre-war years

To fit better in the Chrysler Corporation lineup, alongside low-priced Plymouth and medium-priced DeSoto, Dodge’s lineup for early 1930 was trimmed down to a core group of two lines and thirteen models (from three lines and nineteen models just over a year previous). Prices started out just above DeSoto but were somewhat less than top-of-the-line Chrysler, in a small-scale recreation of General Motors’ “step-up” marketing concept. (DeSoto would eventually flip sides, moving a notch above Dodge during the late 1930s.)

For late 1930, Dodge took another step up by adding a new eight-cylinder line to complement the existing Senior six-cylinder. This basic format of a dual line with Six and Eight models continued through 1934, and the cars were gradually streamlined and lengthened in step with prevailing trends of the day. A long-wheelbase edition of the remaining Six was added for 1934 and would remain a part of the lineup for many years.

The Dodge line, along with most of the Corporation’s output, was restyled in the so-called “Wind Stream” look for 1935. This was a mild form of streamlining, which saw sales jump remarkably over the previous year (even though Dodge as a whole still dropped to fifth place for the year after two years of holding down fourth).

Another major restyle arrived for the 25th anniversary 1939 models, the top model of which Dodge dubbed the Luxury Liner series. These were once again completely redesigned for 1942. However, just after these models were introduced, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor forced the shutdown of Dodge’s passenger car assembly lines in favor of war production.

World War II

Chrysler was prolific in its production of war materiel from 1942 to 1945, and Dodge in particular was well-known to both average citizens and thankful soldiers for their tough military-spec truck models. Starting with the hastily converted VC series and evolving into the celebrated WC series, Dodge built a strong reputation for itself that readily carried over into civilian models after the war.

Post-war years

Civilian production at Dodge was restarted by late 1945, in time for the 1946model year. The “seller’s market” of the early postwar years, brought on by the lack of any new cars throughout the war, meant that every automaker found it easy to sell vehicles regardless of any drawbacks they might have. Like almost every other automaker, Dodge sold lightly facelifted revisions of its 1942 design through the 1948 season. As before, these were a single series of six-cylinder models with two trim levels (basic Deluxe or plusher Custom).

Styling was not initially Dodge's strong point during this period, though that began to change by 1953 under the direction of corporate design chief Virgil Exner. At the same time, Dodge also introduced its first V8 engine -- the original design of the famed Hemi. With steadily upgraded styling and ever-stronger engines every year through 1960, Dodge found a ready market for its products as America discovered the joys of freeway travel. This situation improved when Chrysler phased the failing DeSoto brand out of its lineup after 1961, leaving Dodge as the company's only line in the middle of the market.

Dodge entered the compact car field for 1961 with their new Lancer sedan (a variation on Plymouth's Valiant). Though it was not initially successful, the Dart range that came after it in 1963 would prove to be one of the division's top sellers for many years.

Chrysler did make an ill-advised move to downsize the Dodge and Plymouth full-size lines for 1962, which resulted in a loss of sales. However, they turned this around in 1965 by turning those former full-sizes into "new" mid-size models; Dodge revived the Coronet nameplate in this way and later added a sporty fastback version called the Charger that became both a sales leader and a winner on the NASCAR circuit.

Full-size models evolved gradually during this time. After being restored to their former dimensions for 1965, the Polara and Monaco were changed mostly in appearance for the next ten years or so. Unique "fuselage" styling was employed for 1969, then was toned down again for 1974.

Dodge is well-known today for being a big player in the muscle car market of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Along with the Charger, models like the Coronet R/T and Super Bee were popular with buyers seeking performance. The pinnacle of this effort was the introduction of the compact Challenger sports coupe in 1970, which offered everything from mild economy engines up to the wild race-ready Hemi V8 in the same sleek package.

In an effort to reach every segment of the market, Dodge even reached a hand across the Pacific to its partner Mitsubishi Motors and borrowed their subcompact Colt to compete against cars like the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega. Chrysler's relationship with Mitsubishi would prove to be very important in later years.

Times of crisis

Everything changed at Dodge (and Chrysler as a whole) when the 1973 oil crisis hit the United States. Save for the Colt and certain models of the Dart, Dodge's lineup was quickly seen as extremely inefficient. In fairness, this was true of most American automakers at the time, but Chrysler was also not in the best financial shape to do anything about it. Consequently, while General Motors and Ford were quick to begin downsizing their largest cars, Chrysler (and Dodge) moved more slowly out of necessity.

At the very least, Chrysler was able to use some of its other resources. Borrowing the recently-introduced Chrysler Horizon from their European division, Dodge was able to get its new Omni subcompact on the market fairly quickly. At the same time, they increased the number of models imported from Mitsubishi: first came a smaller Colt (based on Mitsubishi's Mitsubishi Lancer line, then a revival of the Challenger (though with nothing more than a four-cylinder under the hood, rather than the booming V8s of yore).

Bigger Dodges, though, remained rooted in old habits. The Dart was replaced by a new Aspen for 1976, but really only the styling changed -- everything underneath was about the same. The Coronet and Charger were effectively replaced by the Diplomat for 1977, which was actually an "upsized" Aspen. Meanwhile, the huge Monaco (Royal Monaco beginning in 1977 when the mid-sized Coronet was renamed "Monaco") models hung around through 1977, losing sales every year, until finally being replaced by the St. Regis for 1979 following a one-year absence from the big car market. In a reversal of what happened for 1965, the St. Regis was an upsized Coronet. Buyers, understandably, were confused and chose to shop the competition rather than figure out what was going on at Dodge.

Everything came to a head in 1979 when Chrysler's new chairman, Lee Iacocca, requested and received federal loan guarantees from the United States Congress in an effort to save the company from having to file bankruptcy. With bailout money in hand, Chrysler quickly set to work on new models that would leave the past behind.

K-Cars and minivans The first fruit of Chrysler's crash development program was the famous "K-Car," sold at Dodge dealers as the Aries (Plymouth's version was the near-identical Reliant). This basic and durable front-wheel drive platform spawned a whole range of new models at Dodge during the 1980s. Most notable of these was the groundbreaking Caravan, one of the most important cars in history -- not just because it helped save Chrysler, but also because it spawned an entirely new market segment that remains popular today.

Other popular Dodge models of the time included the turbocharged Daytona, mid-sized 600 and a sporty revival of the Lancer nameplate. The original Omni remained in the lineup as late as 1990, before finally being replaced by the more modern Shadow for 1987. Dodge did continue to import certain vehicles from Mitsubishi, but dropped most of them by 1993 so that customers would focus on the home-grown models instead.

By the 1990s, Chrysler had paid back its debts and was ready to make some real waves in the marketplace. Dodge was picked as the division to start this process, having already defined itself as the "sporty" side of the company. But no one was truly ready for Dodge to give the world something as unique as the Viper, what with its Lamborghini-engineered V10 engine and composite sports roadster body. This was the first step in what was marketed as "The New Dodge." Step two was the fresh new Intrepid mid-size sedan, totally different from the formal-style Dynasty that preceded it.

Intrepid touted what Chrysler called "cab-forward" styling, with the wheels pushed out to the corners of the chassis for maximum passenger space. They followed up on this idea in a smaller scale with the Stratus and Neon, both introduced for 1995. The Neon in particular was a smash hit, buoyed by a clever marketing campaign and strong performance.

The modern era

DaimlerChrysler and a new mission

2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 sedanChrysler Corporation merged with Daimler-Benz AG in 1999 to form DaimlerChrysler, touted initially as a "merger of equals." Rationalizing Chrysler's broad lineup quickly became the first order of the day, and Dodge's sister brand Plymouth was chosen for the axe. With this move, Dodge now became the company's low-price leader as well as its performance division.

Most models, including the Intrepid, Stratus and Neon, were redesigned in a careful evolutionary way during the early 2000s as the company felt things out. Dodge's first experience of any synergies with the German side of the company came in the form of the new Magnum sports wagon, introduced for 2005 as a replacement for the Intrepid. Featuring Chrysler's first mainstream rear-wheel drive platform since the 1980s and a revival of the Hemi V8 engine, it was a modest success. But it was the rebirth of the Charger in 2006 on the same platform that was the real winner. Offered in a variety of models ranging from very mild to very wild, it quickly became a top contender in the mid-size market.

Further synergies were explored in the form of an extensive platform-sharing arrangement with Mitsubishi, which spawned the Caliber subcompact as a replacement for the Neon and (in a limited way) the recently-introduced Avenger sedan. And the successful rear-drive chassis will be used in early 2008 to build a brand new Challenger, in the same evocative style as the original 1970 edition.

In Spring 2007, DaimlerChrysler reached an agreement with Cerberus Capital Management to sell off its Chrysler Group subsidiary, of which the Dodge division remains a part.

Dodge in international markets

Dodge vehicles are now available in many countries throughout the world. In 2006, Dodge sold more than 1.3 million vehicles in the global market.

Canada and Mexico

In Canada, the Dodge lineup of cars was merged[when? — see talk page] with the Chrysler lineup so that Canadians, instead of receiving the Dodge Intrepid, Dodge Dynasty or second gen Dodge Neon, received the Chrysler Intrepid, Chrysler Dynasty and Chrysler Neon. As of 2003, this decision has changed and cars known as Dodges in the US are once again badged as Dodges in Canada.

In Mexico, the Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Atos, and Hyundai H100 are branded as "Dodge" or "[local market name] by Dodge" and sold at Chrysler/Dodge dealers. A rebadged Chinese-assembled Chery A1 will be sold in Mexico as a Dodge vehicle staring in 2008.

Europe

Following Chrysler's takeover of the British Rootes Group, Simca of France, and Barreiros of Spain, and the resultant establishment of Chrysler Europe in the late 1960s, the Dodge brand was used on light commercial vehicles, most of which were previously branded Commer or Karrier, on pickup and van versions of the Simca 1100, on the Spanish Dodge Dart, and on heavy trucks built in Spain. The most common of these was the Dodge 50 series, widely used by utility companies and the military, but rarely seen outside the UK, and the Spanish-built heavy-duty 300 series available as 4x2, 6x4, 8x2, and 8x4 rigids, as well as 4x2 semi-trailer tractors. All of these were also sold in selected export markets badged either as Fargo or De Soto.

Following Chrysler Europe's collapse in 1977, and the sale of their assets to Peugeot, the Chrysler/Dodge British and Spanish factories were quickly passed on to Renault Véhicules Industriels, who gradually re-branded the range of vans and trucks as Renaults through the 1980s. They would eventually drop these products altogether and used the plants to produce engines (in the UK) and "real" Renault truck models in Spain. Dodge vehicles would not return to the UK until the introduction of the Dodge Neon SRT-4, branded as a Chrysler Neon, in the mid 2000s.

The Dodge marque was reintroduced to Europe on a broad scale in 2006. Currently, the Dodge lineup in Europe consists of the Caliber, Avenger, SRT-10 and Nitro. These models are soon to be joined by the Dodge Journey.

Australia

Dodge recently re-entered the Australian market in 2006 after a 30 year absence. Dodge Australia plans to release a new model every six months for the next three years, amid plans to re-ignite the brand's interest down under. The first of such models is the Dodge Caliber, which was well received at the recent 2006 Melbourne Motor Show. The second model to be introduced was the Nitro, and the Avenger has also recently joined the lineup.

North American model lineup

Dodge Avenger (2008-present)
Dodge Caliber (2007-present) br> Dodge Charger (2006-present)
Dodge Dakota (1987-present)
Dodge Durango (1998-present)
Dodge Grand Caravan (1987-present)
Dodge Magnum (2005-2008)
Dodge Neon (1995-2006)
Dodge Nitro (2007-present)
Dodge Ram (1981-present)
Dodge Sprinter (2003-present)
Dodge Stratus (1995-2006)
Dodge Viper (1992-present)

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