Citizendia
Your Ad Here

For other uses, see Dodge (disambiguation).
Dodge
Type Subsidiary of Chrysler LLC
Founded 1914
Headquarters Flag of the United States Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Area served Global - United States, Mexico, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia
Industry Automobile
Products Mid-prices cars, muscle cars, performance vehicles, sports cars, SUVs, vans, pickup trucks
Website www.dodge.com (U. A subsidiary, in business matters is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity Chrysler LLC is an American Automobile manufacturer that has been producing Automobiles since 1925 Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the US state of Michigan. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages S. )
www.discoverdodge.com (Global)

Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, sport utility vehicles, and trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler LLC in over 60 different countries and territories worldwide. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A sport utility vehicle ( SUV) is a generic marketing description for a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a Station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. Chrysler LLC is an American Automobile manufacturer that has been producing Automobiles since 1925 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 in 1914. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles 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). A brand is a collection of Images and ideas representing an economic producer more specifically it refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a Daimler AG ( (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG) is a German car corporation (not to be confused with the British car-maker Daimler Motor Company) and Cerberus Capital Management LP is one of the largest Private equity investment firms in the USA In Finance, private equity is an Asset class consisting of equity Securities in operating companies that are not Publicly traded on Investment or investing is a term with several closely-related meanings in Business management, Finance and Economics, related to saving

Contents

Founding and early years

1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 touring car
1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 touring car

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. Horace Elgin Dodge ( May 17, 1868 — December 10, 1920) was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of Dodge John Francis Dodge ( October 25, 1864 - January 14, 1920) was an American Automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input A chassis (plural "chassis" (ˈʃæːsiː ˈtʃæːsiː consists of a framework that supports an inanimate object analogous to an Animal 's Chief among these customers were the established Olds Motor Vehicle Company and the then-new Ford Motor Company. Oldsmobile was a brand of Automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following 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. Henry Ford ( July 30, 1863 &ndash April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of "

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, though Stoneleigh and BSA had used steel bodies as early as 1911),[1] 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). The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and also the Flivver) was an Automobile produced by Henry Ford 's Ford The Birmingham Small Arms Company ( BSA) was a British manufacturer of Vehicles Firearms and Military equipment and still exists as 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 U. S. sales as early as 1916. The same year, Henry Ford decided to stop paying dividends, leading to the Dodge brothers filing suit to protect approximately a million dollars a year they were earning;[2] this led Ford to buy out his shareholders, and the Dodges were paid some US$25 million. Henry Ford ( July 30, 1863 &ndash April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of [3]

In the same year, Dodge vehicles won wide acclaim for durability while in service with the US Army's Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. The Punitive Expedition (officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition) was a Military operation conducted by the United States The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. [4] One notable instance was in May when the 6th Infantry received a reported sighting of Julio Cardenas, one of Villa's most trusted subordinates. The 6th Infantry Regiment (“The Regulars” was formed in 1812 Lt. George S. Patton led ten soldiers and two civilian guides in three Dodge Model 30 touring cars to conduct a raid at a ranch house in San Miguelito, Sonora. For the 19th century Scottish jurist/politician see George Patton Lord Glenalmond. Sonora is one of the 31 federal states of Mexico and is located in the northwest of the country During the ensuing firefight the party killed three men, of whom one was identified as Cardenas. Patton's men tied the bodies to the hoods of the Dodges, returning to headquarters in Dublán and an excited reception from US newspapermen. Colonia Dublán is one of the two surviving Mormon colonies in Mexico (the other being Colonia Juárez) located in the state of Chihuahua.

Death of the brothers

1927 Dodge Brothers Series 124 sedan
1927 Dodge Brothers Series 124 sedan

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. Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal 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). Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic Liver Disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrous Scar tissue as well as regenerative 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).

Dodge Brothers emerged as a leading builder of light trucks. They also entered into a production agreement whereby they produced trucks marketed as Graham Brothers by the men who would later produce Graham and Graham-Paige automobiles. The Graham brothers were successful businessmen with interests in several industries

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 & Co. for no less than US$146 million (at the time, the largest cash transaction in history). Dillon Read & Co was a prominent American Investment bank from the 1920s into the 1960s The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been

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. For scale models of automobiles see Model car. A car model is a particular brand of vehicle sold under a Marque. 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. Walter Percy Chrysler ( April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American Machinist, Railroad man Automotive industry General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Buick (ˈbjuːɪk is a Marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Qatar, and Chrysler had wanted to purchase Dodge two years earlier, and had in the meantime created his own DeSoto brand of cars to challenge Dodge’s new entries in the medium-priced field. The DeSoto (sometimes De Soto) was a brand of Automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation

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, its extensive dealer network and its factory than anything it was producing at the time. A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is an industrial Building where workers manufacture goods The big sale came about in July of 1928, when Chrysler and Dodge engaged in an exchange of stock worth US$170 million. Software for Fixed assets management and Stock control developed in 2004. 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). Plymouth (founded 1928 - dissolved 2001 is a Marque of Automobile based in the United States, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation 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. Chrysler is the Flagship brand of Chrysler LLC, named after founder Walter Chrysler. In popular usage "marketing" is the promotion of products especially Advertising and Branding However in professional usage the term has a wider meaning of (DeSoto would eventually flip sides, moving a notch above Dodge during the early 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. In both road and rail Vehicles the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels

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. An anniversary (from the Latin anniversarius, from the words for year and to turn meaning (returning yearly known in English since c. 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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by An assembly line is a Manufacturing process in which parts (usually Interchangeable parts) are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned Military production during World War II was a critical component to military performance during the war.

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. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Materiel (from the French "matériel" for equipment or hardware related to the word Material) is a term used in English to refer to the A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. 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

1958 Dodge Coronet Lancer hardtop coupe
1958 Dodge Coronet Lancer hardtop coupe
1966 Dodge Coronet 440 sedan
1966 Dodge Coronet 440 sedan

Civilian production at Dodge was restarted by late 1945, in time for the 1946 model year. The model year of a product is a number used to describe approximately when a product was produced 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. Supply and demand is an Economic model describing effects on price and quantity in a Market. Post-War is the fifth studio album by M Ward. It was released on August 22 2006 by Merge Records. Like almost every other automaker, Dodge sold lightly facelifted revisions of its 1942 design through the 1948 season. A facelift is the revival of a product through cosmetic means for example by changing its appearance while leaving its underlying Engineering or Design 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. Virgil Max "Ex" Exner Sr was an Automobile Designer for numerous American companies notably Chrysler and Studebaker At the same time, Dodge also introduced its first V8 engine—the original design of the famed Hemi. The FirePower was Chrysler 's first V8 engine Introduced in the Fall of 1950 for the 1951 model year the FirePower had hemispherical combustion chambers leading 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). 1955-59 Dodge used the Lancer name from 1955 to 1959 to designate both two and four door pillarless hardtop models in the Coronet, Royal and Custom Royal The Plymouth Valiant is an Automobile manufactured by the Plymouth division of Chrysler Corporation in the United States from 1960 to 1976 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. The Dodge Dart was an automobile built by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1960 to 1976

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. The Coronet was a Full-size car from Dodge in the 1950s initially the division's highest trim line but starting in 1955 the lowest trim line A fastback is a Car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back The Dodge Charger was a model of Car produced by Dodge. The 1966 to 1974 Chargers were sporty models based on the Chrysler B platform The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States.

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. The Dodge Polara was an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 Model year as Dodge 's top-of-the-line Full-size car; after The Dodge Monaco was a full-size Automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1965 to 1978 and Unique "fuselage" styling was employed for 1969, then was toned down again for 1974. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo

Dodge is well-known today for being a 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 Dodge Super Bee was a limited-production Muscle car from Chrysler 's Dodge division produced from 1968 through 1971 The pinnacle of this effort was the introduction of the compact Challenger sports coupe and convertible (Dodge's entry into the "pony car" class ) in 1970, which offered everything from mild economy engines up to the wild race-ready Hemi V8 in the same package. Dodge Challenger is the name of three different Automobile models marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler LLC since 1970

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 AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto, and Chevrolet Vega. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions is the sixth largest Automaker in Japan and the seventeenth largest in the world by global unit sales The Dodge Colt and the similar Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, were Subcompact cars sold by Dodge and Plymouth from 1970 (1971 The AMC Gremlin is a Subcompact car that was made by the American Motors Corporation (AMC for nine model years The Ford Pinto was a subcompact manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market first introduced on September 11, 1970 The Chevrolet Vega was a Subcompact car sold from 1971 through 1977 Chrysler's relationship with Mitsubishi would prove to be very important in later years.

Times of crisis

1977 Dodge Diplomat sedan
1977 Dodge Diplomat sedan

Everything changed at Dodge (and Chrysler as a whole) when the 1973 oil crisis hit the United States. The 1973 oil crisis began on October 17 1973 when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC consisting of the Arab members of 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. The Horizon, was a Subcompact automobile developed by Chrysler Europe and was sold in Europe between 1977 and 1985 under the Chrysler, Simca In the 1960s Chrysler sought to become a world producer of Automobiles The company had never had much success outside North America contrasting with Ford 's worldwide The Dodge Omni and the similar Plymouth Horizon were Front wheel drive cars introduced by the Dodge and Plymouth divisions of Chrysler Corporation 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). The Mitsubishi Lancer is a semi-luxury vehicle built by Mitsubishi Motors.

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 Dodge Aspen, produced from 1976 to 1980 was a Compact car from Chrysler Corporation 's Dodge division its Plymouth - branded The Coronet and Charger were effectively replaced by the Diplomat for 1977, which was actually an "upsized" Aspen. The Dodge Diplomat was a Mid-size car and it was manufactured from 1977 to 1989 by the Chrysler Corporation 's Dodge brand and practically identical 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. The Dodge St Regis is a full-size Dodge Automobile built from 1979 to 1981 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. Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (born October 15, 1924) is an American businessman most commonly known for his revival of the The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against With bailout money in hand, Chrysler quickly set to work on new models that would leave the past behind.

K-Cars and minivans

1981–82 Dodge Aries Special Edition sedan
1981–82 Dodge Aries Special Edition sedan

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). The Chrysler Corporation 's K-cars were compact-to-midsize cars designed to carry six adults on two Bench seats and were aimed not only to replace Chrysler's nominally-compact The Dodge Aries was an Automobile sold by the Chrysler Corporation from 1981 to 1989 The Plymouth Reliant (or Reliant K, as it was sometimes called was one of the first two so-called " K-cars quot (the other being the Dodge This basic and durable front-wheel drive platform spawned a whole range of new models at Dodge during the 1980s. Front-wheel drive (or FF layout) is a form of engine / transmission layout used in Motor vehicles where the engine drives the front Wheels 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: the minivan.

Other popular Dodge models of the time included the turbocharged Daytona, mid-sized 600 and a sporty revival of the Lancer nameplate. This page is about the 1980s and 1990s Daytona For information on the Charger Daytona, see this page. The 600 was Dodge 's version of the Chrysler E-Class Luxury car of the 1980s 1955-59 Dodge used the Lancer name from 1955 to 1959 to designate both two and four door pillarless hardtop models in the Coronet, Royal and Custom Royal The original Omni remained in the lineup as late as 1990, before finally being replaced by the more modern Shadow for 1987. For 1987 Chrysler Corporation introduced two new Compact cars the Dodge Shadow and the Plymouth Sundance (which turned in similar 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, which featured a Lamborghini-engineered V10 engine and composite sports roadster body. The Dodge Viper is a V10 -powered Sports car manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler LLC. 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. The Dodge Intrepid was a large four-door Full-size, Front-wheel drive sedan. The Dodge Dynasty was a Front-wheel drive sedan that was introduced in 1987 as a 1988 model to replace the 600 as Dodge 's

Intrepid touted what Chrysler called "cab forward" styling, with the wheels pushed out to the corners of the chassis for maximum passenger space. The term cab forward refers to various rail and Road Vehicle designs which place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than They followed up on this idea in a smaller scale with the Stratus and Neon, both introduced for 1992. The Dodge Stratus (and its twins the Chrysler Cirrus and Plymouth Breeze; collectively known as the "Cloud Cars" was a The Neon was a compact Front wheel drive car introduced in January 1994 for the 1995 Model year by Chrysler Corporation 's Dodge The Neon in particular was a hit, buoyed by a clever marketing campaign and good performance.

The modern era

DaimlerChrysler and a new mission

2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 sedan
2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 sedan

Chrysler 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. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Dodge Magnum name has been used on a number of different Automobiles The most recent is a large Rear-wheel drive Station wagon introduced in 2004 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. The Dodge Charger, is a Rear-wheel drive Full-size Automobile built by Chrysler LLC for its North American Dodge brand 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 Avenger sedan. The Dodge Caliber is a Compact car produced by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Group. The Dodge Avenger name identifies four different cars The Dodge Avenger which was a renamed " Hillman Avenger " The Dodge Avenger The rear-drive chassis will be used in early 2008 to build a brand new Challenger, in the same style as the original 1970 edition. Dodge Challenger is the name of three different Automobile models marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler LLC since 1970

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. Daimler AG ( (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG) is a German car corporation (not to be confused with the British car-maker Daimler Motor Company) and Cerberus Capital Management LP is one of the largest Private equity investment firms in the USA

In Spring 2008, Dodge released a commercial claiming that, upon purchase of a Dodge vehicle, they will guarantee that the buyer will only have to pay $2. 99/gallon in gas costs for the next 3 years.

Dodge Trucks

Over the years, Dodge has become at least as well-known for its many truck models as for its prodigious passenger car output.

Pickups and medium to heavy trucks

Ever since the beginning of its history in 1914, Dodge has offered light truck models to interested buyers. For the first few years, these were based largely on the existing passenger cars, but eventually gained their own chassis and body designs as the market matured. Light- and medium-duty models were offered first, then a heavy-duty range was added during the 1930s and 1940s.

Following World War II and the successful application of four-wheel drive to the truck line, Dodge introduced a civilian version that it called the Power Wagon. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to The Dodge Power Wagon was a Four wheel drive Pickup truck produced from 1945 through 1969. At first based almost exactly on the military-type design, variants of the standard truck line were eventually given 4WD and the same “Power Wagon” name.

Dodge was among the first to introduce car-like features to its trucks, adding the plush Adventurer package during the 1960s and offering sedan-like space in its Club Cab bodies of the 1970s. Declining sales and increased competition during the 1970s eventually forced the company to drop its medium- and heavy-duty models, an arena the company has only recently begun to re-enter. The LCF-Series heavy-duty trucks were eliminated in 1975, along with the Dodge Bighorn, which only came out in 1973, and the medium-duty D-Series trucks, and affiliated S-Series school buses were dropped in 1978.

Dodge produced several thounsand pickups for the US military under the CUCV program during the late 1970s into the early 1980s. The Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle or CUCV Program was instituted to provide the United States military with a cheaper vehicle to augment the purpose-built but expensive

Financial problems meant that even Dodge’s light-duty models – renamed as the Ram Pickup line for 1981 – were carried over with the most minimal of updates until 1993. This article is about the full-size truck For other uses such as the full-size van see Dodge Ram (disambiguation. But two things helped to revitalize Dodge’s fortunes during this time. First was their introduction of Cummins’ powerful and reliable ISB turbo-diesel engine as an option for 1989. Cummins Inc ( is a corporation of complementary business units that design manufacture distribute and service diesel and Natural gas Engines and related The Cummins B Series is a family of Straight-4 and Straight-6 Diesel Truck and industrial Piston engines The B Series Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum This innovation raised Dodge’s profile among serious truck buyers who needed big power for towing or large loads. A compact Dakota pickup, which later offered a class-exclusive V8 engine, was also an attractive draw. The Dakota is a Mid-size Pickup truck from the Chrysler LLC 's Dodge brand

Dodge introduced the Ram's all-new “big-rig” styling treatment for 1994. More attention was brought to Dodge by the hit TV show Walker Texas Ranger staring Chuck Norris, the TV show used Dodge's New line of cars and trucks like the Viper,the Ram, and the Mini Van. Walker Texas Ranger is an American Television western / police drama series created by Lesie Grief and Paul Haggis. Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10 1940 is an American martial artist, action star and Television and Film The new Ram also featured a totally new interior with a console box big enough to hold a laptop computer, or ventilation and radio controls that were designed to be easily used even with gloves on. A V10 engine derived from that used in the Viper sports car was also new, and the previously offered Cummins turbo-diesel remained available. The smaller Dakota was redesigned in the same vein for 1997, thus giving Dodge trucks a definitive “face” that set them apart from the competition.

The Ram was redesigned again for 2002 (and the Dakota followed in 2004), basically as an evolution of the original but now featuring the revival of Chrysler’s legendary Hemi V8 engine. New medium-duty chassis-cab models were introduced for 2007 (with standard Cummins turbo-diesel power), as a way of gradually getting Dodge back in the business truck market again.

For a time during the 1980s, Dodge also imported a line of small pickups from Mitsubishi. Known as the D50 or (later) the Ram 50, they were carried on as a stopgap until the Dakota’s sales eventually made the imported trucks irrelevant. See also Dodge Ram, the company's full-sized pickup truck The Dodge Ram 50 (called the D50 for 1979 and 1986 was (Ironically, Mitsubishi has more recently purchased Dakota pickups from Dodge and restyled them into their own Raider line for sale in North America. The Mitsubishi Raider is a Pickup truck from Mitsubishi Motors that debuted in the fall of 2005 as a 2006 model for the United States market and is )

Vans

Dodge had offered panel delivery models for many years since its founding, but their first purpose-built van model arrived for 1964 with the compact A Series. A100 (or Forward Control) line was a family of Compact vans and Trucks produced by Chrysler and sold under the Dodge and Fargo Based on the Dodge Dart platform and using its proven six-cylinder or V8 engines, the A-series was a strong competitor for both its domestic rivals (from Ford and Chevrolet/GMC) and the diminutive Volkswagen Transporter line. GMC, formerly known as GMC Truck, is a Brand name used on Trucks Vans and SUVs marketed in North America and the Volkswagen Transporter is a reference to the following range of Volkswagen Motor vehicles T1 Volkswagen Type 2, generation T1

As the market evolved, however, Dodge realized that a bigger and stronger van line would be needed in the future. Thus the B Series, introduced for 1971, offered both car-like comfort in its Sportsman passenger line or expansive room for gear and materials in its Tradesman cargo line. Chrysler 's Dodge division has used the B Series name on two different vehicles a Pickup truck and a Van. A chassis-cab version was also offered, for use with bigger cargo boxes or flatbeds.

Like the trucks, though, Chrysler’s dire financial straits of the late 1970s precluded any major updates for the vans for many years. Rebadged as the Ram Van and Ram Wagon for 1981, this venerable design carried on with little more than cosmetic updates all the way to 2003. The Dodge Ram Van was a Full-size Van marketed under the Dodge brand by the Chrysler Corporation and later DaimlerChrysler The Dodge Ram Wagon was a full-size Van marketed under the Dodge brand by Chrysler Corporation (later DaimlerChrysler)

The DaimlerChrysler merger of 1999 made it possible for Dodge to explore new ideas; hence the European-styled Mercedes-Benz Sprinter line of vans was brought over and given a Dodge styling treatment. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a delivery Van, Chassis cab and Minibus built by Daimler AG in Düsseldorf, Germany and Redesigned for 2006 as a 2007 model, the economical diesel-powered Sprinters have become very popular for city usage among delivery companies like FedEx and UPS in recent years. FedEx Corporation ( is a Logistics services company based in the United States.

Dodge also offered a cargo version of its best-selling Caravan for many years, at first calling it the Mini Ram Van (a name originally applied to short-wheelbase B-Series Ram Vans)and later dubbing it the Caravan C/V (for “Cargo Van”).

Sport utility vehicles

Dodge’s first experiments with anything like a sport utility vehicle were seen in the late 1950s with a windowed version of their standard panel truck known as the Town Wagon. Built from the mid 1950s to the late 1960s A competitor with the Chevrolet Suburban, it was initially available in 2 wheel drive These were built in the same style through the mid-1960s.

But the division didn’t enter the SUV arena in earnest until 1974, with the purpose-built Ramcharger. The Dodge Ramcharger was a large Sport utility vehicle built by Dodge from 1974 to 1993 and based on a shortened-wheelbase version of the Dodge D Series Offering the then-popular open body style and Dodge’s powerful V8 engines, the Ramcharger was a strong competitor for trucks like the Chevrolet Blazer and International Harvester Scout II. The Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy names were used on two different early SUV models The full-size K5 Blazer and Jimmy were produced on The International Harvester Scout was one of the first production American civilian off-road sport utility vehicles.

Once again, though, Dodge was left with outdated products during the 1980s as the market evolved. The Ramcharger hung on through 1993 with only minor updates, but was not replaced along with the rest of the truck line for 1994.

Instead, Dodge tried something new in 1998. Using the mid-sized Dakota pickup’s chassis as a base, they built the four-door Durango SUV with seating for seven people and created a new niche. The Dodge Durango is a full-size SUV from Chrysler 's Dodge brand Sized between smaller SUVs (like the Chevrolet Blazer and Ford Explorer) and larger models (like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition), Durango was both a bit more and bit less of everything. See also Chevrolet Blazer (disambiguation The Chevrolet Blazer (4WD model T-10 and the similar GMC S-15 Jimmy See also Ford Explorer Sport Trac for the spinoff pickup truck SUV Crossover version The Ford Explorer is a mid-size Sport utility vehicle The Chevrolet Tahoe (and very similar GMC Yukon) is a Full-size SUV from General Motors. The Ford Expedition is a Full-size SUV built by the Ford Motor Company. The redesigned version for 2004 grew a little bit in every dimension, becoming a full-size SUV (and was thus somewhat less efficient), but was still sized between most of its competitors on either side of the aisle.

Dodge also imported a version of Mitsubishi’s popular Montero (Pajero in Japan) as the Raider from 1987 to 1989. The Mitsubishi Pajero (pəˈhɛroʊ pɑˈxɛroʊ is a Sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. The Mitsubishi Pajero (pəˈhɛroʊ pɑˈxɛroʊ is a Sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors.

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 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. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Dodge Intrepid was a large four-door Full-size, Front-wheel drive sedan. The Dodge Dynasty was a Front-wheel drive sedan that was introduced in 1987 as a 1988 model to replace the 600 as Dodge 's The Neon was a compact Front wheel drive car introduced in January 1994 for the 1995 Model year by Chrysler Corporation 's Dodge 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. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Hyundai Accent (sold in some regions as the Verna and until 2000 in Australia as the Excel) is a Subcompact car produced by Hyundai The Hyundai Atos ( Amica in the UK) is a City car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. A rebadged Chinese-assembled Chery A1 will be sold in Mexico as a Dodge vehicle starting in 2008. [1]

Europe

Spanish-built ex-Barreiros Dodge truck advertised by French Renault dealer network
Spanish-built ex-Barreiros Dodge truck advertised by French Renault dealer network

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 Rootes Group was a British Automobile manufacturer which was based in the Midlands and south of England. Simca redirects here for other uses of that term see SIMCA (disambiguation. Barreiros was a Spanish Manufacturer of Engines, Trucks, Buses, Tractors and Automobiles In the 1960s Chrysler sought to become a world producer of Automobiles The company had never had much success outside North America contrasting with Ford 's worldwide Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles which existed from 1905 until 1979 Karrier is a marque of car and commercial vehicle the origins of which can be traced back to Clayton and Company a 1904 company from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire The Simca 1100 was an Automobile built from 1967 to 1982 by Chrysler Europe 's division Simca. The Dodge Dart was an automobile built by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1960 to 1976 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. The Dodge 50 Series, later known as the Renault 50 Series were light commercial vehicles produced in the UK by Chrysler Europe and later Renault Véhicules All of these were also sold in selected export markets badged either as Fargo or De Soto. Fargo was a brand of Truck manufactured and sold in Canada by the The DeSoto (sometimes De Soto) was a brand of Automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation

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. For the article about the bicycle manufacturer see Cycles Peugeot. Renault Trucks is a French truck manufacturer with its corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. 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 SRT-4 is a Turbocharged variant of the Neon introduced by DaimlerChrysler 's Street and Racing Technology ( SRT) in-house

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. The Dodge Journey is a mid-size crossover that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, with North American 2009 my The Dodge Caliber has proved to be a sales success in the UK market with Resale values remaining high.

South America

A Dodge fire truck in Argentina.
A Dodge fire truck in Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics.

Brazil


In Brazil, Dodge cars have been successful with the models Dakota and Ram, currently the only available model is the Ram 250.

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 International Motor Show. The Melbourne International Motor Show is an annual Auto show held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, in Melbourne, Australia (technically The second model to be introduced was the Nitro, and the Avenger has also recently joined the lineup.

Asia

Dodge entered the Japanese market in mid-2007, and re-entered the Chinese market in late 2007. Soueast Motors of China assembles the Caravan for the Chinese market. South East (Fujian Motor Co Ltd, commonly known as Soueast or Dongnan in Chinese is a 1996 50/50 % Joint venture between the Fujian Motor Industry Dodge had already been marketing its vehicles in South Korea since 2004, starting with the Dakota.

Dodge vehicles have been sold in the Middle East for a considerably longer period of time.

Logos

Dodge Brothers emblem circa 1910, removed from the gate of Dodge Main before demolition in 1981.
The original Dodge Brothers logo, used from 1914–1927 (seen here on a modern belt buckle).
"Fratzog" the Dodge logo from 1962–76.
"Pentastar", the Dodge logo from 1976–94

The original Dodge logo was round, with two interlocking triangles forming a six-pointed star in the middle; an interlocked "DB" was at the center of the star, and the words "Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles" encircled the outside edge.

From 1962 to 1976, Dodge's logo was a fractured deltoid, assembled from three stylized arrowheads. Between 1976 and 1994, Dodge shared a version of Chrysler's logo, a five-pointed asterisk surrounded by a pentagon. An asterisk ( *) (Latin asteriscum "little star" from Greek ἀστερίσκος) is a Typographical symbol or Glyph Regular pentagons The term pentagon is commonly used to mean a regular convex pentagon, where all sides are equal and all interior angles are equal (to

Dodge introduced its current Ram's-head logo in 1993; it standardized on that logo in 1996 for all vehicles except the Viper. The Dodge Viper is a V10 -powered Sports car manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler LLC. Trucks had carried a ram hood ornament as early as the 1930s (compare this to Mack's famed bulldog), but its use was sporadic after that until the 1980s. After 1981, when most of the truck lines took on some sort of a "Ram" name, the ram's-head ornament could be fitted as part of various option packages.


North American model lineup

See also

References

  1. ^ Wise, David Burgess. "Dodge: ", in World of Automobiles (London: Orbis Publishing Ltd. , 1974), Volume 5, p. 552.
  2. ^ Wise, p. 551.
  3. ^ Wise, p. 552.
  4. ^ '"The Mexican Revolution 1910-20" by P Jowett & A de Quesada, Osprey Publishing Ltd. , p. 25, ISBN 1-84176-989-4'

External links

All sites accessed 26 November 2007.

Dictionary

dodge

-verb

  1. To avoid by moving out of the way (often suddenly)
  2. (figuratively) To avoid; to sidestep
  3. (archaic) To go hither and thither

-noun

  1. An act of dodging
  2. A trick, evasion or wile

Dodge

-proper noun

  1. A surname, typically found in the United States.
  2. A brand of motor vehicle.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic