The Dodge - of 2007
In 1901, John Francis Dodge and Horace Elgin Dodge moved
their Dodge Brothers Bicycle & Machine Factory to Detroit, Michigan. Their
bearings and other parts were in demand with the early automobile industry,
and they helped design motor parts for early Oldsmobiles. In 1902, the Dodge
Brothers were approached by Henry Ford, who was looking for help in
financing his own automobile company. Dodge Brothers helped finance the
start of the Ford Motor Company as well as manufacturing parts for early
Fords, to both Ford and the Dodge Brothers mutual financial benefit.
In 1914, the Dodge Brothers started their own auto company, which they named
the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle Company, choosing 50 dealers initially from
hundreds of applications, some of which remain successful today. In 1917,
Dodge Brothers began building motor trucks as well, at first for use by the
United States Army during World War I, then commercially after the war's
end.
In 1925, the Dodge Brothers Company was purchased by Dillon, Read & Company
for US$146 million, said to be the largest cash transaction in history up to
that time. Dillon Read in turn sold Dodge to the Chrysler Corporation on
July 31, 1928. Following Chrysler's takeover of the British Rootes Group and
Simca of France, 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 (Rootes subsidiaries), and
on pick-up and van versions of the Simca 1100. The most common of these was
the Dodge 50 series, widely used by utility companies and the military, but
rarely seen outside the UK.
Following Chrysler Europe's collapse in 1977, and the sale of their assets
to Peugeot, the Dodge factory was quickly passed on to Renault, who
gradually re-branded the range of vans and trucks to Renault Trucks through
the 1980s, eventually dropping the products altogether and using the
original Dodge factory for engine production. Dodge would not return to the
UK until the introduction of the Neon, branded as a Chrysler Neon, in the
mid 1990s.
Dodge is now part of DaimlerChrysler AG, based in Stuttgart. As of 2005, the
Dodge brand has become known primarily for its trucks, which account for 78%
of the division's sales. Dodge is attempting to change this with the
introduction of the new Dodge Charger and the forthcoming Dodge Challenger.
For the 2007 model year, Dodge has come up with some surprises. Here are a
few of them:
2007 Dodge Caliber
It would seem that Dodge decided a compact hatchback is a swell idea in
light of America's recent and slightly elevated interest in smaller, more
fuel-efficient vehicles. The Caliber is not a hard-core fuel miser, though,
and is instead a pretty normal-sized compact. It features an all-new chassis
design, and is being built at DaimlerChrysler's retooled Belvedere,
Illinois, plant. For the Caliber's initial launch in North America, Dodge
has three styles available (SE, SXT and R/T) and a hat trick of
four-cylinder, twin-cam engines: a 1.8-liter, a 2.0-liter and a 2.4-liter.
The goal of improved fuel economy has also played a role in the Caliber's
transmission offerings. While the 1.8-liter gets a traditional five-speed
manual, the 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter engines have a continuously variable
transmission (CVT).
2007 Dodge Charger
The 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee is the first special edition of the
"Charger on Steroids" from Chrysler Group's Street and Racing Technology
Division (SRT). Powered by the SRT-engineered 6.1-liter HEMI® V-8 producing
425 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Charger SRT8's powertrain
represents a new level in HEMI performance, with 85 additional horsepower.
Featured on all Dodge Charger models, a five-speed automatic transmission
with AutoStick provides a full range of transmission performances to match a
variety of driving styles, situations and road conditions. The new 2007
Dodge Charger features rear-wheel drive with near 50/50 weight distribution
and advanced technologies that offer superb ride and responsive handling in
all surface and traction conditions.
2007 Dodge Nitro
Dodge calls the 2007 Nitro its first midsize SUV, but it is more of a
compact SUV. Dodge probably thinks "compact" sounds too feminine for an SUV
geared to attract more men than women. However, the Nitro's styling and
hardware speak for itself. Although it's built on the same platform as the
Jeep Liberty, the Nitro was engineered primarily for street use. Four-wheel
drive will be an option, but there's no low-range gearing or big off-road
tires. The Nitro offers two solid V6s. Base and SLT models get a 3.7-liter
with 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, while the R/T gets a
4.0-liter six with 255 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. There are three
transmissions: a six-speed manual, which comes standard in the base model, a
four-speed automatic, and a five-speed automatic which only comes with the
R/T's 4.0-liter V6. At 178 inches, the Nitro is about 4 inches longer than
the Jeep Liberty and 10 inches shorter than Chevrolet's Equinox.
The Dodge marque will also be promoted in Europe. Currently, the Viper is
the only Dodge-branded vehicle in that market, but DaimlerChrysler will
begin to heavily advertise the brand's Caliber and Nitro models with a
masculine image. |
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