Dodge is an American manufacturer of both passenger and light-duty trucks/ pickups. It was founded in 1900 as the Dodge Brothers company. It even ranked as high as second in U.S. sales in 1920, but following the death of the founding brothers the same year the firm changed management and was eventually sold in 1928 to Chrysler. There it also experienced Chrysler’s shortlived marriage of convenience to Daimler-Benz from 1998 to 2007. It was then sold to a private equity firm, and is currently in partnership with Fiat, all of which happened as part of the Chrysler Group that also includes Jeep.
Dodge manufactures the Ram range of brawny pickup trucks, but these are not sold in New Zealand. Instead, here we get the Avenger, Caliber, Nitro and Journey. All these are products of a resurgent Dodge brand, and they were introduced in the latter half of the 2000-2010 decade.
The Caliber is an interesting example of a crossover; these are cars which don’t fit into the traditional car categories- sedan, hatchback, SUV, estate or minivan. It is best described as a hatchback with raised clearance. The Caliber went on sale in 2006 and replaced the Dodge Neon. It features trademark Dodge styling cues like the crosshair grille and flared wheel fenders.
The Nitro is a compact SUV brought into market in 2007. It shares a platform with the Jeep Liberty. The Avenger is a front-wheel drive midsize sedan that bears some similarity to the muscle-car Dodge Charger, like the odd upward curve of the rear hindquarters.
The Journey is a midsize crossover wagon that shares a manufacturing platform with the Avenger. Production commenced in 2008, and it features forward-opening rear doors, not sliding ones.
Looking at buying a Dodge? Check the vehicle history of any Dodge by entering its number plate in the field above.