Dodge

Dodge brothers death and sale to Chrysler

Dodge Brothers cars continued to rank second place in U.S. sales in 1920. However, John Dodge died of pneumonia in January 1920, a complication of Spanish flu, having lungs weakened by tuberculosis 20 years earlier. Horace died in December of the same year, perhaps weakened by the Spanish flu, but the cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver (reportedly still grieved over the loss of his brother, to whom he was very close). With the loss of both founders, the Dodge Brothers Company was left in the hands of their widows, Matilda Dodge Wilson and Anna Thompson Dodge, who promoted long-time employee Frederick Haynes to the presidency. During this time, the Model 30 evolved to become the Series 116 (retaining the same basic construction and engineering features). As the 1920s progressed, Dodge gradually lost its ranking from the third best-selling automaker to seventh place in the U.S. market.

Dodge Brothers expanded its truck line and became a leading builder of light trucks. After expanding production capacity, Haynes signed a contract in 1921 for Dodge's large dealer network to exclusively market trucks with bodies built by Graham Brothers of Evansville, Indiana. The Graham truck line from then on used only Dodge-built chassis, from one- to three-ton capacity, and Dodge kept making light-duty trucks.

Development was stagnating, and sales dropped Dodge Brothers to fifth place in the industry by 1925. That year, the company was sold by the widows to the investment group Dillon, Read & Co. for no less than US$146 million, then the largest cash transaction in history ($2,680,360,531 in 2025 dollars).

Dillon, Read & Co. offered non-voting stock on the market in the new Dodge Brothers firm and, along with the sale of bonds, was able to raise $160 million ($2,937,381,404 in 2025 dollars), reaping a $14 million (net) profit ($257,020,873 in 2025 dollars). All voting stock was retained by the investment group. Frederick Haynes remained as company head until E.G. Wilmer was named board chairman in November 1926. Wilmer was a banker with no auto experience, and Haynes remained as president. 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 four-cylinder line was 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.

On October 1, 1925, Dodge Brothers, Inc. acquired a 51% interest in Graham Brothers, Inc. for $13 million ($238,662,239 in 2025 dollars), followed by the remaining 49% on May 1, 1926. Haynes purchased all of Graham's truck production, and the Graham branch took charge of all of Dodge's truck manufacturing in 1926. Until the purchase by Chrysler, all trucks were Graham badged. A total of 60,000 trucks were built in 1927. The three Graham brothers, Robert, Joseph, and Ray, assumed management positions in Dodge Brothers before departing in early 1927. The brothers established the Graham-Paige company to build a new line of Graham passenger cars.

Despite this, Dodge Brothers' sales had dropped to 13th place in the industry by 1927, and Dillon, Read & Co. began looking for someone to buy the company. In 1928, Dodge was sold to the new Chrysler Corporation, who had attempted to purchase the company two years earlier, in a stock transfer instead of cash for $170 million ($3,187,500,000 in 2025 dollars). With its purchase of Dodge, Chrysler gained the Dodge Factory and dealership network to better compete in the low-priced car field against Ford and Chevrolet, and Dodge progressed from 13th to seventh place in sales by 1928. On January 2, 1929, Chrysler announced that the Graham Badge had been dropped, and Chrysler was now building Dodge Brothers trucks.

Pre-war years

To fit better the Chrysler 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 prior). Prices started just above those of DeSoto, but were somewhat less than top-of-the-line Chrysler, in a small-scale recreation of General Motors' "step-up" marketing concept. As Plymouth cars were sold at Chrysler dealerships, Dodge-branded vehicles were sold as a lower-cost alternative to DeSoto. DeSoto and Dodge would swap places in the market for the 1933 model year, with Dodge dropping down between Plymouth and DeSoto.

For 1930, Dodge took another step up by adding a new eight-cylinder line to replace the existing Senior six-cylinder. This basic format of a dual line with Six and Eight models continued until 1933, and the cars were gradually streamlined and lengthened in step with prevailing trends of the day. The Dodge Eight was replaced by a larger DeLuxe Six for 1934, which was dropped for 1935. A long-wheelbase edition of the remaining Six was added for 1936, and would remain a part of the lineup for many years. In 1932, to enhance production, Chrysler built a factory in Los Angeles, California, where Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles were built until the factory closed in 1971.

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). Dodge did not share the radical Airflow styling that was the cause of depressed sales of Chryslers and DeSotos from 1934 until 1937, as a passenger sedan, but it was used on commercial trucks for a short time. Dodge (along with the rest of Chrysler) added safety features such as a smooth, flat dashboard with no protruding knobs, curved in-door handles, and padded front-seat backs for the benefit of the rear-seat occupants.

Another major restyle arrived for the 25th anniversary 1939 models, which Dodge dubbed the Luxury Liner series. These were once again completely redesigned, with new bodies for 1940, again in 1941, and a refreshing for 1942. However, just after the 1942 models were introduced, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor forced the shutdown of Dodge's passenger car assembly lines in favor of war production in February 1942. 1941 saw the introduction of Fluid Drive for Dodge cars, which eliminated stalling or bucking if the clutch was released too quickly. This feature put a fluid coupling in between the engine and the clutch, although the driver still had to shift gears manually.

World War II

Chrysler was prolific in its production of war materiel, especially from 1942 until 1945. Dodge in particular was well known to both average citizens and thankful soldiers for their tough military-spec light trucks and WC54 ambulances. Dodge America – on paper under the Fargo Trucks name (in U.S. government contracts) – built over 400,000 trucks for the war, in its nearly new (1938) Warren truck plant at Mound Road near Detroit, Michigan. Starting with the quickly converted VC and VF series for 1940, Dodge built mostly light 4x4, but also light-medium 6x6 WC series trucks that evolved out of the VC series. Smaller numbers of other models were built for China and Russia under Lend-Lease. Additionally, Chrysler Canada was enlisted to crank out another 180,000 Dodge trucks for the British and the Commonwealth militaries, over three-quarters of which were three-ton trucks to be used in the CMP role.

Dodge readily built upon the reputation of the WC series for itself by carrying it over into civilian models after the war, beginning with the successful Power Wagon, introduced with minimal modification almost immediately after the war, in 1945, for the 1946 model year.

Post-war years

By late 1945, civilian production at Dodge was restarted in time for the 1946 model year. The "seller's market" of the early post-war 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 model year. As before, these were a single series of six-cylinder models with two trim levels (basic Deluxe or plusher Custom). From 1949 to 1954, Fluid Drive could be combined with "Gyro-Matic", a semi-automatic transmission that reduced (but did not eliminate) the need to shift gears.

Styling was not initially Dodge's strong point during this period, but began to change by 1953 under the direction of corporate design chief Virgil Exner. However, the deluxe Coronet series, introduced for 1949, offered extra luxury as the top-of-the-line. The Coronet Diplomat, Dodge's first pillarless hardtop coupe, was new for 1950, at least a year before Ford, Plymouth, and other popular car makes offered it. At the same time, Dodge also introduced its first V8 engine, the Red Ram Hemi, a smaller version of the original design of the famed Chrysler Hemi. The new 1953 bodies were smaller and based on the Plymouth. For 1954, sales dropped, and the stubby styling did not go over well with the public. 1954 also saw the introduction of the fully automatic PowerFlite transmission.

In 1954, Chrysler borrowed $250 million ($2,997,211,896 in 2025 dollars) from Prudential to finance expansion, acquisition, and updating the outdated styling of their car lines that contributed to Chrysler's failure to benefit from the post-war boom just as General Motors and Ford had.

Exner led the development of the new corporate "Forward Look" styling of 1955, which began a new era for Dodge. With steadily upgraded styling and ever-stronger engines every year through 1960, Dodge found a ready market for its products as Americans discovered the joys of freeway travel. This situation improved when Dodge introduced a new line of Dodges called the Dart to do battle against Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth. The result was that Dodge sales in the middle price class collapsed. Special and regional models were sold as well, including the La Femme (a white and orchid-trimmed hardtop marketed towards women) and the Texan, a gold-accented Dodge sold in Texas. 1957 saw the introduction of a new automatic transmission, three-speed TorqueFlite. Both PowerFlite and TorqueFlite were controlled by mechanical push-buttons until 1965. 1956 saw the introduction of the four-door pillarless hardtop (the same year most other makes offered this body style) in all three Dodge series: Custom Royal, Royal, and Coronet. Dodge's pillarless models were all badged "Lancer".

Dodge entered the compact car field for the 1961 model year with the Lancer, a variation on Plymouth's Valiant. It was not initially successful but the successor, the 1963 Dart range would prove to be one of the division's top sellers for many years.

For 1962, Chrysler made an ill-advised move to downsize the Dodge and Plymouth full-size lines, 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. This style dominated the racetracks for four years, and the aerodynamic improvements changed the face of NASCAR racing.

Full-size models evolved gradually during this time. After Dodge dealers complained about not having a true full-size car in the fall of 1961, the Custom 880 was hurried into production. The Custom 880 used the 1962 Chrysler Newport body with the 1961 Dodge front end and interior. Production on the 880 continued until 1965, when the completely new full-size Polara entered the medium price class and the Monaco was added as the top series. The Polara and Monaco were changed mostly in appearance for the next ten years or so. Unique "fuselage" styling was employed from 1969 to 1973, and then was toned down again for model years 1974 through 1977.

Dodge targeted 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 available for buyers seeking performance. For the 1970 model year, Dodge entered the pony car market segment with the Challenger coupe and convertible. The Challenger was available with economy I6 engines and numerous trims and options up to the "race-ready" Hemi V8.

To offer a wider range of cars during the 1970s, Dodge partnered with Mitsubishi to market their subcompact as the Colt, positioned to compete with the AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Vega, and Ford Pinto. Chrysler would come to rely heavily on Dodge's relationship with Mitsubishi. At the same time, Dodge marketed a version of the Plymouth Duster, badge-engineered as the Dodge Demon. It was inexpensive, but with I6 and V8 engines, the Demon could not achieve the fuel economy of the four-cylinder Colt, and sold in much fewer numbers than the Duster.

1973–1980

The 1973 oil crisis caused significant changes at Dodge, as well as Chrysler as a whole. Except for the Colt and Slant Six models of the Dart, Dodge's lineup was viewed as uneconomical. Although this problem affected American automakers, Chrysler did not have the resources to respond to the changes in the marketplace. While General Motors and Ford began downsizing their largest cars, Chrysler (and Dodge) was slow to make change.

Chrysler was able to use some of its other resources. Borrowing the recently introduced Horizon from Chrysler's 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 starting in 1971. First was a smaller Colt (based on Mitsubishi's Galant line), then a revival of the Challenger (Dodge Challenger) in 1976 as a compact two-door hardtop with a four-cylinder engine.

The 1975 model year saw the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba (the latter of which had replaced the Plymouth Satellite Sebring) share the same new body based on the B platform. The Charger SE (Special Edition) was the only model offered, and came with a wide variety engines from the 318 cu in (5.2 L) "LA" series small block V8 to three versions of 400 cu in (6.6 L) big block V8. The standard engine was the 360 cu in (5.9 L) 2-bbl small block, along with the code E58 4-bbl and dual exhaust high-performance version (225 hp) available as an option. Sales in 1975 amounted to 30,812.

High-performance vehicles

From the early 2000s onwards, Dodge's highest-performing vehicles were marketed under Street & Racing Technology (SRT) branding. These models often came equipped with high-performance V8s, and included the Dodge Challenger SRT (2008–present), Dodge Charger SRT (2006–present), Dodge Magnum SRT (2006–2008), and Dodge Durango SRT (2018-present). They also produced the Dodge Neon SRT-4 (2003–2005), Dodge Caliber SRT4 (2008–2009), Dodge Viper (1991–2010, 2012–2017), and Dodge Ram SRT-10 (2004–2006). In 2015, FCA introduced the Hellcat, a 707 HP, supercharged 6.2 L Hemi V8. In 2017, Dodge released the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, powered by an 840 HP supercharged 6.2 L Hemi V8. It comes with a toolbox known as the "Demon Toolbox" that comes with materials for drag racing, including skinny front drag tires. However, buyers would only get 840 HP on race fuel. On regular pump gas, it produces 808 HP, a 101 HP increase over the Hellcat.

International markets

Argentina

Dodge came to Argentina in the early 20th century with imported cars and trucks. In 1960, it partnered with Fevre-Basset as a local manufacturer. The first vehicle made in Argentina was the D-100 "Sweptline" pickup. Between 1961 and 1980, a variety of trucks were produced, including the D-400/DP-400, D-500/DP-500, DP600, DD900 and DD1000 (the last two with one curiosity: the air-cooled Deutz engine rather Perkins or Chrysler). Passenger cars were also produced, namely the Valiant I and II, and the local versions of the 1966 Dodge Dart (called Valiant III and IV). In 1971, the Dodge 1500, a rebadged Hillman Avenger from the United Kingdom, was introduced. In 1982, production of Dodge vehicles ceased when German company Volkswagen bought the Fevre factory.

In Argentina, the name "Polara" was used to refer to a series of vehicles developed based on the fourth-generation North American Dodge Dart. These cars were manufactured between 1968 and 1980 by the subsidiary Chrysler-Fevre Argentina S.A.

In 1993, Dodge began marketing cars and pick-ups directly in Argentina. Currently, both the Journey and the Ram are available to Argentine customers.

Asia

Dodge entered the Japanese market in mid-2007, and re-entered the Chinese market in late 2007. Soueast Motors of China assembled the Caravan for the Chinese market. Dodge marketed its vehicles in South Korea in 2004, starting with the Dakota. Dodge vehicles are no longer marketed in China, Japan, and South Korea. In the Philippines, Dodge vehicles have been distributed by Auto Nation Group (formerly known as CATS Motors) since the 2000s. Dodge vehicles are also distributed in some Middle Eastern countries.

Australia

Vehicles were produced in Australia under the Dodge name by Chrysler Australia from the 1950s until the 1970s.

Dodge re-entered the Australian market in 2006 with the Caliber, their first offering since the AT4/D5N trucks in 1979 and the first Dodge passenger car to be marketed in Australia since the Phoenix sedan was discontinued in 1973. The second model to be introduced was the Nitro, followed by the Avenger and Journey. Dodge chose not to use the full model lines and engines available to them, the 2.7 L V6 being available in the Journey and Avenger instead of the 3.2 L in the North American versions. However, diesel engines were introduced in all their cars.

After the 2008 financial crisis, Chrysler introduced a facelifted model of the Caliber and discontinued the Avenger imports. From early 2012 onward, model year 2010 cars were available. By early 2012, no new cars were imported into Australia aside from the facelifted 2012 Journey.

There were rumors that Dodge cars would be rebadged as Fiats in the Australian market, as was the case in Europe. The Dodge nameplate continued due to consistent sales of the Journey. However, the brand was discontinued in the Australian market after 2016.

Brazil

In Brazil, Dodge cars were produced between 1969 and 1981 with the models Dart, Charger, Magnum, LeBaron (all powered by the same 318 cid V8 engine), and the compact 1800/Polara, based on the British Hillman Avenger. The manufacturer was acquired by Volkswagen in 1981. In 1998, the Dakota pickup started production in a new plant in Campo Largo, Paraná by Mercedes-Benz, which belonged to its former partner Daimler AG. It was built there until 2001, with petrol and diesel engines and regular, extended, and crew cabs. In 2010, Dodge started sales of the imported pickup Ram 2500. The model portfolio would be expanded starting with the Journey crossover for the 2009 model year. The marque ended the sales of its last product, the Journey, in 2019, remaining only to serve the existing customers.

Canada

In Canada, the Dodge lineup of cars started down the road to elimination along with the Plymouth line when the Dodge Dynasty was introduced in Canada as the Chrysler Dynasty in 1988 and sold at both Plymouth and Dodge dealers. Similarly, the Dodge Intrepid, the Dynasty's replacement, was sold as the Chrysler Intrepid.

For 2000, the Neon became the Chrysler Neon. The Chrysler Cirrus and Mitsubishi-built Dodge Avenger were dropped. Dodge trucks, which had been sold at Canadian Plymouth dealers since 1973, continued without change. All Plymouth-Chrysler and Dodge-Chrysler dealers became Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealers.

The diluting of the Chrysler name did not go well in Canada, especially as the nameplate had been pushed as a luxury line since the 1930s. For 2003, the revamped Neon appeared in Canada as the Dodge SX 2.0. Since then, all new Dodge models have been sold in Canada under the Dodge name.

Europe

Dodge started assembling lorries (trucks) in the United Kingdom from imported parts in 1922. In 1933, it began to manufacture a British chassis at its works in Kew, using American engines and gearboxes.

During the World War II, Dodge Kew was part of the London Aircraft Production Group, building fuselage sections for Handley Page Halifax bombers. The pre-war and wartime truck range was replaced by the Dodge 100 "Kew" truck (1949–1957), nicknamed the "parrot nose" due to the sculpted lines of its bonnet. Subsequent normal-control Dodges built at Kew were the 200 series (1957–1963) and the 400 series (1963–1965). The 400 series was a version of the American D series medium-duty models. Also built at Kew were the cab-over 300 series (1957–1965) and its successor, the 500 series/K-series (1964–1978) tilt-cab. In 1964, Chrysler acquired its first stake in the British Rootes Group, and it was decided to consolidate all truck production at Rootes' factory in Dunstable. British assembly of the 400 series was discontinued due to declining sales of normal-control trucks, and production of the 500 series was transferred to Dunstable in 1967.

In some export markets, British-built Dodge trucks used the Fargo or DeSoto marques. The situation was further complicated after the takeover of the Rootes Group, whose commercial vehicles were sold under the Commer and Karrier marques. Some Dodge 500s were given Commer badges, whilst the 100 series "Commando" light truck (1970–1989), developed by Rootes, was initially marketed under all five marques. In the UK market, Commers were usually lighter than Dodges, whereas the Karrier marque tended to be used on vehicles sold to public sector operators such as local authorities. Some of the smaller Commer/Karrier vans were also sold as Fargos in export markets. In 1976, Chrysler Europe rationalized its marques and thereafter all the British-built commercial vehicles were sold as Dodges or (increasingly rarely) Karriers. This included the smaller Commer SpaceVan (1960–1983) and Commer Walk-Thru (1961–1979), which became Dodges for their final years. The van and pick-up versions of Chrysler Europe's French-built Simca 1100 were also branded as Dodges in Britain from 1976, although they remained Simcas elsewhere (and became Talbots in Britain after 1979).

Until the 1970s, American Chrysler cars, including some Dodge models, were assembled from CKD kits at various locations in Europe, including Kew (1920s-1930s), Antwerp (1926–1958), and Rotterdam (1958–1970). Sales volumes were low, as even "compact" American cars like the Dodge Dart were enormous gas-guzzlers by European standards. However, protectionist policies in some countries encouraged small local manufacturers to license-build CKD models, including AMAG in Switzerland (building Chryslers and Dodges 1948–1972) and Barreiros in Spain (building Dodge Darts from 1965 as the Barreiros Dart). By 1969, Chrysler had acquired full control of Barreiros, and Darts were being exported to other European countries under the Dodge name (precipitating the closure of the Rotterdam plant). In 1970, the Spanish-built Dart was replaced by the Barreiros/Dodge 3700, which remained in production until 1977. The Dodge cars were a relatively small part of the Madrid factory's output, which was dominated by smaller Simca-designed cars and Barreiros-designed heavy-duty trucks. From 1972 onward, such trucks were sold as the Dodge 300 (unrelated to the earlier British 300 series), which was available as 4×2, 6×4, 8×2, and 8×4 rigids, as well as 4×2 semi-trailer tractors.

Following Chrysler Europe's collapse in 1977 and the sale of their assets to Peugeot, the van and truck range and the associated factories in Dunstable and Madrid were quickly passed on to Renault Véhicules Industriels. Chrysler licensed the Dodge name to be used on Renault trucks sold in certain European markets, most notably the United Kingdom. However, the only subsequent new model to carry the Dodge name was the Dodge 50 series (1979–1992), which replaced the earlier Walk-Thru and was widely used in Britain by utility companies, the military, and as a minibus, but was rarely seen outside the UK. All new models thereafter were Renaults, and in 1987 the Dodge name was dropped from the remaining inherited models (50 and Commando), which became Renaults for their last few years of production. Dodge vehicles would not return to Europe until the introduction of the Neon, badged as a Chrysler, in the mid-1990s.

Chrysler reintroduced the Dodge marque to Europe on a broad scale in 2006, with a lineup consisting of North American-built Caliber, Avenger, Viper SRT-10, Nitro, and Journey cars and SUVs, but this proved to be a short-lived return due to the onset of the Great Recession and the takeover of Chrysler by Fiat. In 2010, the Dodge marque was pulled from the UK due to poor sales, and on June 1, 2011, it was dropped from the rest of Europe. All of the Dodge models were discontinued in Europe, except the Dodge Journey, which became the Fiat Freemont (and which was not available in the right-hand-drive Ireland or UK markets). The Dodge marque was reintroduced to many European markets in 2019.

India

The Dodge Kingsway was also assembled in India by Premier Automobiles Limited until the late 1950s.

Mexico

In Mexico, the Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Atos, and Hyundai H100 were branded as "Dodge", Dodge Attitude, "Verna by Dodge", "Atos by Dodge" and "Dodge H100", respectively, and sold at Chrysler/Dodge dealers during the 2000s and early 2010s. Dodge and Hyundai ended the venture, and Dodge began to sell rebadged and reworked Fiats and Mitsubishis.