Dodge

Overview

Ask the average Joe on the street what Dodge means today, and he might mention the Dodge Ram pickup, the modern interpretation of muscle known as the Dodge Challenger, or maybe the Dodge Charger that, piloted by Johnny Law, pulled him over last week.

What Joe might not realize is that Dodge builds a decent variety of other vehicles, such as the affordable Dodge Caliber, the midsize Dodge Avenger sedan, and more than two decades after its original introduction, the Dodge Caravan. To be precise, that minivan is dubbed the Dodge Grand Caravan, and it's one of the brand's many family-friendly models, including the capable Dodge Nitro, the rugged Dodge Durango, the versatile Dodge Journey, and the immensely spacious Dodge Sprinter. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Dodge Viper sports car.

For its part, the term Dodge Truck goes far beyond the Dodge Ram 1500. While the small, four-cylinder Dodge D50 has long since passed, the Dodge Dakota continues to act as an alternative to the Toyota Tacoma, and the Dodge Ram 2500 and Dodge Ram 3500 (Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks) serve as serious competition for the Ford Super Duty trucks. Credit for success is partly attributable to upgrades courtesy of Mopar parts and strong HEMI engines.

Dodge History

Legendary HEMI power arrived in the mid 1950s, or about 40 years after the creation of Dodge, and 25 years after that brand was incorporated into the Chrysler company. Like Pontiac's role within General Motors, Dodge gained a reputation as Chrysler's performance division thanks to its role in NASCAR and hot-selling models like the 1968 Dodge Charger and the Dodge Challenger, both members of the so-called Mopar family.

Two of those three nameplates live on, with the Dodge Challenger bearing an incredible resemblance to the 1970 example from which designers drew inspiration. During the years in between Challenger iterations, however, the market for thirsty, high-powered muscle cars hit a brick wall and Dodge was forced to adapt with smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, though still maintaining its lineup of Dodge trucks. Among the crop were the Dodge Aries (also sold as the Plymouth Reliant), the Dodge Omni, and a front-wheel-drive, Carroll Shelby-endorsed Dodge Charger. These vehicles ultimately paled in comparison to the 1984 Dodge Caravan, which created the minivan segment. Like the Aries, the Dodge Caravan was sold in nearly identical guise as the Plymouth Voyager. The days of gluttonous power returned with the birth of the Dodge Viper in the 1990s, though this modern interpretation of Mopar muscle was offset by new models including the small Dodge Neon and midsize Dodge Stratus, predecessors to the Dodge Caliber and Dodge Avenger.

Peering into the future, you can bet that Dodge will be a player in the alternative fuel game, despite a track record that includes canceling the Dodge Durango Hybrid soon after its release. Electric vehicles such as the Dodge ZEO concept highlight what's on the mind of Dodge engineers, as do hybrid and diesel variants of the Dodge Ram pickup.