Dodge
Brothers Motor Vehicle Company was purchased in 1925 by the Dillon,
Read & Co., an investment bank. It would later sell the company to
Chrysler Corporation in 1928 where it has remained since. In 1998,
Chrysler would merge with Daimler-Benz ...
Chrysler Corporation
merged with Daimler-Benz AG in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler.
Rationalizing Chrysler's broad lineup was a priority, and Dodge's sister
brand Plymouth was withdrawn from the market. With this move, Dodge
became DaimlerChrysler's low-price division as well as its performance
division.
The Intrepid, Stratus, and Neon updates of the 1998 to
2000 timeframe were largely complete before Daimler's presence, and
Dodge's first experience of any platform sharing with the German side of
the company was the 2005 Magnum station wagon, introduced as a
replacement for the Intrepid. 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. The Charger was launched in 2006 on the
same platform.
Further cost savings 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 the
Avenger sedan. The rear-drive chassis was then used in early 2008 to
build a new Challenger, with styling reminiscent of the original 1970
Challenger.
In Spring 2007, DaimlerChrysler reached an agreement
with Cerberus Capital Management to dump its Chrysler Group subsidiary,
of which the Dodge division was a part. On June 10, 2009, Italian
automaker Fiat formed a partnership with Chrysler in which a "New
Chrysler" was formed and was given the name Chrysler Group LLC, which
Dodge remains a part of.
Dodge
Brothers Motor Vehicle Company was purchased in 1925 by the Dillon,
Read & Co., an investment bank. It would later sell the company to
Chrysler Corporation in 1928 where it has remained since. In 1998,
Chrysler would merge with Daimler-Benz ...
Chrysler Corporation
merged with Daimler-Benz AG in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler.
Rationalizing Chrysler's broad lineup was a priority, and Dodge's sister
brand Plymouth was withdrawn from the market. With this move, Dodge
became DaimlerChrysler's low-price division as well as its performance
division.
The Intrepid, Stratus, and Neon updates of the 1998 to
2000 timeframe were largely complete before Daimler's presence, and
Dodge's first experience of any platform sharing with the German side of
the company was the 2005 Magnum station wagon, introduced as a
replacement for the Intrepid. 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. The Charger was launched in 2006 on the
same platform.
Further cost savings 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 the
Avenger sedan. The rear-drive chassis was then used in early 2008 to
build a new Challenger, with styling reminiscent of the original 1970
Challenger.
In Spring 2007, DaimlerChrysler reached an agreement
with Cerberus Capital Management to dump its Chrysler Group subsidiary,
of which the Dodge division was a part. On June 10, 2009, Italian
automaker Fiat formed a partnership with Chrysler in which a "New
Chrysler" was formed and was given the name Chrysler Group LLC, which
Dodge remains a part of.