Dodge -Overview and History

Dodge ranks among the top manufacturing giants when discussing American automobile brands producing state-of-the-art trucks and sports vehicles.

People looking forward to buying a Dodge vehicle are not usually all about purchasing a car; they seek strong mechanics. While various automobile companies are famous for their individual characteristics, there is a lot that groups to form the selling point of Dodge.

For instance, people buying Dodge are inspired by its body styling, “fun to drive” nature, great power, and acceleration. Its target audience is fans of muscle cars and American SUVs. Whether you opt for Charger, Challenger, or Durango, you will notice the company completely integrating its motto “if you aren’t first, you’re the last” in the vehicle’s design and mechanics.

Each factor influencing Dodge, including customer satisfaction and reliability metrics, is over average, which speaks of the assurance it offers to its consumers.

Let’s dig into the history of this excellent automobile brand to know how it got to this point.

The Founders:

John and Horace Dodge, two brothers born in Michigan, were the founders of the Dodge automobile company. They earned a reputation for manufacturing outstanding quality automotive components at a very early age, and consequently, Ford offered them 10% shares in exchange for automotive parts for Ford vehicles in 1902. Soon after, Dodge became a trademark of quality automotive parts in 1910 as it held a significant position of the first All-American car, Model T. Name any vital part of the T-model, and you’ll see the Dodge’s engineering behind that, be it the engine, transmission, or other components.

Disassociation with Ford and the Beginning of Dodge:

For unknown reasons, the Dodge brothers decided to disassociate with Ford. Finally, they came up with their own automotive company “Dodge” in 1914. Their production was still famous for its durability and reliability, and they came up with their first car model Dodge. This first car had a four-cylinder engine, and they didn’t face any difficulty selling it.

Since their automobile parts were already very popular among people, they didn’t face any difficulty in becoming the top-selling automobile company in the United States.

Downfall and Restart:

It is one of the few automobile companies that grew exceptionally in five years and produced over one leg of cars generating a revenue of about 24 million. Something unexpected and tragic happened as the Dodge brothers passed away one after another within a couple of months due to influenza. However, the legacy continued, and the company grew against the odds, being the first company to produce the first closed steel-body car in 1922.

A few years after the death of the brothers, the company’s heirs sold it to the investment bank that later sold it to Chrysler. Water Percy Chrysler purchased Dodge in 1928 and invested a lot to make it the third largest automaker of that time.

In 1933, Dodge flaunted the iconic RAM symbol that spoke for its durability and reliability.

Great Progress:

They continued to offer sustainability and reliability in the 1930s and helped the United States during the war. The United States depended on Dodge for automobile parts, aircraft parts, and around 400,000 trucks in World War 2. The Dodges that came out of the inventories in the post-war period were very popular among civilians; however, the design was more or less like the cars that were produced before.

The Rise:

The company had been boasting a similar style in the last few years until the 1950s when the company owners decided to redesign it completely. The resulting 1950s Dodge had a flare, fin, Modern Chrome, and a powerful V8 engine. One could witness the significant changes by going through the Dodge Owner’s Manual of that time.

Later in the 1950s, Dodge cars joined the racer lineups, whether it’s a powerful V8 engine. And in the 1960s, it continued producing great vehicles, including one of the most famous cars of this decade, the Charger.

In the late 1960s to 1980s, Dodge became interested in producing muscle and racing cars, followed by an era in which their sole focus was creating the Caravan and truck lines.

The Competition:

By the 1990s, Dodge had become a great competitor of Ford and Toyota, producing mid-sized cars that included Sedans, trucks, SUVs, and muscle vehicles.

In 1998 Chrysler merged with Daimler AG of Germany to produce a single corporation, Daimler Chrysler. It was not favorable for Dodge because its American-German model in 2022 didn’t live up to the company’s expectations.

However, the Fiat company merged with Chrysler in 2010, and Dodge regained its popular status. The power cars continued their legacy until 2020, when the company announced focusing on the core three branches, including Durango, Challenger, and Charger. Grand Caravan and Journey were discontinued in the same year.