http://www.autoblog.com/2013/06/13/d...include-dodge/

Wards Auto reports the future of Dodge is looking uncertain. Fiat has more or less laid out it's game plan for the next few years, and while the Chrysler, Fiat and Jeep lines are set to receive plenty of love, Dodge isn't so lucky. Fiat has already hobbled Dodge significantly by splitting off the brand's trucks into a separate Ram line.

Wards says that after the Avenger rides off into the sunset early next year, Fiat-Chrysler won't replace the model, leaving a gaping midsize hole in the Dodge lineup. The report also cites unnamed sources as saying that at least two other current Dodge products will move to the Chrysler line.

One of those could very well be the Grand Caravan. Chrysler has already made it clear that it plans to trim redundancy between its minivan offerings, but it has yet to clarify which other vehicle could sail under the Chrysler banner moving forward. Either way, such changes to the product line would theoretically leave Dodge with just four models.

 

Sadly it makes a lot is sense. I like that Dodge is offering the low line cars but nothing really good has come of them but the Charger and Challenger both looking at the end of their lives anyway. SRT takes the Viper from Dodge as they mention RAM.

The Dart is decent but not enough to renew interest. Dodge just isn't really as competitive and no one plans some kind of turn around. It's the brand that Sergio forgot. I even agree about merging minivans. Once you do that you just don't have much to work with.

 

When I read the title I said, "I sure hope so"

 

"about time" comes to mind..

 

I guess I'm the only one who's gonna miss Dodge ...

 

Nope. I would miss dodge. I love muscle cars in general. I think competition enhances the breed.

 

I'd rather be missing Nissan or Kia or Hyundai. Not Dodge. It's sad.

 

For everyone that hated on Lincoln for being a Ford badge job, just look at Chrysler. They've been hurting each other's sales and making two nearly identical models as Dodge/Chrysler or Dodge/Jeep pairs for years. I don't want to see them go, but rather focus each brand on a specific audience and design and move them forward.

 

+1...

 

+2...

 

It can work pretty well if a company knew what they're doing ... Look at Volkswagen's European strategy - Škoda, Seat, Volkswagen, Audi and future low priced division all sharing the same platform. And they're all very successful.

 

'Dang those Chrysler boys' just doesn't have the same ring as 'dam those Dodge boys'!!

 

I think this became predestined when they ripped SRT and RAM out of Dodge. Those two were a big part of the brand, without them it's sorta lost.

 

Even without Ram, Dodge was still Chrysler's best selling division in 2012.

 

I think Sergio wants the higher transaction prices better associated with Chrysler, Ram, and SRT . . . if I were to speculate.

 

Maybe foreigner Sergio doesn't appreciate Dodge the way he should. Americans invented muscle cars and Dodge still makes the only two American muscle cars on road today. It's not about total sales; it's about perception and branding. Sometimes vehicles have greater importance because of their presence in the market than the profit they generate. I'm sure Ford lost money on every Ford GT they built, as an example, but it was still worth it to produce that vehicle. I think Dodge will be more valuable to Fiat than just as a network of dealerships.

 

Yea I'm a mopar guy at heart myself. It's really disappointing. Dodge has always kinda been this way though. Mean cars, mean names, always sold the least.

 

I don't think it has anything to do with not appreciating Dodge. Sergio is one of those people that's good with numbers, but does not really have a passion for cars (I read a book how Fiat became Chrysler's owner).
He wants to kill Dodge because, like Evil Capri said, most likely because he can sell the same vehicles for much higher prices under Chrysler, Jeep or Ram badges.

He did the same thing to Lancia and he received a lot of negativity because a legendary brand like Lancia is nothing other than a re-badged Chrysler.

And there are still talks that Volkswagen will buy Alfa Romeo from Fiat ... I don't think Alfa's fans would ever forgive him that.

 

Well perhaps if Dodge didnt produce $hit cars that constantly break down , they might not be in such a position. P.S. the challengers are way way way overpriced even if they are beautiful looking. Still , constant transmission issues with them. Dodge and Chrysler suck on quality.

 

60 Percent of Chrysler, Ram, and Dodge Vehicles to be New by 2016

A new report from Wards Auto suggests that Chrysler Group will renew almost all of its models by 2016 but questions where the Dodge brand will be past calendar-year 2016. The update, which confirms much of what we learned from Chrysler’s five-year product planning documents, says that 60 percent of Chrysler products will be new by the end of 2016. By then, as many as 75 percent of the company’s cars and crossovers will be based on versions of the CUSW platform that debuted with the 2013 Dodge Dart.
Chrysler will have a new CUSW-based hatchback called the 100, which goes into production alongside the Dart in Illinois in 2016. It follows the launch of a new Chrysler 200 sedan next year, with the convertible version arriving by 2015. That year will also see Chrysler introduce a new crossover named Town & Country, which replaces the current minivan. Wards says that in addition, Chrysler will launch a larger luxury crossover by 2016.
Things look a little slimmer for Dodge. The brand will not immediately receive a direct replacement for the Avenger sedan when it ends production in 2014. The Dodge Journey and the Avenger, however, will be combined into one new crossover that debuts in 2016. The Dodge Charger and Challenger will be refreshed for 2014. An all-new Dodge Grand Caravan minivan should debut by 2015.
The Chrysler 100 and 200, as well as the Dodge Journey replacement and 2014 Jeep Cherokee, will all use the same CUSW platform as the Dart. Wards expects those models will collectively account for about three-quarters of Chrysler Group’s car and crossover sales volume. In other words, those will all be successful, strong-selling models.
A new Ram 1500 pickup line, as well as the updated Jeep Wrangler, will reportedly debut in 2016. By 2015, Jeep could introduce a new, small Fiat-based model alongside the 2014 Cherokee. 2015 will probably bring a new Jeep Compass/Patriot, as well as the three-row Grand Wagoneer. (The aforementioned planning documents suggest at least one of those models, however, could be pushed back a year to 2016.)
Wards suggests that Chrysler Group will introduce or redesign several other vehicles in 2017, but it’s too far away to know what those might be. The publication also notes that the small number of new Dodge vehicles may indicate Chrysler Group could do away with the Dodge brand entirely. For now, that seems unlikely — Dodge is the company’s proverbial bread and butter and sells about twice as many cars as Chrysler. So far this year, the former has sold 268,571 cars while the latter has moved only 136,590.