Will the Dodge brand have the same fate as Plymouth? If so, what will this mean for the future value of our Challengers? Ward's Auto reports the future of Dodge is looking uncertain. Fiat has more or less laid out its 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. Ward's 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. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ With these products gone or going, the alarming question has been raised by Ward’s Auto in a recent report outlining the product shortages at Dodge. And the dearth of new models is going to get worse,Ward’s reports, citing inside sources that at least two more products are already being prepared for migration to Chrysler or discontinuation. Those vehicles are likely the Dodge Grand Caravan, which will probably be sent to Chrysler and sold exclusively as the Town and Country, and the Avenger, which we already know is set to be discontinued. That leaves Dodge with the Durango, Challenger, Charger, Dart and Journey. The latter two now ride on Fiat derived platforms. The Dart is currently built at the brand’s Belvedere, IL, plant and will be joined by the Chrysler 100 in 2016, while the Dodge Journey/Fiat Freemont replacement is set to be built in Sterling Heights, MI. Thanks to platform sharing, both the Dart and Journey will have a Chrysler or Fiat equivalent vehicle that can step in as their replacement. As for the Challenger, rumors have been circulating about the the Barracuda nameplate being revived and stepping in as a Challenger replacement, possibly as a second stand-alone product under the new SRT brand – the first product being the new Viper. The Charger doesn’t have a direct copy that could spin off into another Chrysler brand, but the 300 could theoretically pick up the slack, while the Durango is already built alongside the more popular Jeep Grand Cherokee on the same underpinnings. So it does seam feasible that Dodge could be discontinued and its products spread out between other Chrysler nameplates, but whether or not Fiat wants to keep Dodge around for the long term is another question unto itself. The year 2016 will mark the climax of several product upgrades and manufacturing changes for Chrysler, all of which started in 2009 when Fiat took an equity stake in the company. If Fiat is looking to dump the Dodge brand, it will be decided by 2016 once all of these manufacturing changes take place.
Here's more news: Read this on car buzz app "Fiat Killing Dodge by 2016? Jun 13, 2013 As the Fiat gets closer to its goal of completely owning Chrysler, some changes will undoubtedly come in the near future. But make no mistake about it: Fiat has every intention of owning Chrysler and that, on the one hand, will guarantee Chrysler’s survival. However, some sacrifices may have to be made. A newly released report is claiming that the long-term strategy Fiat is planning for Chrysler may not include the Dodge division due to lack of good models now and in the near future. For starters, there likely won’t be a replacement for the original minivan, the Grand Caravan, simply because the Town & Country has proven to be a stronger seller and its profit margins are greater. Aside from this product merger, the Dodge Avenger will soon be discontinued and the upcoming redesigned Chrysler 200 will be given sole duty in the mid-size sedan segment. The fate of remaining models like Durango, Challenger, Charger, Journey and Dart are still unknown but considering that the Dart and the upcoming redesigned Journey are built on Fiat platforms, it’ll be easy to eventually rebadge them as either Fiats or Chryslers. The Charger could be replaced outright by the 300 since both are built on the same platform. It’s the same deal for the Durango which shares its underpinnings with the Jeep Grand Cherokee. That leaves the Challenger. Now, it’s already known that the SRT Barracuda is in development and it will ride on a new rear-drive platform being developed with Alfa Romeo. Considering the Barracuda will be lighter than the Challenger and V8-powered as well, there won’t be a need for the latter any longer. And that, everyone, is how the Dodge brand may no longer be relevant for Fiat by 2016, all of the new models listed above will have debuted. Feel free to voice your opinions in the poll. We know Fiat is watching.
Well one thing to add to the debate. It has been hinted at that the 6.2L Hellcat will be in the 2015 Dodge Challenger and has been said to be thet "last hoorah" for the Challenger and V8's in general. It is said that the 2016 CAFE standards will make it very difficult for any car company to put out high-horsepower V8's in passenger cars. I am guessing there will still be a few sports cars (like Corvette, Viper and Shelby) but the multi-option, main line-up, different price point V8 will be gone...like in the mid-70's
The "Dodge" brand alone is worth millions. From a business perspective, it makes no sense to kill it.
