The History of the Dodge Brand

In 1900, the American brothers Horace and John Dodge founded the Dodge company. At first, the firm made parts for other automakers' vehicles, which was very profitable in a young and fast-growing auto industry. So it is no surprise that in the fall of 1914 the first Dodge Brothers car appeared, followed by 249 more just like it. The company's logo was a globe set in the center of a six-pointed star, a nod to the brothers' Jewish heritage.

The brothers became Ford's main rivals, but both died in 1920, each leaving his widow more than $20 million, a considerable fortune. However, the widows had little business sense and proved to be poor managers, so the company's fortunes quickly declined. The new owners, who bought the business for $146 million in 1925, could not fix the crisis either. The company was rescued by Walter Chrysler, whose corporation took Dodge into its fold in 1928.

During World War II, Dodge built mostly heavy-duty military vehicles, including the WC and WF series light trucks (the first of these was supplied to the Soviet Union), and also made aircraft engines.

After the war, starting in late 1945, Dodge resumed building civilian cars based on prewar designs. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Dodge Challenger and Charger sport coupes were big hits. To build sales of small, low-volume cars, Dodge began selling the Japanese compact Mitsubishi Colt as the Dodge Colt.

Production of the Dodge WC military trucks continued, in civilian form, into the 1980s under the name "Dodge Power Wagon." This vehicle later served as the basis for an entire line of pickups, including the famous Dodge Ram.

The late 1970s coincided with a serious crisis at Chrysler, which came to the brink of bankruptcy and was saved only by government loan guarantees. The way out of this dire situation was the new Dodge Aries sedan and the minivan. These vehicles launched an entirely new class of vehicle.

During this period the company began "The New Dodge" program. Under it, the powerful Viper sports car rolled out of the factory in 1992. Another promising newcomer was the Dodge Intrepid sedan, but the greatest success came from the new compact sedan, the Dodge Neon (1995).

From 1998, Dodge-branded vehicles began to be positioned as more affordable than the other cars Chrysler built. The emphasis also shifted toward power and sporty styling. The lineup was thoroughly renewed. For example, the Neon was replaced by the Dodge Caliber, a compact hatchback-crossover developed jointly with Mitsubishi Motors.

Dodge cars of recent years stand out for their technical innovation, memorable design, power, and safety. Dodge continues its story into the new millennium and has no plans to stop there.

Today Dodge is part of Chrysler Group LLC. The brand's new emblem is the word "Dodge" with a pair of red stripes, while the old logo (a stylized bighorn ram's head) is now used only for Ram vehicles.