The Dodge brothers, John and Horace, began their careers as bicycle mechanics in their father's shop in Michigan. Their bearings and other parts were in demand with the early automobile industry, and they helped design motor parts for early Oldsmobiles.
It wasn't long before the two brothers were approached by Henry Ford. In 1902, impressed by their skills, Henry Ford offered them a one-tenth share in his new automobile company.
After 12 years in this partnership, the Dodge brothers left Ford's company and started their own automobile manufacturing company. Thus, in 1914, the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle Company was established. The "Old Betsy" was their first car, built that year.
In 1925, the Dodge Brothers Company was purchased by Dillon, Read & Company, and in 1928, the Chrysler Corporation took over a much larger Dodge Brothers. It continued expanding its line of vehicles, which included the WWII Power Wagon - a vehicle that garnered enough acclaim to continue production a decade after the war.
Following Chrysler's takeover of the British Rootes Group and Simca of France, and the resultant establishment of Chrysler Europe in the late 1960s, the Dodge brand was used on light commercial vehicles, most of which were previously branded Commer or Karrier, and on pick-up and van versions of the Simca 1100. In the 1960s and 1970s Dodge contributed to America's fascination with high-performance "muscle cars" by manufacturing the 505 Charger Daytonas for stock-car racing and as production cars.
Dodge and Chrysler brought the domestic convertible back to the roads in the 80s in the form of the Dodge 400 and the Chrysler Lebaron. In the 90s, the eagerly anticipated Dodge Viper put the muscle back in "muscle cars." All of which soon culminated in the new, aggressive look on the Dodge Ram Pickup, Dodge Dakota and Dodge Durango.
For the model year of 2007, Dodge, a part of Chrysler, has lined up some new and some reworked models for its fans. Let's take a look at a few specifications of the 2007 Caliber, Charger and Nitro -
2007 Dodge Caliber
It would seem that Dodge decided a compact hatchback is a swell idea in light of America's recent and slightly elevated interest in smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Caliber is not a hard-core fuel miser, though, and is instead a pretty normal-sized compact. It features an all-new chassis design, and is being built at DaimlerChrysler's retooled Belvedere, Illinois, plant.
For the Caliber's initial launch in North America, Dodge has three styles available (SE, SXT and R/T) and a hat trick of four-cylinder, twin-cam engines: a 1.8-liter, a 2.0-liter and a 2.4-liter. The goal of improved fuel economy has also played a role in the Caliber's transmission offerings. While the 1.8-liter gets a traditional five-speed manual, the 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter engines have a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
2007 Dodge Charger
The 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee is the first special edition of the "Charger on Steroids" from Chrysler Group's Street and Racing Technology Division (SRT). Powered by the SRT-engineered 6.1-liter HEMI® V-8 producing 425 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Charger SRT8's powertrain represents a new level in HEMI performance, with 85 additional horsepower.
Featured on all Dodge Charger models, a five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick provides a full range of transmission performances to match a variety of driving styles, situations and road conditions. The new 2007 Dodge Charger features rear-wheel drive with near 50/50 weight distribution and advanced technologies that offer superb ride and responsive handling in all surface and traction conditions.
2007 Dodge Nitro
Dodge calls the 2007 Nitro its first midsize SUV, but it is more of a compact SUV. Dodge probably thinks "compact" sounds too feminine for an SUV geared to attract more men than women. However, the Nitro's styling and hardware speak for itself. Although it's built on the same platform as the Jeep Liberty, the Nitro was engineered primarily for street use.
Four-wheel drive will be an option, but there's no low-range gearing or big off-road tires. The Nitro offers two solid V6s. Base and SLT models get a 3.7-liter with 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, while the R/T gets a 4.0-liter six with 255 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. There are three transmissions: a six-speed manual, which comes standard in the base model, a four-speed automatic, and a five-speed automatic which only comes with the R/T's 4.0-liter V6. At 178 inches, the Nitro is about 4 inches longer than the Jeep Liberty and 10 inches shorter than Chevrolet's Equinox.
Today, Dodge is a part of the Daimler Chrysler AG and is based out of Stuttgart, Germany. The Dodge brand has become famous primarily for its trucks. This is a reputation that the company is now trying to change by introducing the new Dodge Charger and the Dodge Challenger. So, that's more to look forward to from Dodge!
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About the Author:
Owen Walcher
Owen Walcher is a freelance writer, writing car and articles such as Dodge 2007 Model Reviews. You can find more car and review articles here: www.autodealersquote.com/
