The Dodge brand is down to 3 vehicles, why?

If you happened to go onto the Dodge website to shop for a new vehicle you’ll notice they are down to three vehicles, the Durango, Challenger and Charger. This is a bit shocking for a manufacturer that used to make models like the Viper, Grand Caravan, Journey, Dart, etc. What gives?

Well, it’s kind of simple, consumers no longer want cars such as sedans or coupes. They want crossovers and SUVs. This is no secret in the car sales industry as SUVs and crossovers now account for 62% of sales pf new vehicles for 2020. Dodge is part of Chrysler and they have designated the Jeep brand (rightfully so) as the brand for their crossovers and SUVs. Chrysler is also using the Chrysler brand to push their vans, the Grand Caravan and the Pacifica as well as their flagship sedan, the 300. Unfortunately, this means there was simply no room to continue these models under the Dodge brand itself.

Dodge has also released that having a simpler and cleaner line up will probably make it easier for car buyers and in turn probably push more sales. As a group, Chrysler doesn’t want to cross compete their van against the Dodge name plate in the same way they don’t want to cross compete their crossover SUV against the Dodge one. From both a marketing and manufacturing standpoint this was a cost cutting decision that makes sense. This shift will allow Chrysler to have each brand focus on a unique category, giving them more power and marketing to do what they are good for.

What does this mean for the Dodge nameplate? Well, you’ll probably see it shift more into the Sporty and Performance segment and this is a good thing. General Motors and Ford have already started this way of thinking and it’s greatly helped their bottom line. One only has to look at GM’s history in the 2000s and what a mess they made for all their nameplates by having the same vehicle essentially across 3 or even 4 brands they own. Mopar, yah!

About Meds

Ben is widely known as the car sales guy to his friends and family. He does not work at a dealership, although he has done so in the past. He currently works in fleet in the automotive industry and is a numbers guy. He currently drives a rather boring 2017 Ford F-150 as his daily, but his passion is his 2018 Ford Mustang GT. Disclaimer: he does not work for Ford, although he is a big fan.