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