| In 1901, John Francis Dodge and Horace Elgin Dodge | | | | UK. and the Spanish-built top-weight 300 series |
| moved their Dodge Brothers Bicycle & Machine | | | | available as 4x2, 6x4, 8x2 and 8x4 rigids and 4x2 |
| Factory to Detroit, Michigan. Their bearings and other | | | | semi-trailer tractors. All of them were also sold in some |
| parts were in demand with the early automobile | | | | export markets badged either as Fargo or De Soto |
| industry, and they helped design motor parts for early | | | | Following Chrysler Europe's collapse in 1977, and the |
| Oldsmobiles. | | | | sale of their assets to Peugeot, the Dodge British and |
| In 1902, the Dodge Brothers were approached by | | | | Spanish factories were quickly passed on to Renault |
| Henry Ford, who was looking for help in financing his | | | | Véhicules Industriels, who gradually re-branded to |
| own automobile company. Dodge Brothers helped | | | | Renault the range of vans and trucks through the |
| finance the start of the Ford Motor Company as well | | | | 1980s, eventually dropping the products altogether and |
| as manufacturing parts for early Fords, to Ford's and | | | | using the plants to produce engines in the UK and |
| the Dodge Brothers' mutual financial benefit. | | | | some real Renault truck models in Spain. Dodge would |
| In 1914, the Dodge Brothers started their own auto | | | | not return to the UK until the introduction of the Dodge |
| company, which they named the Dodge Brothers | | | | Neon SRT-4, branded as a Chrysler Neon, in the mid |
| Motor Vehicle Company, choosing 50 dealers initially | | | | 2000s. |
| from hundreds of applications, some of which remain | | | | Dodge is now part of DaimlerChrysler AG, based in |
| successful today. In a boost to their fortunes, the | | | | Stuttgart. As of 2005, the Dodge brand has become |
| Dodge brothers brought a successful lawsuit against | | | | known primarily for its trucks, which account for 78% |
| Ford in 1917. In the same year, Dodge Brothers began | | | | of the division's sales. Dodge is attempting to change |
| building motor trucks as well, at first for use by the | | | | this with the introduction of the new Dodge Charger |
| United States Army during World War I, then | | | | and the forthcoming Dodge Challenger. |
| commercially after the war's end. | | | | The Dodge marque was reintroduced to Europe in |
| In 1925, the Dodge Brothers Company was purchased | | | | 2006. Currently, the Dodge Viper SRT-10 (sold as the |
| by Dillon, Read & Company for US$148 million, said to | | | | Dodge SRT-10 in the UK), Dodge Ram, and the Dodge |
| be the largest cash transaction in history up to that | | | | Caliber are the only Dodge-branded vehicles in that |
| time. Dillon Read in turn sold Dodge to the Chrysler | | | | market. The Dodge Nitro and the Dodge Avenger will |
| Corporation on July 31, 1928. | | | | be released in mid-2007. |
| Following Chrysler's takeover of the British Rootes | | | | Dodge recently re-entered the Australian market in |
| Group, Simca of France and Barreiros of Spain, and | | | | 2006 after a 30 year absence. Dodge Australia plans |
| the resultant establishment of Chrysler Europe in the | | | | to release a new model every six months for the next |
| late 1960s, the Dodge brand was used on light | | | | three years, amid plans to re-ignite the brand's interest |
| commercial vehicles, most of which were previously | | | | down under. The first of such models is the Dodge |
| branded Commer or Karrier (Rootes subsidiaries), on | | | | Caliber, which was well received at the recent 2006 |
| pick-up and van versions of the Simca 1100, and on | | | | Melbourne Motor Show. |
| heavy trucks built in Spain. The most common of | | | | Dodge vehicles are now available in many countries |
| these was the Dodge 50 series, widely used by utility | | | | throughout the world. In 2006, Dodge sold more than |
| companies and the military, but rarely seen outside the | | | | 1.3 million vehicles in the global market. |