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Dodge brand faces axe in Australia

By Alborz Fallah
FIND DEALS

Dodge’s international future is coming to a close with the American brand slowly but surely removing itself from more and more international markets.

With the Chrysler group positioning Jeep and Chrysler brand as its two international brands, Dodge is refocusing its efforts on the North American market where it has traditionally enjoyed its strongest sales.

Following the brand’s removal from Europe and China last year, the demise of Dodge in Australia is all but certain. Speaking to the Australian automotive media in Beijing, Fiat-Chrysler Asia Pacific (APAC) chief operating officer Mike Manley denied any firm decision on the brand’s Australian future had already been made but conceded Dodge is likely to be removed.

“We genuinely haven’t taken a decision to formally kill Dodge in Australia, but if we follow the same pattern as we have in other international markets, then it’s certainly a matter of time,” Manley said.

He went on to say that it’s very likely Dodge’s days are numbered in Australia once the distribution channels and other areas have been sorted.

In the first quarter of 2012 Dodge sold 445 vehicles in Australia. Surprisingly for the group, it was second only to Jeep (4105 sales) and significantly more than Chrysler (17 sales). Fiat and Alfa Romeo, which are changing distributors to the Fiat-Chrysler group in May, were also outsold by Dodge in the first quarter.

The decision to kill the Dodge brand internationally has already seen a rebranding process take place under the Fiat umbrella, the first of which being the Fiat Freemont, a rebadged version of the Dodge Journey. The process showed unexpected success in Europe where the Freemont has seen consistently strong sales, thanks in part to leverage gained from the smaller Fiat Panda’s market dominance. As for a Fiat Freemont for the Australian market, Fiat’s brand boss, Olivier Francois, told us that it’s possible if there is demand but that the brand’s focus in Australia is mainly on the 500 line-up.

As previously reported, Dodge is expected to remain in Australia for the remainder of the year.

  • MisterZed

    Well if Dodge is axed in Australia then the Journey will be too.  Nobody is going to buy a $40k Fiat, even if it is the same exact vehicle.

  • FanBoi

    Who cares about Dodge????

    //

    • Oosh

       Exactly! .

      Hardly a shock when you have the worst performing US manufacturer (Chrysler), owned
      by the worst performing European one (Fiat), selling hideous looking
      cars under a brand-name one letter away from a slang-term meaning
      ‘disreputable’.

  • Dodge for Oz

    Well in the other RHD markets closely related to Australia, New Zealand Dodge sell’s better than Jeep,Chrysler Alfa and Fiat. South Africa, Dodge is second to Jeep and outsells Chrysler,Fiat and Alfa. And although not being RHD, Dodge is now selling better than all there other brands in the Middle East. So think wisely Mr Manley what markets you remove Dodge

  • Winxx1944

    Dodge only exports its crappy models it would be interesting to see how they would go in Australia with the ram truck, charger challenger and dart

    • Guest

      RAM is now a separate brand and doesn’t fit for Australia. As most of the Dodge models are niche market offerings, Australia is a too small market to offer most.

      • Winxx1944

        I think the ram would sell well here as since the end of the f250 there has been a gap in that market and it use to sell well. i sell quite alot of new chevy silverados getting round which they convert on the coast and people pay 140k for them!

      • LJSearles

         Dodge is hardly a niche brand.

    • Hemihammered

       I have no doubt Dodge would sell better than all Chrysler and Fiats brands.

  • Lbrinsmead

    Dodge have a very long history in making trucks, they should focus on that instead of designing ugly SUV crossovers.

    • TG

      Tragic.
       
      Dodge should start making Lil’ Red (neck) Expresses again. Punch it into Google Images for a laugh. :D

  • Able

    If they could actually be bothered to convert all their models to right hand drive then they’d be doing much better than they are now! I once sent in designs for a new Viper (I love drawing and I was bored one day) to Dodge US and received a very angry, red-coloured letter about how they don’t receive designs from anyone and it was just pathetic! This typical American attitude is preventing them from success and if they made the Dart in RHD and sold it here their sales would dramatically increase.

    The Dart is a lot nicer than the Fiat Viaggo too…

    • Thrillhouse

      Cool story

      • UMWHAT

        bro

    • LeStori

       Their actions are all related to copyright. If for example you sent a manuscriot to a writer to read and they accidentlly used something out of your manuscipt you could sue for infingement. The same with your drawing.

  • Amlohac

    The only reason Dodge as a brand out sold Chrysler is because for the past 12 months chrysler has only offered the Voyager which is actually quite an expensive small volume car. Id expect chrysler to start shifting more metal once the 300 is back next month.

    It also doesnt help the brand very much when the new owner of the chrysler brand totally and very publiclly S%^ cans the brand

    • Amlohac

      correction. He S%^& cans DOdge as a brand.

  • KrisB

    Make the Charger and Challenger RHD and bring them here!

  • Showtime

    There are many great Dodge vehicles (Viper, Charger, Challenger, Dart) yet we get crappy SUVs.

    • LJSearles

       Also, Durango.

    • Amlohac

      If only. But you have to remember, here in Aus we would get them at a hugely inflated price. The top of the range challenger over there is less than $50,000, imagine how much the would slug us for it!? Its bassed on the 300c platform too, so realistically its probably not much a stretch for them to gear up for RHD versions.

  • Pauly

    Eh, I couldnt care less of Dodge left Australia.

    None of their cars they offer in Australia are any good compared to their competition.

    • Amlohac

      The new Journey is actually alright! The new R/T comes with a lot of gear.

      • tarheal1

        agree. I have an SXT 2012 and it is great. The new engine is very powerful and the new interior lifts it a few levels. We decided this vehicle over the Tribeca 

  • Blair Waldorf

    The problem is that Dodge’s cars arent what the Aussie market on a whole wants. Sure a few enthusiasts want the Charger and Challenger, but realistically how many people would buy them? Non-premium imported large cars never do that well in Aus, and most of Dodge’s cars are big, thirsty and very American market orientated. Fiat on the other hand has just what our market is gravitating towards at the moment, small economical cars. The 500 averages about 100 cars a month, which is decent considering how expensive it is and the little advertising it gets. Our $22,000 model is the very top of the range in Europe. So a base model could be sold for about $16-17k. The Panda from what i’ve read is a very good small car and it would sell here, as would the latest Punto and Bravo.

    I think what we’ll see is Dodge gone and a wider Fiat range in our market.

    • Dave S

      Our small car fleet is already flooded. Fiat might do ok, but there are already so many small cars on our market already. How many 2 door muscle cars do we have? None.

      If Dodge were able to bring the Charger and the Challenger, they could add something to the market. In the same way the 300c is great for the market, so would the Challenger and the Charger. There would be no need to charge bottom dollar to sell them.

      • Pauly

         As much as people like the 300c. What you loose sight of is that big thirsty cars are selling less and less. People simple cannot afford to run them anymore.

        Dont get me wrong, I would love to see Charger and Challengers here, along with heaps of 300c sales. But I know me, my family and friends would give it a miss because the cost of running it is above what your average Aussie is willing to pay.

      • Blair Waldorf

         Oue small cars are flooded because there’s a market for them, they’re selling well. There isnt a market for a 2 door muscle car. The public wants them, but in reality few actually buy them, they’re admired, not bought. The 300c is a very good car, just not what people are wanting to buy.

        If Fiat was to launch with a full range at decent prices (ie: $1-2k more than competitors) and with very strong marketing that plays up the ‘Italian style’, emotion, heritage and label them as ‘Italian designer or exotica on a budget’ kind of thing, they would sell well, as Aussies are suckers for that kind of marketing.

        • Rick

          True , it’s worked for Volkswagen and also the euro fords

      • Rick

        While I agree that people want Eco cars, not everyone does I for one really don’t care how much fuel a car uses its generally the last thing I look at when purchasing a new car I buy the car that I like based on the way it drives , looks , build , etc and I’ve driven the cars mentioned here and I can tell you now if the srt8 dodge charger , and dodge Durango were on sale here there would be one of each in my shed , later when the kids leave home the challenger would replace the Durango . Let’s not forget that dodge sells better here than both Alfa and fiat . Even with dodge only having 2 cars available

      • tarheal1

        Fiat tried and failed. the 500 does not do well and the Punto and others have gone. Aussies don’t like Fiat

    • pal

       I have to disagree. and i mean it with all due respect. I believe Dodge is currently inline with the Australian market than all there brands if they were available. If the Charger was sold with a price competitively against Commodore and Falcon it will be the top seller of there brands (Fiat/Chrysler) easily beating Grand Cherokee sales. Fuel economy is roughly around 7.59lt/100km highway. It’s competitive in that department. It’s an awesome drive and i thought the Quality was top notch. The Durango would compete against Kluger and Territory and after sampling that it would be my pick. It’s better to drive on the road than Grand Cherokee and has the seven seats that is missed in GC. The Dart, well i would rather drive a US built Dart than the Chinese built Fiat sibling. no reason why Dart wouldn’t sell if were available. Journey has nothing wrong now with it. It will always sell better as a Dodge than a Fiat in Oz. As for the 500 sales in Australia. They only averaging about 44 sales. Last month they sold 41 as apposed to Calibers 104 sales. Most people in Australia see Caliber and Nitro is what Dodge is about but the Truth is they never even sold as well in there homeland as the other vehicles in there line up.

  • Ima_Hogg

    Like sombody above said nobody gives a damn about dodge. I remember an Article in the Daily Telegraph a few years back when sombodys Brand New Dodge from the dealer broke down on the way home and dodge refuesed to give them a new one. Awfull brand. For me they will always be called dodgy.

  • Euro boy

    You would have to have rocks in your head to buy any
    American made cars. Ugly and indifferent finish.

    • Ron Flat

      What, like the right-hand drive Chrysler 300C… Made in AUSTRIA?

    • Ima_Hogg

      Exactly what I think of American cars.

    • tarheal1

      The Subaru Tribeca is made in America and so are the BMW X5s (and Mexico and Russia). BMW X5 is styled in the US (and Tribeca) so that comment is just silly. I think the Journey and Dodges in general are styled very well. The front looks great

  • pixxxels

    I actually like the updated Journey, its pretty handsome and by all accounts a much improved car than before. Unfortunately apart from the Journey, Dodge has exclusively exported shit for the last decade. I’d love to see the new Dart here, or the Charger as an alternative to the sporty variants of the commodore and falcon. The Durango would also make an awesome addition. 

  • Sumpguard

    Dodge who?

       I’ve never been impressed.

  • Janlime

    Just buy Japanese cars already! They are best in quality and better in spare parts’ prices.

    • Pp

      Australia is a unique market…  in the future we will be only able to only support 
      ToyotaSubaruHondaMazdaNissanHyundiaKiaGMH (holden replacement)Ford (US import)BMWMercAudiPorsche (only reason such a niche market can survive like porsche, is because of there very very smart manufacturing ways and car design methods.) the rest will die a slow death (sorry)….. (that includes ford and holden local)

  • Kh

    Well I’m sad to here the about the withdrawal of dodge we have a caliber, yes it’s not the finishing of the euro cars but the price point isn’t close to them either. As for the Chrysler we have a 300c what else do you bye if you don’t want a 4×4 but still want towing power? As for the f250 bring them back !

  • Pp

    there are too many choices out there… and Australia is in the wrong location (in regards to global position) to have so many choices….  25mil people and located right down sth, it just don’t cut it..
    watch this space in 3 to 5 year (local) ford and holden will be a very different product. no aussie built machine here…. (current labour rates and electricity prices are going to put a bigger enough dent in that process)…
    when people were migrating to aus in the 50′s and 60′s it was a prerequisite for everyone to ‘must’ have a premier wagon in the garage.. !!!!  not these days – that is long gone….

    Aussie’s want everything at the lowest price…. sorry but that’s where it is… 
    a little off topic but you know what i mean…. 

  • Ken_sands79

    Fiat will never ever sell in Austraila in large numbers, they will  only appeal to those inner city types who buy Citroens,Peugeots or Renaults which all sell in very small numbers. Also Alfa will never sell in any numbers either.

    If Chrysler imported the right Dodge models and promoted them and their Americanese properly they would be able to sell at leat 5 times what they will ever sell with a Fiat badge on them.

    Mr Manley, Australians hate Fiats!

    Your decision to axe the Dodge brand here is WRONG!
     

    • Dodge for Oz

       Well said Ken!  Keep up the fight :)

  • EWSS

    Fia(t)sco

  • tarheal1

    The Dart would be great.  Esp the rally version. The Journey has been a great car so far!

  • Pttp

    They bring just the dodge journey here and wonder why their not selling Bring the dodge charger over instead!!!! Will sell heaps more then the journey

    • MisterZed

      They don’t bring in the Charger because it’s not made in RHD (right hand drive). The Journey is.