Dodge Caliber 2006 News

The Caliber will be the hero car on the stand for the American brand, which is part of the DaimlerChrysler empire worldwide.In Australia, Dodge will be on the road as a car brand - for the first time since the death of the Phoenix in the 1970s - alongside the Chrysler and Jeep line-ups.The Caliber (above) has high-rider looks but is actually pitched against compact cars including the Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus.It will be on sale in the third quarter of 2006 after its preview at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre."We're letting the cat out of the bag a bit earlier than normal so people can see the Caliber," says the managing director of Chrysler Jeep Australia, Jerry Jenkins."We want to get aggressive - even though it won't be launched until the third quarter of the year."The Caliber at the show is a bright, burnt orange with a petrol engine but Dodge will also include diesel power for local sales and will be pushing the technology in the company.Jenkins believes there is plenty of potential for the Caliber and the vehicles that will follow."We are looking to establish a brand that's young and mobile and a bit alternative. And a bit macho," Jenkins says.There will only be one Dodge at the show, because production of the Caliber does not even begin until April. But Jenkins says there will be plenty of action in coming years."Soon after the Caliber we will have the Dodge Nitro. Towards the end of 2007 there will be a third car and by early 2008 there should be four Dodges sold in Australia," Jenkins reveals."They will have the same bold style and a signature grille you will see on the Caliber. The disposition is very macho, very masculine."That will be both inside and outside, with big wheels and fender flares. We're also striving to have best-in-class engine performance."While Dodge is only just firing, Chrysler is doing well in Australia and the motor show stand will feature the heavyweight 300C and the Crossfire sporties."The next two years are going to be extremely busy for the whole Chrysler Jeep family. If the reaction to the 300C is any indication, it's all going to be extremely positive," Jenkins says.

It is trumpeted as a potential rival for everything from the Subaru Forester to the Volkswagen Golf, with a macho body which could only have come out of America. But the Caliber is more than a car - it also signals the return of the Dodge brand to Australia.It will be part of the Chrysler Jeep family and sales will begin later this year, with the seven-seater Dodge Nitro to follow in 2007.Dodge cars have not been sold in Australia since the 1970s but the head of Chrysler Jeep Australia, Gerry Jenkins, believes it could have a big future. "Dodge is in-your-face, unapologetically macho and unapologetically American," Jenkins says."Dodge also sits nicely alongside Chrysler. There is an appetite for edgy, exciting products that is currently not being filled in Australia."The Caliber is a compact sedan wrapped in a body with four-wheel drive style and is believed to be a much better fit down under than the unsuccessful Neon sedan, which could never match the price or quality of Japanese and Korean cars.It has a classy combination of equipment, including a nine-speaker sound system with a drop-down panel - with twin rear speakers - which flips down out of the rear hatch for outdoor entertainment.Mechanically, it will come with three engine powertrain choices - 1.8 litre petrol manual with 106 kiloWatts, 2-litre petrol with 100 kiloWatts and a constantly-variable transmission, and a 2-litre diesel further into the future.The big question is still to be answered, but Chrysler Jeep is working on a tight price."We haven't locked in the starting price yet but I can tell you it will start in the mid $30,000s," Jenkins says.He believes the Dodge deal will help to drive future growth in the Chrysler Jeep franchise, which lifted its local results by 13 per cent to 7300 vehicles last year.The 2006 group total is 9000, rising to 10,000 and beyond in 2007.