Dodge is about to enter the markets Down Under with its own brand. This time, it’ll work, as the company has defined its brand cleverly enough and incorporated that thinking into its products—with the Caliber and Nitro the first cars to début.
   The differentiation comes from Dodge’s desire to be ‘unapologetically American’—we read that as ‘bold’ when the idea was first discussed by Chrysler VP Joe Eberhardt. Look past the marketing talk and you realize this statement is not equalled by other automakers:

In describing the Dodge brand, Eberhardt outlined how the brand will expand globally as the company intends to reinforce its brand identity with full-of-life, street-smart people with strong self-expressive tendencies who like to drive bold, powerful cars and trucks.

   Which means Dodges will have hairy chests and that trucks will remain an important part of the product mix.
   Plus, there are enough antipodeans weaned on American TV shows to know what a Dodge is—not to mention the heyday of the Charger, Challenger, and even the Coronet and Monaco. The sign of the ram is not unfamiliar, and certain Dodge trucks have been officially sold Down Under, albeit in limited numbers.
   The last Dodge to sell in any numbers, in New Zealand at least, were locally assembled versions of the Commer PB van, by now called the Dodge Spacevan, in the late 1970s—hardly a good use of the Dodge Brothers’ name, jarring with the American image. At least the Dodge pick-up, or ute in antipodean parlance, was based on the Australian Chrysler Valiant, closer to an American concept.
   Dodge’s latest approach is far more convincing than what Chevrolet has been doing in Europe with rebadged Daewoos. Chevrolet, to everyone, is American. GM Arabia positions it as an American brand, even if the products come from Australia and Korea; GM South Africa does the same. GM’s approach ignores the brand’s existing image and its pre-Daewoo European range of trucks—not a smart move when trying to reposition.
   Dodge’s failure in the past to crack these markets had to do with a mix of intellectual property issues and less than inspiring products. Few models were built in right-hand drive.
   They also did not express the values antipodeans held about American cars. While the reality is that Americans buy compacts and intermediates like the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, stereotypes stay for a long time. It’s why the Chrysler 300C has done well: it’s the long-held idea of a butch American vehicle, continuing a tradition of American sedans sold Down Under including the AMC Rebel, Chevrolet Impala and Ford Galaxie 500.
   The Caliber may be an American car in a compact form, but its styling expresses the notion of American trucks and SUVs, also part of the image—thanks in part to television (and in part to Ford, with its Explorer).
   Chrysler’s previous entry with Dodge products, in the pre-Daimler era, saw the Neon and Caravan sold as the Chrysler Neon and Chrysler Voyager. The Neon failed to convince buyers—despite a generous specification, the engine was too large to be a credible Honda Civic rival; and the build quality was not on a par with two-litre Vectras and Mondeos. Other products such as the Intrepid—which probably would have given the full-size Australian cars a run for their money—never made it into right-hand drive.
   Only the Austrian-built Voyagers—closer to the Caravan with its cross grille than the Plymouth Voyager—managed to make any headway, and that was due to a market with few rivals and a continued love affair with the station wagon. The Opel Sintra was never offered Down Under, and the Renault Espace was overpriced.
   Dodge promises it will introduce new product every six months Down Under, which equates to the period in which consumers have been shown to get bored of a product range. In other words, Dodge will ensure there’ll be decent showroom traffic.
   It might not become mainstream overnight—but recall that Lexus started in these parts with only the LS 400. And it had no image to build on. Škoda had its Batman Begins moment with the Favorit. As long as there is a long-term plan, and you’d expect DaimlerChrysler to have one after many uncertain years, then Dodge will become more familiar than the Korean brands. Posted by Jack Yan, 23:52  permalink

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