Dodge Caliber moves upscale
As with any model-line evolution, the Dodge
Caliber will be competing for slightly higher end buyers. Actually higher end is a little misleading when the Caliber's
predecessor, the Dodge Neon, went up against some bargain basement competition. Instead, the 2007 Dodge Caliber will
target second-time car buyers instead of the first-timers the Neon was priced to allure. According to Steven Landry,
Dodge vice president of marketing and product planning, the "Caliber is bigger than your typical small car… it has a
lot of standard features you typically wouldn't find on a small car." We can vouch for that after seeing the rather
large Caliber on the stand at Frankfurt. While the new car certainly isn't huge, it definitely eclipses the Neon in
size and content. The Caliber is squarely aimed at the VW Golf in Europe, and we suspect many of the standard features
a buyer would expect from VW will find their way into our U.S. spec Caliber. We wonder if DaimlerChrysler should plan
for a smaller, lower-end vehicle to place at the start of its line-up. Now that the Caliber is all 'grown-up', maybe
Dodge has placed itself out of a potentially hot market, with consumers starting to look at more fuel efficient
transportation.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Adam 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Perhaps the DaimlerChrysler - VW alliance will provide Dodge with a small, thrifty car?
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Joel A 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Huh. Competing against the Corollas, Civics, Cobalts, and (Mazda)3's instead of the xA's, Aveo's and Rio's?
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Paul 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I think you guys meant the Neon was the Caliber's predecessor. I guess someone's gotta play the grammar man.
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Doogs 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Uh...I always assumed that the Caliber would be competing against Corollas, Civics, etc.
Honestly, I think a "tweener" size - a little bigger than a Mazda3 or comparable, but smaller than a mid-size sedan - could be sweet spot.
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Jay 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Doesn't seem like a good idea without another car lower on the totem pole to back it up...Detroit has historically been lacking in entry-level products to get younger first-time-new-car buyers introduced to their products and build brand loyalty. Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota/Scion have had success with their subcompacts, and Toyota, Nissan, and Honda are set to bolster their subcompact lineup even more in the coming couple of years. Pushing the Caliber upscale and abandoning their entry-level base, especially given the current trends to smaller cars, is a bad move for Dodge.
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Jay 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I should say, Detroit has historically been lacking in GOOD entry-level products...
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Mark Weber 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I agree with the need for a "tweener" car. The Focus is closest - very spacious inside. For some reason the next platform iteration, used for Mazda3 and Volvo S40, actually reduced interior dimensions. And the Cobalt was aimed at the tiny VW Jetta (Mk IV) and not the roomier Focus. Let's not forget the '06 Civic, which shrinks on the inside in pursuit of a more sloping (most slope ever!) hood and rear roof life.
I think it's the PC Junior problem - a fear of making a small car that is "too big" and therefore cannibalizes sales of your next-up in the line model; but by crippling your product this way, you doom it.
Hopefully Ford won't throw the Focus in the laundry too and "shrink" it on its first major update (the US and Euro Focus platforms have now diverged).
The question is on the floor is: will the Versa from Nissan effectively replace the "old" Sentra, and will the Sentra be "up-sized" to what the "old" Altima used to be?
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Chris 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
"Actually higher end is a little misleading when the Calibers successor, the Dodge Neon, went up against some bargain basement competition."
Isn't the Neon the Caliber's predecessor?
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Leo 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
"The Caliber is squarely aimed at the VW Golf in Europe"
Dodge does not currently sell cars in Europe, would this be their debut on the market?
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Jay 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
>The question is on the floor is: will the
>Versa from Nissan effectively replace
>the "old" Sentra, and will the Sentra be "up-
>sized" to what the "old" Altima used to be?
I think it's just a natural progression. Just compare a Civic and Accord of today to a Civic and Accord 20 years ago. Competition in these segments are fierce, and with each generation the cars are made a little bigger on the inside, tweaks are made to power and fuel efficiency, better packaging, etc. Because of the progression, it's probably better to let it continue and then just add a new entry-level model behind them to fill the void left as the cars move upscale. Most cars in this segment have so much name recognition...putting a new name on it could create confusion, and downgrading a nameplate while the competitions' nameplates keep upgrading will cause further problems.
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whofan 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Daimler has the Smart car, they could it slip in as an entry level Chrysler product.
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jack 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
i feel that the caliber is aimed at the mazda 3 wagon and the pontiac vibe/toyota matix type of vehicles....i feel chrysler is going into a market that already has this type of vehicle and it is not going to be nearly as revolutionary or successfull as the NEON was...
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2Suave 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Could be a mistake to make entry level Caliber too upscale. That's why the Pacifica was a slow seller at first--overpriced and too loaded with costly standard equipment.
With respect to the Caliber's size, it's no monster if these figures I found Googling the Caliber's specs are correct:
# DOC noted these Caliber to Neon comparisons. It seems that the Caliber is smaller in length.
* Wheelbase: 103.7/105
* Overall length: 173.8/174.4
* Overall width: 68.6/67.4
* Overall height: 60.4/56
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TJ 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Actually, the caliber is built on the mitsubishi lancer platform, and will have available awd.
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Rollie 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
To 2suave@post 11--- The Pacifica did not sell well, and continues to sell poorly because it is the reincarnation of the old AMC Pacer. It's resemblence is scary.
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scooter 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Notice how names like Civic, Corolla, Altima, Accord, and Jetta keep on going rather than rolling out the new model with a different name hoping to erase the public's collective memory? How long will the Focus, Caliber, Cobalt, Stratus and G6 names last? 2 generations, at most, I'd have to guess. It strikes me as cheapening your brand image as if you are admitting "there is no respectable heritage here, forget about the last batch, we got it right *this time*"
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Rollie 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Scooter @ post 14- Yea, you're right. This renameing thing is just a scam to re-introduce an existing model with the hope that the public will think that this is another step up. I remember when Chevrolet had the Delray, Biscane and the Belair. I had a beautiful '58 Belair that was "top of the line". Then along came the Impala, the Delray died, and everything went in lockstep with the Biscane being the bottom. Same thing happened with the introduction of the Caprice. Biscane and Belair died, and everything took a step down. What bull*hit. At least Ford brought back the "500". Where is the Galaxy Billybob Ford? Dodge Polara? Valiant? Coronet? Time may move on, but brand loyalty loves familarity.
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Galley 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Rollie, I see a ton of Pacificas here in Greenville. IF I could drive any care without concern for price or gas mileage, I'd be driving a Pacifica.
With that being said, not having an entry-level compact is stupid! Perhaps this is DaimlerChrysler's plan to finally bring the Smart cars to the U.S.
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Rollie 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Galley- I saw a number of Pacers back in the day too. Owners felt pretty stupid at trade-in time when their son's Schwin had better residual value. There is always someone who will buy absolutly anything. Witness the knothead who paid $5000.00 for a potato shaped like Jesus. Sometimes the majority opinion may not be the same as yours, but that's where to put your money.
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RamSport47 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
#14...in response to your statement that the Pacifica doesn't sell well...I'd say 10,000 to 12,000 a month is a pretty good volume, maybe not up to the boring Camry or Accord, but quite well for a $30,000 + wagon
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