The Dodge Brothers Company was founded in 1900 to provide parts and assemblies for Detroit’s growing auto industry. They began making their own vehicles in 1914. While the cars were popular in Chicago and other cities around the country, the brand was sold to Chrysler Corporation in 1928 when that company was experiencing lots of growth.
With a few reasonably popular models throughout the 60s and 70s, it wasn't until 1984 that Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Dodge Caravan. The Caravan was designed especially for families and paid particular attention to the needs and wants of women. The minivan was built to seat up to seven passengers - more importantly, it was the vehicle that spawned the generic term "minivan." In the early 90s, Dodge impressed a lot of people with the distinctive, V10-powered Dodge Viper roadster. As another main course, they offered up an all-new Dodge Ram pickup.
Success continued through the 1990s. In 1998, Dodge came under the wing of German-based Daimler-Benz as part of the DaimlerChrysler merger. This merger brought an influx of German technology into the Dodge fold, with Mercedes platforms providing the base for several new rear-drive products. Dodge’s Hemi engine revival also raised eyebrows and drew interest to the brand. Dodge's first experienced synergy with the German side of the company with the introduction of the Dodge Magnum sports wagon, which was introduced in 2005. Featuring Chrysler's first mainstream rear-wheel drive platform since the 1980s and prompting a revival of the Hemi V8 engine, the Magnum was a modest success.
Things went well for a while, but Dodge and the rest of Chrysler Group were caught unprepared as rising gas prices hit American consumers and a new drive for environmental awareness developed among the car-buying public. With record losses piling up, Daimler sold the Chrysler Group in 2007.
Most Dodge models, including the Intrepid, Stratus and Neon, were carefully redesigned in the early 2000s as Dodge engineers tried to feel out what the public wanted. The rebirth of the Charger in 2006 was the real winner. The Dodge Charger is offered in a variety of models and has quickly became a top contender in the mid-size market.
Use the drop-down menu below to sort through used Dodge vehicles for sale now in the Chicago area.
