Neon Replacement. Dodge Caliber.

[benyl]

Dodge’s designers were told to think global when penning the Caliber concept for the Geneva show. The sport-themed, five-door hatchback hints strongly at Chrysler’s future plans for a Dodge-branded C-segment vehicle, one of the most popular configurations outside of the U.S. market. The automaker is hoping Caliber’s aggressive appearance will help it stand out from the C-crowd and appeal to car buyers the world over.

Plenty of Dodge DNA is evident in Caliber’s design, most notably the brand’s signature crosshair grille. Wide, sculpted wheel arches, 19-inch wheels and tires and a pronounced hood lend the vehicle a powerful stance. Chrome door handles and body-side moldings accent Caliber's Sunburst Orange exterior.

“With its bold styling and clever packaging, Caliber is pure Dodge,” said Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President—Design, Chrysler Group. “This concept is a new slant on one of the world’s most competitive segments. The Dodge Caliber concept brings emotion to the C-segment sea of sameness and strongly hints at the future direction of Dodge in the global car market.”

Chrysler says Dodge will begin selling vehicles in European volume segments in 2006. Something akin to the Caliber will likely lead the charge.


-AutoWeek.Com

[Kirbs17]

That looks like an alright ride. Id drive it

[method]

its looks kinda cool. dodge is really going after the high-bodyline style now.

[habsfan]

i cant help but find that hideous for a small car. dodge's new huge grilles and bulky bodylines look decent on bigger cars and trucks, but that just looks retarded to me

[BokCh0y]

Originally posted by habsfan
i cant help but find that hideous for a small car. dodge's new huge grilles and bulky bodylines look decent on bigger cars and trucks, but that just looks retarded to me

i have to agree with you on this one. looks like a mini dodge durango chopped and slammed.

[1badPT]

I'm liking this! I wonder if this will feature the new world engines Chrysler developed? I wonder if this will be FWD?

[1badPT]

Looks like a yes to the world engines and FWD/AWD will be the available drivetrains
http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/caliber.html

[benyl]

If they make an SRT-4 version with AWD, I would be all over it.

[iceburns288]

If they would make an RWD version...

I think it's ugly only because it tries to be aggressive, then they held it back a little to appeal to more people. It looks stupid, like the Durango. It looks like a mini SUV too...

[Xtrema]

They take the MB B Class and sell it as a Dodge. And the guys at Dailmer Chrysler is wondering why MB's profit is down 97%?

[finboy]

i don't think that look works for a smaller car

[ZorroAMG]

Originally posted by Xtrema
They take the MB B Class and sell it as a Dodge. And the guys at Dailmer Chrysler is wondering why MB's profit is down 97%?

And I wonder why 167.35% of all internet stats are made up.

[Xtrema]

^Made up? Read any finanical pages lately?

http://money.cnn.com/services/ticker...LINE001009.htm

But quality troubles have hurt Mercedes, the company's crown-jewel and traditional cash cow. Hit by the weak dollar and soaring costs for fixing buggy electronics in thousands of cars made in the last few years, Mercedes in the fourth quarter of 2004 generated a mere 20 million euros in operating profit, down 97%.

As for sharing with B Class, it's just my speculation. But seeing the pic below, both does look very similar.

[ZorroAMG]

LOL, I stand corrected :tongue:

[cycosis]

not diggin it, chrysler/dodge had success with both the 300c and magnum but now they're milking the styling too much. they are definetly gonna fail with the charger and i dont think this c class car will do well either

[hjr]

im just sick of trucks already. like living in alberta isnt bad enough already, dodge is going to build an economy car that is styled after the ram/durango...

[A_3]

I actually don't mind it but i'm going to reserve judgement until I can see it in real life. The proportions don't look too bad in those pictures but in reality it may be . As of now it gets one

[JAYMEZ]

Wow , its not bad at all.

[Seanith]

It definitely looks weird imo. For a small car, its tough to think about how big it will be when it looks like a truck.

[benyl]

Future Products: Chrysler group -- New four-cylinders to power Caliber, other models

Caliber to also feature all-new CVT, all-wheel-drive

Dodge’s upcoming 2007 Caliber, the replacement for the aging Neon, will be powered by DaimlerChrysler’s newly-developed four-cylinder engine family.

On the Caliber, the new engines will be mated to a continuously variable transmission and an electronic all-wheel drive system.

Engine choices for the U.S. market will include: a 1.8-liter rated at 140 hp, a 2.0-liter producing 150 hp and the top-of-the-line 2.4-liter generating 170 hp. A 2.0-liter turbodiesel has also been developed, but it will not initially be available for the U.S. The result of a joint venture between DCX, Hyundai and Mitsubishi, the engines feature dual variable valve timing and are more fuel efficient, the automaker says.

All displacement options will be available for the Caliber and will also power other next-generation DCX vehicles. Turbocharged variants are rumored to be in development.

In addition to the new engines, an all-new continuously variable transmission, dubbed CVT2, will shift the Caliber. The CVT will offer an autostick option which will allow drivers to manually select the six simulated gears. DCX says the new transmission will help improve Caliber’s performance (especially in the 30-60 mph area) and fuel economy over a traditional automatic.

The CVT will transmit the power to an electronic all-wheel drive system. The system drives the front wheels unless it determines the rear wheels need grip. Then the torque output will vary automatically based on traction conditions via an electronically controlled coupling. The system is fully active from 25-65 mph to help ensure optimum handling. --AUTOMOTIVE NEWS CONTRIBUTED