Dodge was founded in 1900 by Horace Elgin and John Francis Dodge as Dodge Brothers Company. In its earlier stage, Dodge supplied parts and assemblies to automakers in Detroit. By 1915, Dodge was manufacturing its own automobile lines. In 1925, Dodge was sold to Dillon, Read & Co. following the untimely death of the Dodge brothers. Dodge was subsequently sold to Chrysler in 1928.
From that time on through the 1970s, Dodge was known to produce trucks and passenger cars. However, the oil crisis of 1973 led Chrysler to produce compact and mid-sized cars through its K platform. The K platform sustained Chrysler through the 1980s. Eventually, Dodge produced one of the most sustainable derivatives of the K platform in the Dodge Caravan.
Dodge spun off its trucks line to the Ram brand. Ram trucks were sold separate of the Dodge cars but Ram President Fred Diaz said Ram will always be Dodge. Dodge pickups and heavy trucks, on the other hand, have earned its own chassis and body designs. Dodge was the first brand to introduce car-like features on trucks and pickups.
Dodge was the first to manufacture purpose built vans. It first introduced the A Series in 1964. However, Dodge recognized that the future would need stronger vans. Dodge introduced then B Series in 1971. The B Series featured two lines: the Sportsman passenger line which offered car-like comfort; and the Tradesman cargo line which featured more room for materials.
Dodge experimented on SUVs in the later part of the 1950s. Dodge manufactured a windowed version of its standard panel-truck. Dodge’s first SUV was the Town Wagon. But Dodge’s Ramcharger was the ultimate model that introduced Dodge to the world of SUVs.