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Dodge Custom Royal

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1956 - 303 CID Plymouth A Block (Badges on valve covers show "Super Red Ram") 1957 - 313 Plymouth A Block

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110-598: American by Year 1955 - 270 CID 1956 - 315 CID "Polyspheric" (Badges on valve covers show "Super Red Ram") 1956 - Optional D-500 315 CID 1957 - 325 CID "Polyspheric" The Dodge Custom Royal is an automobile which was produced by Dodge in the United States for the 1955 through 1959 model years. In each of these years the Custom Royal was the top trim level of the Dodge line, above the mid level Dodge Royal and

220-527: A Dodge touring car to keep abreast of army columns and control their movements. During an incident in May, the 6th Infantry reported a sighting of Julio Cárdenas , one of Villa's most trusted subordinates. Lt. George S. Patton led ten soldiers and two civilian guides in three Dodge Model 30 touring cars to conduct America's first motorized military raid at a ranch house in San Miguelito, Sonora . During

330-516: A four-door sedan . Rebadged models, mostly from Japanese or Korean manufacturers – Rebadged Chrysler/Plymouth models for external markets Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis North America , based in Auburn Hills , Michigan . Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars , and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plymouth . Founded as

440-547: A head in 1979 when Chrysler's new chairman, Lee Iacocca , requested and received federal loan guarantees from the United States Congress to save the company from having to file for bankruptcy. With a Federal Loan in hand, Chrysler quickly set to work on new models that would leave the past behind, while reorganizing to pay the government loan which stood at 29%. The Dodge Mirada was a mid-sized , rear-wheel drive coupe manufactured and marketed by Dodge from

550-645: A long history of licensing manufacture of its products in other countries. Fiat Automobiles has received many international awards for its vehicles, including nine European Car of the Year awards, the most of any other manufacturer, and it ranked many times as the lowest level of CO 2 emissions by vehicles sold in Europe. On 11 July 1899, Giovanni Agnelli was part of the group of founding members of FIAT, Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino . The first Fiat plant opened in 1900 with 35 staff making 24 cars. Known from

660-534: A loss of $ 14,000. In 2016, after Tesla had announced the Model 3 and had a high number of reservations for the electric car, Marchionne questioned whether Tesla could produce the cars and be profitable. He then stated that "if Tesla CEO Elon Musk can demonstrate that the car will be profitable at that price, I will copy the formula, add the Italian design flair, and get it to the market within 12 months." In 1971,

770-410: A lower-cost alternative to DeSoto. For 1930, Dodge took another step up by adding a new eight-cylinder line to replace the existing Senior six-cylinder. This basic format of a dual line with Six and Eight models continued through 1933, and the cars were gradually streamlined and lengthened in step with prevailing trends of the day. The Dodge Eight was replaced by a larger Dodge DeLuxe Six for 1934, which

880-637: A new plant was built in Poughkeepsie , NY , by the newly founded American F.I.A.T. Automobile Company. Owning a Fiat at that time was a sign of distinction. The cost of a Fiat in the US was initially $ 4,000 and rose to $ 6,400 in 1918, compared to $ 825 and $ 525 for a Ford Model T in 1908 and 1918 respectively. During World War I , Fiat had to devote all of its factories to supplying the Allies with aircraft, engines, machine guns, trucks, and ambulances. Upon

990-632: A new specific company agreement in the automotive sector, starting from the Pomigliano production plant. Fiat built their five-story Lingotto plant between 1915 and 1918, at which time it was Europe's largest car manufacturing plant. Later the Mirafiori plant was built, also in Turin . To prepare for the production of the all-new Fiat 128 , Fiat opened their Rivalta plant in October 1968. Until

1100-548: A period when Chrysler was in deep financial difficulty. The first fruit of Chrysler's crash development program was the " K-Car ", the Dodge version of which was the Dodge Aries . This basic and durable front-wheel drive platform spawned a whole range of new models at Dodge during the 1980s, including the groundbreaking Dodge Caravan . Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich developed their idea for this type of vehicle during their tenure at Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford II rejected

1210-540: A range of models focused on those two segments (accounting for the 84% of its sales in 2011). Fiat does not currently offer any large family cars, nor executive cars: these market segments are to some extent covered by the Lancia , Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands, which Fiat also owns. Fiat's share of the European market shrank from 9.4 percent in 2000 to 5.8 percent in the summer of 2004. At this point Sergio Marchionne

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1320-467: A refreshing for 1942. However, just after the 1942 models were introduced, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor forced the shutdown of Dodge's passenger car assembly lines in favor of war production in February 1942. 1941 saw the introduction of Fluid Drive for Dodge cars, which eliminated stalling or bucking if the clutch was released too quickly. This feature put a fluid coupling in between the engine and

1430-521: A sales leader and a winner on the NASCAR circuit. This style dominated the racetracks for four years and the aerodynamic improvements changed the face of NASCAR racing. Full-size models evolved gradually during this time. After Dodge dealers complained about not having a true full-size car in the fall of 1961, the Custom 880 was hurried into production. The Custom 880 used the 1962 Chrysler Newport body with

1540-541: A second contract from Oldsmobile in 1903, to retool their plant to manufacture engines for the Ford Motor Company , which would be in debt to the brothers. The first machine shop where the brothers worked as parts suppliers for Olds and Ford was located at the Boydell Building on Beaubien Street at Lafayette. This location was replaced by a larger facility at Hastings Street and Monroe Avenue, which

1650-424: A single series of six-cylinder models with two trim levels (basic Deluxe or plusher Custom). From 1949 until 1954, Fluid Drive could be combined with "Gyro-Matic," a semi-automatic transmission that reduced (but did not eliminate) the need to shift gears. Styling was not initially Dodge's strong point during this period, but began to change by 1953 under the direction of corporate design chief Virgil Exner . However,

1760-600: A slightly more upscale competitor to the ubiquitous Ford Model T , it pioneered or made standard many features later taken for granted, such as all-steel bodies. The vast majority of cars worldwide still used wood-framing under steel panels, Other innovations were 12-volt electrical systems (6-volt systems would remain the norm until the 1950s), 35 horsepower engines versus the Model T's 20 horsepower, and sliding-gear transmission (the best-selling Model T retained an antiquated planetary design until its demise in 1927). John Dodge

1870-506: Is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles , and since 2021 a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division Stellantis Europe . Fiat Automobiles was formed in January 2007 when Fiat S.p.A. reorganized its automobile business, and traces its history back to 1899, when the first Fiat automobile, the Fiat 4 HP , was produced. Fiat Automobiles is

1980-600: Is now a parking garage for the Hollywood Casino (Hastings Street at this location has been renamed Chrysler Service Drive). By 1910 the Dodge Main factory was built in Hamtramck, where it remained until 1979. The Dodge Brothers Motor Company was established in 1913 and by 1914, John and Horace designed and introduced the first car of their own – the four-cylinder Dodge Model 30-35 touring car. Marketed as

2090-660: The Chrysler Group was renamed FCA US LLC , coinciding with the merger of Fiat S.p.A. . The Chrysler Group was integrated into the corporate structure of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles . Subsequently, another merger occurred on January 16, 2021, between FCA and the PSA Group to form Stellantis , making the Dutch-domiciled automaker the second largest in Europe , after Volkswagen . Horace and John Dodge founded

2200-587: The Chrysler K platform . The Caravan not only helped save Chrysler as a serious high-volume American automaker, but also spawned an entirely new market segment that supplanted the role of the station wagon: the minivan . By 1981, Chrysler was switching to smaller front-wheel drive designs. However, its older and larger rear-wheel drive Dodge Diplomat (as well as the Chrysler LeBaron and Fifth Avenue) continued to sell. Diplomats built from mid-1988 until

2310-532: The Dodge Brothers Company in Detroit in 1900, and quickly found work manufacturing precision engine and chassis components for the city's growing number of automobile firms. Chief among them were the established Olds Motor Vehicle Company and the new Ford Motor Company . Henry Ford selected the Dodge brothers to supply a wide range of components for his original Model A (1903–04) comprising

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2420-600: The Dodge Brothers Company machine shop by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in the early 1900s, Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies to Detroit -based automakers like Ford . They began building complete automobiles under the "Dodge Brothers" brand in 1914, predating the founding of the Chrysler Corporation. The factory located in Hamtramck, Michigan

2530-597: The Dodge Factory and dealership network to better compete in the low-priced car field against Ford and Chevrolet, and in one year Dodge progressed from thirteenth place in sales to seventh place by 1928. On January 2, 1929, Chrysler announced that the Graham Badge was dropped, and Chrysler was now building Dodge Brothers trucks. To fit better the Chrysler Corporation lineup, alongside low-priced Plymouth and medium-priced DeSoto , Dodge's lineup for early 1930

2640-571: The Fiat 124 Sport Spider was prepared for the World Rally Championship when Abarth became involved with its production and development and from 1972 had relative success with two wins in 1972, one in 1973, and won 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 1974 Portuguese TAP Rally. The Fiat 131 Abarth was a very successful rally car replacing the 124. Between 1976 and 1981 the Fiat 131 won 18 World Rally Championship events, resulting in winning

2750-636: The Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 . Fiat-brand cars are built in several locations around the world. Outside Italy, the largest country of production is Brazil, where the Fiat brand was the market leader for many years. The group also has factories in Argentina, Poland and Mexico (where Fiat-brand vehicles are manufactured at plants owned and operated by Stellantis North America for export to the United States, Brazil, Italy and other markets) and

2860-629: The Graham-Paige company to build a new line of Graham passenger cars. Despite this, Dodge Brothers' sales had dropped to thirteenth place in the industry by 1927 selling the Dodge Fast Four , and Dillon, Read began looking for someone to buy the company. Dodge was sold to the new Chrysler Corporation in 1928 in a stock transfer instead of cash for $ 170 million ($ 3,016,511,628 in 2023 dollars ) who had attempted to purchase Dodge two years earlier. Chrysler successfully purchased Dodge to gain

2970-708: The Phylla concept, and the Fiat Bugster concept in Brazil. Fiat joined utility companies Cemig and Itaipu to develop new electric vehicles for Brazil, with production in 2009 of the Palio Weekend Electric. Fiat launched the electric 500e , a compliance car , in California in 2013, but no sales were planned for Europe. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne claimed in 2014 that each one was sold at

3080-578: The St. Regis for 1979 following a one-year absence from the big car market. In a reversal of what happened in 1965, the St. Regis was an upsized Coronet. During the following model year (1978), the mid-size Dodge Monaco (which would include its entire Plymouth Fury counterpart lineup as well) would make its final appearance (for all during the remainder of the 1970s). While the Aspen got accolades for styling and handling,

3190-526: The effects of the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis on the United States resulting in the Chrysler Chapter 11 reorganization and ultimately being acquired by Fiat . In 2011, Dodge and its sub-brands, Dodge Ram and Dodge Viper , were separated. Dodge announced that the Viper was to be an SRT product, and Ram a standalone marque. In 2014, SRT was merged back into Dodge. Later that year,

3300-580: The "race-ready" Hemi V8 . To offer a wider range of cars during the 1970s, Dodge partnered with Mitsubishi Motors to marketed their subcompact as the Colt positioned to compete with the AMC Gremlin , Chevrolet Vega , and Ford Pinto . Chrysler would come to rely heavily on their relationship with Mitsubishi. At the same time, Dodge marketed a version of the Plymouth Duster, badge-engineered as

3410-473: The 128 entered production, the plant was used to build sports versions of the 850 and 124 as well as parts for the Fiat Dino . Fiat's 2018 range of passenger car engines comprised eleven units, eight petrols and three diesels. Their current range of models is the following: Fiat sales in 2011 were up to 676,704 (less 17.3% versus the previous year): Light commercial vehicles are sold in Europe under

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3520-665: The 1950s, selling the original 500, Fiat 600 Multipla , Fiat 1100 , Fiat 1200 , and the Fiat 1300 from 1961. Models produced from the 1960s onward include the Fiat 124 Sport Spider and the Fiat X1/9 - these two sporting cars remained rather successful in the United States market, which took nearly sixty percent of the total production in 1980. Fiat gained a reputation for selling poor quality cars in North America, mostly over rust and poor reliability. The last new Fiat model to be introduced in North America during this era

3630-511: The 1961 Dodge front end and interior. The 880 continued into 1965, the year a completely new full-size body was put into production, the Polara entered the medium price class and the Monaco was added as the top series. The Polara and Monaco were changed mostly in appearance for the next ten years or so. Unique " fuselage " styling was employed from 1969 through 1973 and then was toned down again for

3740-439: The 1970s, and it also built compact cars such as the 1963 through 1976 Dart and midsize as well as such as the "B-Body" Coronet and Charger from 1965 until 1978. The 1973 oil embargo caused American " gas guzzler " sales to slump, prompting Chrysler to develop the Dodge Aries K platform compact and midsize cars for the 1981 model year. The K platform and its derivatives are credited with reviving Chrysler's business in

3850-585: The 1974 through 1977 models. Dodge targeted the muscle car market of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Along with the Charger, models like the Coronet R/T and Super Bee were available for buyers seeking performance. Dodge entered the pony car market segment with the Challenger coupe and convertible for the 1970 model year. They were available with economy I6 engines and numerous trims and options up to

3960-540: The 1980 through 1983 model years, sharing the Chrysler J platform along with its badge engineered variants, the second generation Chrysler Cordoba and the Imperial . Production of the Mirada reached just under 53,000 units, staying relatively unchanged over four years of production, except for paint colors and engines. The Mirada was marketed as a sporty personal luxury car with limited advertising and marketing during

4070-545: The 1980s. One example was the Dodge Caravan . During the 1990s the Dodge Stratus found many buyers along with the larger Dodge Intrepid . The Dodge brand continued through multiple ownership changes of Chrysler Corporation from 1998 until 2009. These included its merger with Daimler-Benz AG between 1998 and 2007. Chrysler was subsequently sold by Daimler-Benz to Cerberus Capital Management . It went through

4180-774: The 1989 model year. Although sales were strong, Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca held a low opinion of the M-body line as a relic of the pre-K car era and declined to invest any money in them. Dodge would not market another truly full-size car (at least based upon United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passenger volume statistics) until the Monaco debuted as a 1990 model. Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. ( UK : / ˈ f iː ə t , - æ t / FEE -ət, -⁠at , US : /- ɑː t / -⁠aht , Italian: [ˈfiːat] ; originally FIAT , Italian : Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino ; lit.   ' Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin ' )

4290-521: The 500 in both coupe and convertible body styles, and the Panda. Fiat was present in the Indian market from 1948 until 2019. They were last operating in a joint venture with Tata Motors before going solo in 2012. The Fiat 500 ( Italian : cinquecento , Italian pronunciation: [ˌtʃiŋkweˈtʃɛnto] ) is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of

4400-476: The Aspen's rush to market when they saw their cars experience severe body rust within a couple of years on the road; engine and drive train problems plagued the Aspen/Volare twins, and although the problems were largely worked out within a few years, the final Aspens were the 1980 models. This car was available with either a 225 cubic-inch Slant Six or a small block V8 displacing 318 or 360 cubic inches. 1976

4510-652: The British and the Commonwealth militaries, over three-quarters of which were 3-ton trucks to be used in the CMP role . Dodge readily built upon the reputation of the WC-series for itself, by carrying it over into civilian models after the war, beginning with the successful Power Wagon , introduced with minimal modification almost immediately after the war, in 1945, for the 1946 model year. Civilian production at Dodge

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4620-594: The Chevrolet Corvette and Pontiac Trans Am, and found its top speed of 121.6 mph (195.7 km/h) to be second to the Corvette's 124.5 mph (200.4 km/h). Dodge's replacement for the Dart was the Aspen, introduced in mid-1975 as a 1976 model. This new design featured lighter weight resulting in slightly improved fuel economy; it also had more interior and trunk room than the Dart. Front suspension

4730-675: The Dart to do battle against Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth. The result was that Dodge sales in the middle price class collapsed. Special and regional models were sold as well, including the LaFemme (a white and orchid-trimmed hardtop marketed toward women) and the Texan, a gold-accented Dodge sold in the Lone Star State. 1957 saw the introduction of a new automatic transmission, three-speed TorqueFlite. Both PowerFlite and TorqueFlite were controlled by mechanical push-buttons until 1965. 1956 saw

4840-672: The Dodge Demon . It was inexpensive, but with I6 and V8 engines, the Demon could not achieve the fuel economy of the four-cylinder Colt. The Demon sold in much fewer numbers than the Duster. The 1973 oil crisis caused significant changes at Dodge, as well as Chrysler as a whole. Except for the Colt and Slant Six models of the Dart, Dodge's lineup was viewed as uneconomical. Although this problem affected American automakers, Chrysler did not have

4950-550: The Dodge Brothers vehicles won acclaim for their durability in military service. First with the U.S. Army's Pancho Villa Expedition , during the 1910s U.S. Mexico Border War —the U.S. military's first operation to use truck convoys. General "Blackjack" Pershing procured a fleet of 150 to 250 Dodge Brothers vehicles for the Mexico campaign. Touring cars were used as staff and reconnaissance vehicles. Pershing himself used

5060-574: The Dodges filed a suit to protect their annual dividends of approximately one million dollars, leading Ford to buy out his shareholders. The Dodges were paid some US$ 25 million.($ 700,000,000 in 2023 dollars ) They had already earned $ 9,871,500 ($ 276,402,000 in 2023 dollars ) in dividends making a total return of $ 34,871,500 ($ 976,402,000 in 2023 dollars ) on their original $ 10,000 ($ 280,000 in 2023 dollars ) investment. The Ford contract set them up for life, but they never got to spend it. Also in 1916,

5170-571: The Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa . Redesigned in 2007, it is currently distributed worldwide. The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat. The current version is the third one distributed as from 2012. The European Car of the Year award has been awarded twelve times to the Fiat Group over the last forty years, more than any other manufacturer. Nine of these awards were won by Fiat Automobiles models. Fiat models awarded

5280-559: The Fiat 500 in 2019 while sales of leftover dealer stock continued into 2020. FIAT also discontinued the 124 spider and 500L models in 2020. FIAT announced a new car will be released; a plug-in 500e to launch in 2024. Fiat passenger cars began assembly in South Africa in 1950, and full production in their Rosslyn plant commenced in 1966. Sales reached a peak market share of about five percent around 1970 but then dropped precipitously. A new 128 -based half-ton pickup truck helped turn

5390-462: The Fiat brand, European Fiat Professional light commercial vehicles as: Models that have already been sold in Brazil: In 1908, the Fiat Automobile Co. was established in the United States with a factory in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. , began producing Fiats a year later, like the Fiat 60 HP and the Fiat 16-20 HP . These were luxury cars. The New Jersey factory was closed after the U.S. entered World War I in 1917. Fiat returned to North America in

5500-499: The Italian car market. In 1928, with the 509 , Fiat included insurance in the purchase price. Fiat made military machinery and vehicles during World War II for the Army and Regia Aeronautica and later for the Germans. Fiat made fighter aircraft like the biplane CR.42 Falco , which was one of the most common Italian aircraft, along with Savoia-Marchettis , as well as light tanks (obsolete compared to their German and Soviet counterparts) and armored vehicles. The best Fiat aircraft

5610-497: The Plymouth Satellite Sebring. The Charger SE (Special Edition) was the only model offered. It came with a wide variety engines from the 318 cu in (5.2 L) "LA" series small block V8 to three versions of 400 cu in (6.6 L) big block V8. The standard engine was the 360 cu in (5.9 L) 2-bbl small block, along with the code E58 4-bbl and dual exhaust high-performance version (225 hp) available as an option. Sales in 1975 amounted to 30,812. 1976

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5720-416: The Plymouth. For 1954, sales dropped, and the stubby styling did not go over well with the public. 1954 also saw the introduction of the fully automatic PowerFlite transmission. Chrysler borrowed $ 250 million ($ 2,518,310,099.13 in 2021 Dollars) from Prudential in 1954 to finance expansion, acquisition, and updating the outdated styling of their car lines that contributed to Chrysler's failure to benefit from

5830-465: The UK from June 1983) being the company's best-seller in the UK, and its share fell sharply in the early 1990s before the arrival of the Punto in March 1994 rejuvenated the company's UK fortunes. The second-generation Punto was a strong seller in the UK after its October 1999 launch, but the new modern-day Fiat 500 (launched there in January 2008) has accounted for most of the company's UK sales in more recent years. The original Fiat 500 had been one of

5940-405: The United States military's primary supplier of light-wheeled vehicles until the U.S. joined the Second World War . Dodge Brothers cars continued to rank second place in American sales in 1920. However, the same year John Dodge died of pneumonia in January. His brother Horace then died of cirrhosis in December of the same year (reportedly still grieved over the loss of his brother, to whom he

6050-400: The WRC Drivers Championship two times: in 1978 , and in 1980 , and winning the WRC Constructors Championship three times: in 1977 , 1978 , and in 1980 . Lancia took over the role of motorsport for the Fiat Group during the 1980s. After a long break of factory-supported entries, in 2003 a Fiat Punto S1600 won the Italian Rally Championship, and in 2006 the Fiat Grande Punto S2000 won

6160-424: The addition of a special family which derives from a common platform (called "Project 178"): Palio , Siena , Palio Weekend and Strada . Recently a range of new models developed in Brazil has been launched: Pulse , Fiorino , Toro , Argo , and Mobi . Other European models are currently imported to Brazil: 500e , imported from Italy , and Cronos , imported from Argentina . Fiat sells in Brazil under

6270-417: The base level Dodge Coronet . 2-Door Hardtop, 4-Door Hardtop and Convertible models were marketed under the name "Dodge Custom Royal Lancer". A La Femme option was available on 1955 and 1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer models. The Custom Royal was assembled by Chrysler Australia at its Mile End plant in South Australia from early 1958 utilizing CKD kits imported from Detroit . It was offered only as

6380-452: The beginning for the talent and creativity of its engineering staff, by 1903 Fiat made a small profit and produced 135 cars; this grew to 1,149 cars by 1906. The company then went public selling shares via the Milan stock exchange . Agnelli led the company until his death in 1945, while Vittorio Valletta administered the firm's daily activities. Its first car, the 3 ½ CV (of which only 24 copies were built, all bodied by Alessio of Turin)

6490-424: The beginning of 2012, Fiat was only importing Fiat Bravo and Fiat 500 model. However, in 2012 Fiat and GAC opened a joint venture plant to produce the first Fiat vehicle specifically developed for the Chinese market ever: the Fiat Viaggio , a compact car derived from another Fiat model, the Dodge Dart (in turn derived from another Fiat car, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta ). Fiat currently offers Japanese consumers

6600-402: The brand Fiat Professional . Fiat was already exporting cars to the UK market by the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Its market share increased rapidly during the 1970s, with the 127 supermini and 128 range of small family cars being the biggest sellers, selling largely on practicality and efficiency. Fiat's market share increased further during the 1980s with the Fiat Uno (imported to

6710-420: The build quality was problematic, sullying the car's reputation at a time when sales were desperately needed. It was noted for having problems with its carburetors which resulted in frequent stalling. The Aspen also had difficulties in starting, even after leaving the engine off for several minutes. This resulted in several recalls. The Dodge Magnum was introduced for 1978 to supplement the Dodge Charger . It

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6820-469: The car, save for superficial things like trim levels and colors, remained minimal until 1927, when the new Senior six-cylinder line was introduced. The four-cylinder line was renamed the Fast Four line until it was dropped in favor of two lighter six-cylinder models (the Standard Six and Victory Six) for 1928. On October 1, 1925, Dodge Brothers, Inc., acquired a 51% interest in Graham Brothers , Inc., for $ 13 million ($ 225,859,583 in 2023 dollars ) and

6930-425: The cars contributed to Chrysler's financial woes at the time, but when the company requested federal assistance, the Omni was an important piece of evidence that they were attempting to compete with imports and build small, fuel-efficient cars and might be worth saving. For the three years leading up to the introduction of Chrysler's K-cars , the Omni/Horizon was Chrysler's best-selling model line. Everything came to

7040-427: The clutch, although the driver still had to shift gears manually. Chrysler was prolific in its production of war materiel , especially from 1942 until 1945. Dodge in particular was well known to both average citizens and thankful soldiers for their tough military-spec light trucks and WC54 ambulances. Dodge America – on paper under the Fargo Trucks name (in U.S. government contracts) – built over 400,000 trucks for

7150-414: The company. However, the Italian Socialist Party and its ally organization, the Italian General Confederation of Labour , in an effort to effect a compromise with the centrist parties ordered the occupation ended. In 1922, Fiat began to build the famous Lingotto car factory—then the largest in Europe—which opened in 1923. It was the first Fiat factory to use assembly lines; by 1925, Fiat controlled 87% of

7260-401: The construction of a truck and bus plant at Tripoli . Chairman Agnelli candidly described the deal as "a classic petro-money recycling operation which will strengthen the Italian reserves, provide Fiat with fresh capital and give the group greater tranquility in which to carry out its investment programmes". On 29 January 2014, it was announced that Fiat S.p.A. (the former owner of Fiat Group)

7370-450: The deluxe Coronet series, introduced for 1949, offered extra luxury as the top-of-the-line. The Coronet Diplomat, Dodge's first pillarless hardtop coupe, was new for 1950, at least one year before Ford, Plymouth, and other popular car makes offered it. At the same time, Dodge also introduced its first V8 engine – the Red Ram Hemi, a smaller version of the original design of the famed Chrysler Hemi . The new 1953 bodies were smaller and based on

7480-410: The division's top sellers for many years. Chrysler made an ill-advised move to downsize the Dodge and Plymouth full-size lines for 1962, which resulted in a loss of sales. However, they turned this around in 1965 by turning those former full-sizes into "new" mid-size models; Dodge revived the Coronet nameplate in this way and later added a sporty fastback version called the Charger that became both

7590-400: The end of production were among the first Chrysler-built products to have a driver's side airbag as standard equipment, some two model years before the remainder of Chrysler's lineup (they were also among the only cars at the time to offer a tilt steering column with an airbag). As the 1980s progressed, fewer private customers purchased the Diplomat, and the M-body was eventually dropped during

7700-483: The ensuing firefight, the party killed three men, with one identified as Cárdenas. Patton's men tied the bodies to the hoods of the Dodges, returning to headquarters in Dublán and an excited reception from US newspapermen. Subsequently, some 12,800 Dodge cars and light trucks were used in World War I —over 8,000 touring cars, as well as 2,600 commercial vehicles, such as screen-side trucks and panel vans—serving primarily as ambulances and repair trucks. Dodge remained

7810-400: The entire chassis: Ford needed to add only the body and wheels to finish the cars. Henry offered the Dodge brothers a 10% share in his new company in return for $ 10,000 worth of goods ($ 366,240 in 2023 dollars ). In 1902, the brothers won a contract to produce transmissions for Ransom E. Olds ' company, Oldsmobile upon which they built a solid reputation for quality and service. They rejected

7920-505: The entry of the US into the war in 1917, the factory was shut down as US regulations became too burdensome (the site was eventually sold to Western Publishing ). After the war, Fiat introduced its first tractor, the 702. By the early 1920s, Fiat had a market share in Italy of 80%. In 1921, workers seized Fiat's plants and hoisted the red flag of communism over them. Agnelli responded by quitting

8030-659: The few direct competitors for the iconic Mini during its 1960s heyday. Fiat has long invested in South America, mainly in Brazil (where Fiat has been the market leader for many years) and in Argentina . They built their first Brazilian car plant in the Greater Belo Horizonte city of Betim in 1973, after initially assembling tractors there. The Brazilian range is similar to the European one, with

8140-458: The highest number, 1.4 million cars, in that country. As of 2002, Fiat built more than 1 million vehicles at six plants in Italy and the country accounted for more than a third of the company's revenue. Towards the end of 1976, it was announced that the Libyan government was to take a shareholding in the company in return for a capital injection. Other aspects of the Libyan agreement included

8250-787: The idea (and a prototype) of a minivan in 1974. Iacocca followed Sperlich to Chrysler, and together they created what was internally designated the T-115 minivan – a prototype that was to become the Caravan and Voyager, known in initial marketing as the Magic-wagons. Chrysler introduced the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager in November 1983 for the 1984 model year, using the Chrysler S platform , an extended derivative of

8360-487: The introduction of the 4-door pillarless hardtop (the same year most other makes offered this body style) in all three Dodge series, Custom Royal, Royal, and Coronet. Dodge's pillarless models were all badged "Lancer." Dodge entered the compact car field for the 1961 model year with the Lancer , a variation on Plymouth's Valiant . It was not initially successful but the successor, the 1963 Dart range would prove to be one of

8470-401: The largest automobile manufacturer in Italy. During its more than century-long history, it remained the largest automobile manufacturer in Europe and the third in the world after General Motors and Ford for over 20 years, until the car industry crisis in the late 1980s. In 2013, Fiat S.p.A. was the second-largest European automaker by volumes produced and the seventh in the world , while FCA

8580-444: The new Dodge Brothers firm, and along with the sale of bonds was able to raise $ 160 million ($ 2,779,810,247 in 2023 dollars ), reaping a $ 14 million (net) profit ($ 243,233,397 in 2023 dollars ). All voting stock was retained by Dillon, Read. Frederick Haynes remained as company head until E.G. Wilmer was named board chairman in November 1926. Wilmer was a banker with no auto experience and Haynes remained as president. Changes to

8690-760: The next model year (1977), the mid-size Dodge Coronet would be renamed Monaco , which would be given stacked rectangular headlights and other minor cosmetic changes, that would provide a prompt sales boost. The Coronet and Charger were effectively replaced by the Diplomat for 1977, which was a fancier Aspen. Also, during that same model year, the full-size Dodge Monaco would be renamed Dodge Royal Monaco, which would appear for just one model year only and after that, both Dodge and Plymouth (which would include Dodge Royal Monaco's entire Plymouth Gran Fury counterpart line up as well) would discontinue all production of any more full-size models. It lost sales every year until replaced by

8800-539: The number of models imported from Japanese partner Mitsubishi starting in 1971: first was a smaller Colt (based on Mitsubishi's Galant line), then a revival of the Challenger ( Dodge Challenger ) in 1976 as a compact two-door hardtop with a four-cylinder engine. The 1975 model year had the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba share the same new body based on the B platform . The Chrysler Cordoba had replaced

8910-404: The postwar boom as GM and Ford were. Exner led the development of the new corporate " Forward Look " styling of 1955, beginning a new era for Dodge. With steadily upgraded styling and ever-stronger engines every year through 1960, Dodge found a ready market for its products as America discovered the joys of freeway travel. This situation improved when Dodge introduced a new line of Dodges called

9020-597: The previous years had clear lenses with amber-colored bulbs. The Dart Sport 360 was dropped as a separate model in 1976, but the 360 cu in (5.9 L) four-barrel, dual exhaust (without catalytic converters) V8 was a $ 376 option (except in California) for the $ 3,370 Dart Sport V8 models with automatic transmission. Car & Driver magazine tested the Dart Sport 360 in the April 1976 issue, pitting it against

9130-495: The remaining 49% on May 1, 1926. Haynes purchased all of Graham's truck production, and in 1926, the Graham branch took charge of all of Dodge's truck manufacturing. Briefly – until the purchase by Chrysler – all trucks were Graham badged. A total of 60,000 trucks were built in 1927. The three Graham brothers, Robert, Joseph and Ray, assumed management positions in Dodge Brothers before departing early in 1927. The brothers established

9240-425: The resources to respond to the changes in the marketplace. While General Motors and Ford began downsizing their largest cars, Chrysler (and Dodge) were slow to make change. Chrysler was able to use some of its other resources. Borrowing the recently introduced Chrysler Horizon from their European division , Dodge was able to get its new Omni subcompact on the market fairly quickly. At the same time, they increased

9350-627: The return of the Fiat brand to North America after a 25-year absence. The first Fiat-branded model to appear was the internationally popular Fiat 500 city car. The Fiat 500 model is built at Chrysler's assembly plant in Toluca, Mexico, which currently makes also the Dodge Journey and Fiat Freemont crossovers. Fiat is also selling their commercial vehicles Fiat Ducato and Fiat Doblò in North America, rebranded as Ram ProMaster and Ram ProMaster City respectively. FIAT discontinued production of

9460-666: The situation around. It also assembled in Egypt through El-Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company which assembled FIAT brands 125-127-128. On 13 October 2022, Fiat Brand and the Algerian government signed a framework agreement aimed at local production of vehicles and the development of the automotive sector in Algeria. Fiat's presence in the Chinese market is limited compared to its European, Japanese, Korean, and American rivals. At

9570-416: The so-called "Wind Stream" look for 1935. This was a mild form of streamlining , which saw sales jump remarkably over the previous year (even though Dodge as a whole still dropped to fifth place for the year after two years of holding down fourth). Dodge did not share the radical Airflow styling that was the cause of depressed sales of Chryslers and DeSotos from 1934 until 1937, as a passenger sedan, but it

9680-503: The third-best-selling automaker to seventh place in the U.S. market. Dodge Brothers expanded its truck line and became a leading builder of light trucks. After expanding production capacity, Haynes signed a contract in 1921 for Dodge's large dealer network to exclusively market trucks with bodies built by Graham Brothers of Evansville, Indiana. The Graham truck line from then on used only Dodge-built chassis, from 1-ton to 3-ton capacity, and Dodge kept making light-duty trucks. Development

9790-500: The title: Fiat Automobiles, one of Europe's 10 best-selling automotive brands, has for the second year running been confirmed as having the lowest average value for CO 2 emissions from vehicles sold in 2008: 133.7 g/km (137.3 g/km in 2007). This was corroborated by JATO , a provider of automotive data. Fiat started the development of electric vehicles back in the mid-1970s, with the Fiat X1/23 concept. In 2008, Fiat showed

9900-500: The war, in its nearly new (1938) Warren truck plant at Mound Road, near Detroit, Michigan. Starting with the quickly converted VC and VF-series of 1940, Dodge built mostly light 4x4, but also light-medium 6x6 WC-series trucks , that evolved out of the VC-series. Smaller numbers of other models were built for China and Russia under Lend-Lease . Additionally, Chrysler Canada was enlisted to crank out another 180,000 Dodge trucks for

10010-405: Was a new design; it featured transverse-mounted torsion bars which not only improved ride, but cornering as well. Its boxy styling gave the impression of a larger car. However, sales had to be shared with the virtually identical Plymouth Volare. Both cars were available in coupe, sedan, and station wagon body styles, and in both base and deluxe trim. Despite its virtues, customers soon found out about

10120-456: Was appointed as Fiat's chief executive. By March 2009 their market share had expanded to 9.1 percent. Marchionne introduced an informal climate and reduced the links in the chain of command from nine to five. He unilaterally decided to leave the Fiat group from Confindustria and Federmeccanica , and to cancel the national collective labor agreement in the engineering sector by starting separate negotiations with some trade union organizations for

10230-468: Was based on a design purchased from Ceirano GB & C and had a 697 cc (42.5 cu in) boxer twin engine. In 1903, Fiat produced its first truck. In 1908, the first Fiat was exported to the US. That same year, the first Fiat aircraft engine was produced. Also around the same time, Fiat taxis became popular in Europe. By 1910, Fiat was the largest automotive company in Italy . That same year,

10340-463: Was dropped for 1935. A long- wheelbase edition of the remaining Six was added for 1936 and would remain a part of the lineup for many years. To enhance production, in 1932 Chrysler built a factory in Los Angeles, California where Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, and Plymouth vehicles were built until the factory closed in 1971. The Dodge line, along with most of the corporation's output, was restyled in

10450-629: Was nearly 3,900 lb (1,800 kg). The Omni and Horizon were introduced at a critical time since the company was on the brink of bankruptcy and sought government support to survive. In 1978, Chrysler beat Ford and General Motors to the market with a domestically produced front-wheel drive car to challenge the VW Rabbit . However, the L-bodies miscarried at first, since 1978 was a year of strong sales for larger cars and demand for compacts and subcompacts noticeably shrank. These initial poor sales of

10560-425: Was quoted as saying, "Someday, people who own a Ford are going to want an automobile." The company garnered a reputation for the highest quality truck, transmission, and motor parts supplied to other successful vehicles, and Dodge Brothers cars were ranked second in U.S. sales as early as 1916. That same year, Henry Ford stopped paying stock dividends to finance the construction of his new River Rouge complex , and

10670-421: Was restarted by late 1945, in time for the 1946 model year . The " seller's market " of the early postwar years, brought on by the lack of any new cars throughout the war, meant that every automaker found it easy to sell vehicles regardless of any drawbacks they might have. Like almost every other automaker, Dodge sold lightly facelifted revisions of its 1942 design through the 1948 season. As before, these were

10780-487: Was sold in two forms, the "XE" and the "GT" and was the last vehicle to use the long-running Chrysler B platform . The appearance was somewhat of a rounded-off Charger and was in response to getting a car that would be eligible for NASCAR that would be more aerodynamic, something that the 1975–1978 Charger was not. Styling features included four rectangular headlights behind retractable clear covers, with narrow opera windows , and an optional T-bar or power sunroof. The Magnum

10890-400: Was stagnating, and sales dropped Dodge Brothers to fifth place in the industry by 1925. That year, the Dodge Brothers company was sold by the widows to the investment group Dillon, Read & Co. for no less than US$ 146 million which at the time was the largest cash transaction in history ($ 2,536,576,850 in 2023 dollars ). Dillon, Read & Co. offered non-voting stock on the market in

11000-731: Was the Dodge main factory from 1910 until it closed in January 1980. John Dodge died from the Spanish flu in January 1920, having lungs weakened by tuberculosis 20 years earlier. Horace died in December of the same year, perhaps weakened by the Spanish flu, but the cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver. Their company was sold by their families to Dillon, Read & Co. in 1925 before being sold to Chrysler in 1928. Dodge's mainstay vehicles were trucks , full-sized passenger cars through

11110-628: Was the G.55 fighter, which arrived too late and in too limited numbers. In 1943, the year Benito Mussolini was overthrown, the National Liberation Committee removed the Agnelli family from leadership roles in Fiat because of its ties to Mussolini 's government. They were not returned until 1963, when Giovanni's grandson, Gianni , took over as general manager until 1966, and as chairman until 1996. In 1970, Fiat employed more than 100,000 in Italy when its production reached

11220-569: Was the Strada , in February 1979. Sales in the US fell accordingly, from a high of 100,511 cars in 1975 to 14,113 in 1982. Accordingly, Fiat left the United States car market in 1983, although the Spider and the X1/9 continued to be sold in small numbers with Pininfarina and Bertone badging respectively. In January 2009, the Fiat Group acquired a 20% stake in US automaker Chrysler LLC . The deal saw

11330-523: Was the Dart's final year in the North American market. The rear-view mirror was mounted on the windshield rather than from the roof. Front disc brakes became standard equipment on January 1, 1976 in accord with more stringent U.S. federal brake performance requirements, and a new foot-operated parking brake replaced the under-dash T-handle used since the Dart's 1963 introduction as a compact car. The grille's parking lamps were cast in amber , whereas

11440-544: Was the final model year for the Dodge Coronet, at least so far as the name Coronet went, also its body style choices were relegated to just only two four-door models, the four-door wagon and the four-door sedan. The former Dodge Coronet 2-door model, which appeared for just the previous model year was replaced by the Dodge Charger Sport 2-door model, which, itself, appeared for only one model year. During

11550-454: Was the world's eighth-largest automaker. In 1970, Fiat Automobiles employed more than 100,000 in Italy when its production reached the highest number, 1.4 million cars, in that country. As of 2002, it built more than 1 million vehicles at six plants in Italy and the country accounted for more than a third of the company's revenue. Fiat has also manufactured railway engines , military vehicles, farm tractors, aircraft , and weapons such as

11660-565: Was to be merged into a new Netherlands-based holding company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA). On 1 August 2014, Fiat S.p.A. received the necessary shareholder approval to proceed with the merger, which became effective on 12 October 2014. FCA then merged with the French manufacturer PSA Group in 2019, with the new conglomerate being named Stellantis in 2020. Fiat's main market is Europe, mainly focused on Italy. Historically successful in building city cars and Superminis, currently Fiat has

11770-511: Was trimmed down to a core group of two lines and thirteen models (from three lines and nineteen models just over a year previous). Prices started just above DeSoto but were somewhat less than top-of-the-line Chrysler , in a small-scale recreation of General Motors' "step-up" marketing concept . (DeSoto and Dodge would swap places in the market for the 1933 model year, Dodge dropping down between Plymouth and DeSoto.) As Plymouth cars were sold at Chrysler dealerships, Dodge branded vehicles were sold as

11880-530: Was used on commercial trucks for a short time. Dodge (along with the rest of Chrysler) added safety features such as a smooth, flat dashboard with no protruding knobs, curved in-door handles, and padded front-seat backs for the benefit of the rear-seat occupants. Another major restyle arrived for the 25th-anniversary 1939 models, which Dodge dubbed the Luxury Liner series. These were once again completely redesigned, with new bodies for 1940, again in 1941, and

11990-558: Was very close). With the loss of both founders, the Dodge Brothers Company was left in the hands of their widows, Matilda Dodge Wilson and Anna Thompson Dodge , who promoted long-time employee Frederick Haynes to the presidency. During this time, the Model 30 was evolved to become the Series 116 (retaining the same basic construction and engineering features). As the 1920s progressed, Dodge gradually lost its ranking from

12100-408: Was well-featured with power steering, brakes, and seats; the suspension included Chrysler's standard adjustable, longitudinal torsion bars, lower trailing links, and front and rear anti-sway bars. The base engine was the 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 with Lean-Burn , while two and four-barrel carbureted 360 cu in (5.9 L) and 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8s were optional; weight

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