By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 8, 2013) The rumor mill is buzzing about Dodge’s future product plans. The reason? Apparently the brand doesn’t have any. Multiple reports claim there is no planned replacement for the Avenger mid-size sedan, that the Durango SUV will soon be dropped, and Chrysler will be the only division selling the minivan. If true, it could spell the end for Dodge.

It wasn’t that long ago that Chrysler separated Ram from Dodge and made it its own brand, even though most folks still put the word “Dodge” before “Ram” when talking Pentastar pickups. The claim was made that this change would pull the trucks out from under the shadow of the cars, and free Dodge from having to split its attention between two very different buyers. Especially at a time when Ram was about to adopt a number of Fiat trucks, and increase its sales to commercial buyers.

The Dodge brothers might object,
but dropping Dodge makes sense

Dodge, for its part, received an upgraded Journey, Charger, Challenger, Avenger and a new Dart, and was in the running to be the only division selling the minivan. All that has changed. The Journey will be replaced by a new vehicle that is more like the Toyota Venza than the minivan/SUV combo it is today, and sold under the Chrysler badge. There is no replacement scheduled for the Charger, and the Challenger reportedly will be replaced by a new-generation Barracuda sold under the SRT label. And the Dart? It hasn’t exactly set the sales charts on fire. Too many stand-alone options, too few reasonably priced packages, fire sale prices on the Avenger and Chrysler 200 and other glitches have conspired with a bewildering powertrain lineup to hobble the handsome sedan.

Then there’s Fiat and Alfa Romeo. Fiat dealers can’t survive on the 500 alone, even if the hatchback has now been joined by a small people mover, the 500L. Once dealers move a buyer out of a hatchback and into the wagonette, they’re done until the next round of buyers shows up.

It might have been possible to twin the Fiat and Alfa lineups, and move buyers out of Fiats and into Alfas, but there’s still no word regarding Alfa’s lineup and what the brand's focus will be once it gets here. Other than the 4C sports car and an affordable convertible it will build with Mazda on the MX-5 Miata chassis, there’s nothing in the pipeline.

If Dodge is on its deathbed (and it looks increasingly like it is), Chrysler, Ram, Jeep and SRT will survive and, if logic has anything to do with the decisions being made, eventually reside under one roof.

Once a Dodge, the Viper now comes under the SRT brand

Though that transition may take up to a decade or more to accomplish, it would create a broad-based American family of vehicles without the duplication of today’s lineup, much like Alan Mulally’s “One Ford” strategy.

This move, if it indeed happens, also would give the Fiat and Alfa brands the breathing room necessary to establish a similar brand structure to sell mechanically similar vehicles with Italian flair. Done properly, the Fiat-Chrysler combine would cover the market from the entry level to the upper middle/lower luxury segments, with the addition of high-margin specialty vehicles to boot.

I do not believe that Fiat will next target the Chrysler brand. It needs both the brand and its name to appeal to buyers. By moving Chrysler products upmarket, it makes room underneath for Fiat, and still leaves room for Alfa Romeo in the mid-to-premium sector. And while those brands appeal to value and image buyers, Chrysler sits in the broad middle, appealing to a traditional American buyer.

It does not have to reach down to the entry-level or appease the value buyer. Chrysler has the opportunity to build larger, bolder vehicles that — despite being built from Fiat/Alfa components — are unmistakably American in look, image and feel. This is something the Fiat and Alfa brands cannot do. For that they need Chrysler.

The coming months will show whether or not the rumor mill is correct, and Dodge is on deathwatch. Though a shock to the system as another domestic brand disappears, ditching Dodge makes sense. It drastically reduces duplication and increases the viability of each nameplate within the Chrysler brand. Except for the occasional crossover and minivan, light trucks and SUVs will be the exclusive purview of Jeep and Ram, and SRT will have sporting and specialty vehicles. The only casualty is the value buyer. He will have no choice but to buy Italian or shift his loyalty to Ford, GM or the Asians.

The Virtual Driver