From DaimlerChrysler Canada: 2007 Dodge Caliber: A New Slant on One of the World’s Most Competitive Segments

Dodge is taking a new slant on the global compact-car market, introducing the 2007 Dodge Caliber SE with a starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $15,995 (excluding a $1,100 destination charge).

The Dodge Caliber redefines the entry-level vehicle by combining high value with bold styling and a flexible interior. It is designed to appeal to buyers around the world who want Dodge attitude packaged with the capability and versatility of an SUV and the affordability and fuel efficiency of an entry-level compact car.

The Dodge Caliber will appeal to up-and-coming buyers looking for a compact car that stands out from the crowd and gives them the flexibility to do more in terms of seating friends and storing gear. Dodge Caliber has the versatility to accommodate their lifestyle.

Room to Grow

In North America, Dodge Caliber will draw from the compact and mid-size car segments and appeal to first-time new-car purchasers, including those whose previous car may have been used. It also will draw from the small and mid-size sport-tourer segments. The compact-car segment has been increasing up to a 47.2-per cent share of the Canadian car market in 2005, with approximately 380,000 units sold in 2005 and 367,000 in 2004. The sport-tourer segment is up 15.8 per cent from 2004 with 80,752 units sold in 2005.

Pure Dodge Design

Dodge Caliber is a five-door vehicle that combines a sporty, coupe-like profile with the strength, stance and functionality of an SUV. Dodge Caliber’s sheer surface treatment commands attention and evokes attributes that define the Dodge brand: bold, powerful, capable and street-smart.

“With its bold styling and clever packaging, the Caliber is pure Dodge,” said Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President – Design, Chrysler Group. “The Dodge Caliber brings emotion to the competitive compact-car segment,” Creed added.

There is no mistaking Dodge Caliber. The all-new compact car has Dodge’s imprint stamped into its DNA, from the grille to the tailpipe. The signature crosshair grille gives the Dodge Caliber the distinct face of Dodge and defines its strong, muscular front view.

Strong, sculpted fender forms, broad shoulders and a distinctive hood give the Dodge Caliber its proud, powerful stance. Large, crystal headlamps and available fog lamps complement the Dodge grille and create an integrated look that completes the Dodge Caliber’s sporty appearance.

A black graphic design accent, which runs the length of the roof, melds into an integrated rear-roof spoiler, creating a coupe-like quality from the side. New and unique glass-to-body proportions give the Dodge Caliber a tough, protective presence, and the forward sweep of the tailgate further emphasizes Dodge Caliber’s profile.

The rear of the Dodge Caliber is as distinctive and powerful as the front. The black roof spoiler with integrated centre, high-mounted stop lamp and large modular crystal taillamps fill the rear corners and provide distinct focal points to the design. Dodge’s do-more philosophy is evident in Caliber's liftgate, which provides easy access to the vehicle’s spacious interior.

Fun Features and Flexibility

Customer demand for a compact vehicle with a lot of interior flexibility and utility had a big influence on the Dodge Caliber’s, which provides comfortable seating for the driver and up to four passengers, plus room for gear.

“The Dodge Caliber’s spacious interior is very versatile,” said Matt Liddane, Chief Engineer – Dodge Caliber. “We combined style and comfort with innovative features and clever packaging to create a vehicle that gives new meaning to functionality in the compact-car market.”

The Dodge Caliber is chock-full of interior features rarely found on entry-level compact vehicles, including: 

• Standard side-curtain air bags
• An available nine-speaker Boston Acoustics Premium Sound Group with subwoofer has two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate. When the liftgate is open, the speakers can swing down from the trim panel to face rearward for tailgating and other activities 
• An available dual-purpose, self-recharging, removable flashlight mounted in the headliner above the cargo area snaps out of the bezel to serve as a flashlight 
• A cooled beverage storage bin holds up to four 0.6 litre (20 ounce) bottles or cans (standard in Caliber SXT and R/T models) 
• A sliding armrest on the floor console moves forward 80 millimetres to accommodate a wider range of driving positions. The armrest lid has a unique flip pocket for storing a cell phone or an MP3 player 
• An available 110-volt outlet in the centre console will power small electronics (SXT and R/T)
• Illuminated front cup-holder rings glow blue-green to match other centre-stack lighting 
• The front passenger seat folds forward to create a table-like surface for versatility (SXT and R/T models) 
• The 60/40 rear seats both fold flat and recline 12 degrees (SXT and R/T models) 
• A vinyl load floor in the cargo area is both washable and removable 
• YES Essentials® stain-resistant, odour-resistant, antistatic seat fabric (late availability)

World-class Engineering

As a car destined for global markets, the 2007 Dodge Caliber has innovative new engines and transaxles to deliver world-class performance, fuel economy and refinement, no matter where the road leads.

“Circling the globe for best practices enabled our engineers to develop an entirely new front- and all-wheel-drive platform in the very competitive global compact-car segment,” said Larry Lyons, Vice President — Front-wheel Drive Product Team. “We targeted things consumers want most and developed a vehicle with an all-new global powertrain that addresses these priorities by providing excellent fuel economy, reliability, performance and value.”

The Dodge Caliber’s powertrain and drive systems offer many Chrysler Group firsts in the compact-car market. The Dodge Caliber is the first Chrysler Group vehicle to offer the full range of World Engine options and a second-generation Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT2).

Three World Engine offerings (1.8-, 2.0- and 2.4-litre) provide class-leading horsepower (148-, 158- and 172-horsepower, respectively). Chrysler Group engineers met aggressive performance and fuel-economy targets through advanced cylinder-head port and intake-manifold design. Technologies in the Chrysler Group World Engine include dual Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and intake-manifold design with flow-control valves, firsts for a Chrysler Group compact car. Combined, these features produce more power, better fuel economy and smoother, quieter operation than engines without them. The Dodge Caliber SE achieves a fuel-economy rating of 7.3 L/100 km (39 mpg) highway and 9.0 L/100 km (31 mpg) city.

Dodge Caliber’s CVT2 is a second-generation CVT that Chrysler Group engineers have calibrated for pleasing engine response, precise ratio control and an AutoStick® feature that allows for manual control with the simulation of six stepped gears. The CVT2 contributes to a fuel-economy improvement of 6 to 8 per cent compared with a traditional four-speed automatic.

Built for Global Appeal

The Dodge Caliber will be available in close to 100 countries outside North America, which led designers and engineers to consider global market demands when developing this all-new compact car.

In addition to its global powertrain, the Dodge Caliber meets safety, feature and convenience standards in markets around the world. To ensure its success in global-volume markets, the Dodge Caliber will launch outside North America with both right- and left-hand-drive models and an available turbo-diesel engine. The Dodge Caliber also meets and complies with all regulatory requirements, as well as offset crash tests in Europe and Australia and front-impact compliance for Japan and Australia. The Dodge Caliber’s manual and automatic transaxle shifters are packaged in the centre stack instead of in the floor console, which is more common in Japanese and European markets. And the Caliber’s transaxle has been engineered to provide excellent shift quality and shift effort.

A High-Caliber Lineup

The Dodge Caliber enters the market with a starting MSRP of $15,995, which includes standard side-curtain air bags. The newest compact car on the market is available in Caliber SE, Caliber SXT and Caliber R/T models.

For $15,995, the Dodge Caliber SE includes the standard 148-horsepower 1.8-litre World Engine coupled with a five-speed manual transaxle. Other standard equipment not typically found in compact cars at this price includes a vinyl load floor, an auxiliary radio input jack, illuminated front cup holders, a 12-volt power outlet and a centre-console sliding armrest with a pocket for storing a cell phone or MP3 player. Additional standard features include body-colour grille and fascias, black door handles, flexible 60/40 split-fold rear seats, manual windows and locks, fabric seats, tilt steering wheel, dome and cargo lights and 15-inch wheels and tires.

Optional features on the Dodge Caliber SE include a 158-horsepower 2.0-litre World Engine coupled with the second-generation CVT2 (which includes standard Anti-lock Brake System [ABS]), six-disc in-dash CD changer sound system and MP3 playback, Power Equipment Group (driver one-touch power window, power locks, remote keyless entry and power mirrors), body-colour liftgate appliqué, air conditioning, integrated in-dash beverage cooler, speed control, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, UConnect™ Hands Free Communication, Trailer Tow Group, floor mats and a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics Premium Sound Group with subwoofer that includes two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate.

Dodge Caliber SXT features a standard 148-horsepower 1.8-litre World Engine coupled with a five-speed manual transaxle. In addition to the many standard features included on the SE model, the SXT adds 60/40 rear seats that both fold flat and recline, a fold-flat front passenger seat, a dual-purpose re-chargeable/removable interior lamp, a map light, air conditioning, integrated in-dash beverage cooler, a tachometer, power windows, mirrors and door locks, remote keyless entry, a 110-volt electrical outlet in the centre console, manual seat-height adjuster, floor mats and bright silver instrument-panel bezels and switches. The Dodge Caliber SXT’s exterior features standard black dual power mirrors, body-colour body-side moulding, a chrome grille and 17-inch wheels and wheel covers.

Available options on the Dodge Caliber SXT beyond those offered on the base model include a 2.0-litre World Engine coupled with the CVT2, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, heated seats, a power sun roof, fog lamps, 17-inch aluminium wheels, the Security Group (which includes soft tonneau cover, alarm and air-filtration system), the Driver Convenience Group (which includes compass and temperature gauge, universal garage door opener, electrochromic mirror and Tire Pressure Monitoring System) and the Leather Interior Group (includes leather seats, heated front seats and manual lumbar adjuster).

A Sport Package also is available on the SXT model and includes fog lamps, 17-inch aluminium wheels and the Sport Appearance Package (such as cloth seats with coloured inserts and colour-keyed shifter- and instrument-panel bezels).

The Dodge Caliber R/T with all-wheel drive has a standard 172-horsepower 2.4-litre World Engine with dual VVT coupled with CVT2, ABS, AutoStick, a sport-suspension, performance steering and 18-inch aluminium wheels.

In addition to the standard features on the Base and SXT models, standard features on the Dodge Caliber R/T include a leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, a soft tonneau cover, premium fabric seats, silver bezels on the instrument panel and chrome interior door handles.

The Dodge Caliber R/T’s exterior has a chrome grille, body-coloured lower fascias, body-coloured sill mouldings, chrome-plated body-side mouldings, body-colour door handles and fog lamps.

An optional feature on the Dodge Caliber R/T models beyond those offered on the SXT is 18-inch chrome wheels.

All 2007 Dodge Caliber models will be available in Inferno Red Crystal Pearl Coat, Solar Yellow Clear Coat, Sunburst Orange Pearl Coat, Marine Blue Pearl Coat, Steel Blue Metallic Clear Coat, Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat, Black Clear Coat and Stone White Clear Coat.

All models feature a two-tone interior colour theme of dark and lighter shades of Pastel Slate Grey or Pastel Pebble Beige. The optional Sport Appearance Package includes Pastel Slate Grey with red, yellow, orange or blue seat inserts that coordinate with the exterior colour, centre stack and shifter bezels.

Full model details, specifications and pricing for markets outside North America will be released ahead of the vehicle’s launch in each respective market.

2007 Dodge Caliber Production

Production of the Dodge Caliber began in early 2006 at the newly refurbished Belvedere Assembly Plant in Belvedere, Ill. The new four-cylinder World Engines for this vehicle are built in the state-of-the art Global Engine Manufacturing Assembly (GEMA) plant in Dundee, Mich.

Dodge Brand

Dodge sold more than 1.4 million vehicles worldwide in 2004. With a Canadian market share of 8.8 per cent, it is the fourth-largest brand in the country and the eighth-largest nameplate in the automotive industry. The Dodge brand will arrive in European volume segments in 2006 with the international launch of the Dodge Caliber.

Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA)

The World Engine is family of world-class four-cylinder engines produced by GEMA in Dundee, delivering an exceptional combination of quality, fuel efficiency, refinement and performance. GEMA is owned equally by DaimlerChrysler Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. By optimizing the three joint venture partners’ strengths, global economies of scale and the latest practices in flexible teams and machines, GEMA aims to set a new benchmark in engine-plant productivity.