DaimlerChrysler, the US-German carmaker, plans to sell in Europe some of the models it produces under the Dodge marque, writes Thomas Clark in New York.
It is another sign that US-based car firms are increasing the presence of domestic brands abroad.
The move to sell Dodge vehicles in Europe was made at a meeting of the DaimlerChrysler board last week, according to two company sources quoted in the in the Financial Times Deutschland.
The launch is scheduled for the second quarter of next year. Details about precise timing, vehicle cost and marketing campaigns will be announced "either at the Detroit Motor Show in January or the Geneva Autosalon in February", one person close to the situation said.
A spokesperson for DaimlerChrysler at its US headquarters in Michigan would not confirm the decision to launch Dodge in Europe. "We will announce in the not too distant future whether Dodge will go international," he said.
The decision reflects a belief that there is a market for Dodge vehicles in a region where the carmaker already sells Chrysler vehicles such as the retro-styled PT Cruiser and Voyager people carrier (MPV).
Dodge vehicles include a range of passenger cars, the Durango large sport utility vehicle (SUV), a range of pick-up trucks, MPVs and the Dodge Viper, a high-performance sports car. Dodge is DaimlerChrysler's best-selling marque in the US. In 2002, it sold 1.42 million units in North America, with 1.26 million vehicles being sold in the US alone.
However, DaimlerChrysler may find it hard to penetrate the European market with Dodge, judging by sales of its Chrysler vehicles.
Chrysler sold 84,000 vehicles in western Europe up to the end of November - down 9 per cent compared with the same period the previous year. That represents 0.6 per cent of all vehicle sales in the region.
However, Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler's head of sales and marketing, recently said he wanted to reach "a market share of 1 per cent in the markets outside North America" with DaimlerChrysler's US brands.
That would mean Chrysler doubling international sales "within the next 5-10 years".
This year General Motors appointed a dealer in the Netherlands to handle distribution of its luxury Cadillac marque, representing a return to Europe after several decades. GM also recently started selling Cadillacs in South Korea and China.
Here in Ireland, DaimlerChrysler brands are handled by two local importers, with Motor Distributor Ltd (MDL) looking after Mercedes and Smart, while the OHM Group handles the Chrysler brand.
(Financial Times Service)