posted 04-03-2005 02:29 PM         

The Dodge Caliber concept made its world debut at the 75th annual Geneva International Motor Show on March 1, as Dodge dramatically showed how it plans to expand into the global market.

To drive that point home, Chrysler Group President and CEO Dieter Zetsche took an electric guitar and smashed a glass wall to reveal the Caliber to the media at the Geneva show.

The concept car, decked out in Sunburst Orange paint, hints at the future direction of the next-generation Dodge C-segment vehicle and is designed to shatter the conventional definition of a compact car for the global market.

“With its bold styling and clever packaging, Caliber is pure Dodge,” Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President—Design, said. “This concept is a new slant on one of the world’s most competitive segments. The Dodge Caliber concept brings emotion to the C-segment sea of sameness and strongly hints at the future direction of Dodge in the global market.”

The signature crosshair grille gives Caliber the distinct face of Dodge. Wide, sculpted front and rear fenders, 19-inch wheels and tires, a broad stance and a bulging hood give Caliber an aggressive, powerful appearance. Large, crystal headlamps and fog lights complement the chrome grille and create an integrated look that completes Caliber’s distinctive modular design.

Chrysler Group President and CEO Dieter Zetsche holds onto the electric guitar he used to smash the series of windows that reveal the Dodge Caliber concept vehicle at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 1.

A black graphic appliqué runs the length of the roof and blends into an integrated black roof spoiler with a center high-mounted stop lamp at the rear of the vehicle. The chrome exhaust tailpipe and large, modular crystal taillamps that fill Caliber’s rear corners continue the vehicle’s distinctive and strong design theme. The rear hatch adds to flexibility and easy access to the car’s interior.

New glass-to-body proportions give the Caliber a tough, protective look. Chrome door handles and body-side moldings add a sense of style and polish to its exterior.

“Dodge Caliber’s bold, graphic design and inherent interior functionality shatter the conventional definition of a compact car,” Creed said. “It strongly hints at what Dodge can do to appeal to global markets.”

Dodge sold more than 1.4 million vehicles worldwide in 2004. With a 6.9 percent market share, Dodge is the fifth largest nameplate in the United States. Dodge brand vehicles will arrive in European volume segments in 2006.