Overview
The Caliber concept was revealed at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show and featured styling elements derivative of larger Dodge vehicles (notably Dodge Magnum), such as a crosshair grille, rough border angles and flared fenders. The pre-production version showed some improvements over the concept model and has debuted on January 10, 2006 at the North American International Auto Show, with dealership availability starting in April.
The Caliber was built at the Belvidere Assembly (Illinois) plant, where its predecessor was produced.
The Caliber was an important vehicle for Chrysler in its quest to expand globally. The Caliber was one of Dodge's first modern offerings in Europe and in Asian markets such as Japan and Singapore, as it established new distribution channels there. It was also introduced in China in 2008 as Dodge's second modern vehicle offering in that market. Dodge vehicles were last officially sold in China during the World War II era. The introduction of the Caliber had marked the return of the Dodge brand to Australia, for the first time since the early 1970s.
The marketing plan for the first year of the Caliber's production included 20% of the budget going towards online marketing, a blitz of print ads, and TV commercials. The Caliber was "a reasonable sales success ... despite various criticisms" as Dodge's entry-level model.
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