The Dodge Journey becomes Chinese

The Dodge Journey was the warhorse of the brand over the last 10 years. Introduced in 2008 and produced until 2020, the Journey posted very good sales results in USA, Canada and Mexico, and decent numbers in Europe (also known as Fiat Freemont), South America, the Middle East and some Asian markets. During these 12 and a half years, Dodge sold 1.66 million units of this model but despite its importance within Chrysler, FCA and Stellantis groups, the maker never worked on a direct successor on time.

As the Journey got old and no new products arrived, Dodge started to lose ground very fast. Its global total sales have not stopped falling since 2014, and this year through August, it has sold around 185,000 units, down by 14%. In 2013, Dodge sold 780,000 vehicles globally.

As sales shrunk, Dodge was forced to bring a solution as soon as possible. And the best way was to use an appealing product from its Chinese partner GAC and make use of the rebadge advantages. This is how the 2022 Dodge Journey was born.

The all-new Journey is nothing different than rebadge of GAC’s Trumpchi GS4 Plus or GS5, a large C-SUV introduced in 2018 and updated in 2021. In China, it plays against the Changan CS75 Plus, Geely Boyue, Roewe RX5, BYD Song Pro and Chery Tiggo. It also rivals with the Honda CR-V, Haval H6, Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and Nissan X-Trail. Therefore, as a Dodge, it enters one of the most dynamic and competitive segments.

It will be initially available in Mexico only, as the Journey has a good reputation there. Then it is expected to arrive to other Latin American markets such as Colombia, Peru and Chile, and then it could also be part of Dodge offer in the Middle East. However, it won’t arrive in USA and Canada, for origin reasons.

In fact, with this rebadge operation, Stellantis is following the example of its peers GM and Ford. They started to export Chinese-made cars produced by their local partners to markets where they needed fresh and affordable products. That’s the case of the Chevrolet Captiva for Latin America and the Middle East (a rebadge of Baojun 530), and Ford Territory in Brazil (rebadge of Yusheng S330).

It is one of the ways we will start seeing more Chinese-made cars in the streets of the emerging and developed markets. A perfect mix between more affordable cars and brand awareness that help both, the Chinese motor industry and the OEMs operating in those markets.