Dodge Vision

From a North-American point of view, one can remember that the Chrysler group has already named a car “Vision” before. In the early 1990s, the first three models spawned by the LH platform were the upscale Chrysler Concorde, the sporty Dodge Intrepid, and the more casual Vision, sold under the much younger Eagle. From a South-American point of view, one can remember that this article’s sedan is already sold by Fiat in Latin countries, under the name of Grand Siena. Where could be a better place for these trains of thought to meet than the Central-American Mexico?

Considering that one of the biggest reasons why two or more companies merge is the opportunity to share costs and, therefore, to increase profits, it isn’t difficult to understand why would they want to start selling the results of such operation as soon as possible. However, since developing a common project from scratch would take an amount of time and money which they can’t spare at that moment, the only solution is to apply the good, old badge engineering: one takes an entire car from the other’s current lineup, and sells it as its own with only the necessary changes. If the new model becomes successful, it could even get an individual identity in the future. But if not, its existance can be finished as easily as taking the original car’s production line to the levels it used to have.

Going to this article’s vehicle, Vision is a compact sedan produced by Fiat in Brazil, just like the compact pick-up Strada which also goes to Mexico, but under the name RAM 700. This sedan will compete with models like Nissan Versa and Renault Logan, trying to seduce people for whom family-hauling is still a priority, but combined with the desire of more comfort and some class. Given that the smallest Dodge sold in North-America would arrive at that country much more expensive than what this segment requires, reccurring to the other side of the continent was the only solution. Siena’s brand new foreign sibling will be sold in Mexico in a single trim level, starting at $ 198.000, and with the same qualities that have made it quite successful in its homeland.

When it comes to design, the biggest difference from the original car is part of the logotypes: since both companies have such different logotypes, Latin-American Dodges use the very same circular badges, only with the red center changed to a black piece with the word “Dodge” in the center. The other one is that Vision’s dashboard comes only in gray, while Grand Siena in an equivalent trim level uses a three-tone arrangement. But this is very far from being a dealbreaker: what really catches the eye in this cabin is the equipment list, which includes ABS brakes, climate control, 16” alloy wheels, fog lights, front airbags, multimedia audio system, power steering and windows, and 520 liters ready to be filled behind the rear seats. Grand Siena’s sunroof didn’t come, though.

Once again following the original vehicle, Vision uses the e.TorQ 1.6-liter engine which uses sixteen valves, burns gasoline, and delivers 115 hp of power and 117 lb-ft of torque (average consumption of 14.3 kpl). However, the new model is only equipped with the Dualogic transmission, which is a five-speed semi-automatic – it is sold as optional in Brazil. The Mexican Dodge will sell this car in five external colors (black, Ferroso gray, Opulencia red, Savannah beige and white), and with two years or 40,000 km of complete warranty, which is increased to seven years or 100,000 km only for engine and transmission.