Is Dodge Caliber Concept the Next-Generation SX 2.0?

Expect Something Bold from Chrysler Group When SX 2.0 Replaced

If you asked an honest Chrysler Group executive what he or she needed more than anything else in order to be competitive with its

Dodge is the only maker within the Chrysler Group to sell a compact vehicle, and it's now fairly out of date. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

rivals, the answer would be the same as what an honest General Motors executive would have said prior to last fall, before the Cobalt/Pursuit one-two punch offered entry-level buyers a compact GM vehicle with the capability of standing tall next to any car in their class.

Chrysler Group's Dodge division is the only maker, of its three-fold nameplates, to sell a compact vehicle, and it's a tad out of date with the Mazda3, for instance, the class performance, quality and styling leader. Honda will soon battle back with an upgraded Civic, helping it to remain the top seller in Canada's C-segment, and Toyota's recently face lifted Corolla will continue as a strong seller, due to

Dodge knows that the SX 2.0's replacement must have dramatic styling and an aggressively low price for the market to take notice. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

it being the closest thing to a Lexus in the compact category.

When it comes right down to it, most every manufacturer, including Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Kia, offer greater sophistication than Dodge's SX 2.0 (Neon in the U.S.), a car due to be replaced later this year.

So what will Dodge do to get its new model noticed, when it finally arrives? Flash marketing will help, but Chrysler Group knows better than any rival that there's nothing better to get new car buyers to stand up and take notice than dramatic styling and an aggressively low price.