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Dodge entered the US compact truck market late with a rebadged Mitsubishi
Chrysler was slow to enter the American small-truck segment, and its eventual offering was a rebadged Mitsubishi model, while GM and Ford had already partnered with Japanese makers.
By Eleanor Ellington · 1 min read
Chrysler arrived late to the American compact pickup market, and when it did, it sold a truck built by someone else. The Dodge badge on its small truck was placed on a vehicle developed by Mitsubishi, the Japanese manufacturer, rather than on a model designed in Detroit.
The timing mattered. As American buyers' tastes shifted during the 1960s and 1970s, demand grew for smaller, more economical trucks than the full-size pickups that had long dominated US showrooms. General Motors and Ford responded by partnering with Japanese companies to bring compact trucks to market, allowing them to serve that growing segment without building the vehicles from scratch.
Chrysler was well behind its rivals. By the time it moved into the category, GM and Ford had already established their positions with Japanese-sourced small trucks, leaving Dodge to enter a market where the early movers had secured a head start. The decision to rebadge a Mitsubishi model reflected that gap, giving Chrysler a product to offer buyers while relying on a partner's engineering rather than its own.
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