Dodge has rebadged the GAC GS5 as a Dodge Journey for the Mexican market. As a first for North America, a Chinese-made car is available for the mainstream consumer.
Guangzhou Automotive, the parent of GAC, is one of the largest car manufacturers in China. Producing vehicles for brands like Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Stellantis (formerly Fiat-Chrysler), as well as their house brand-GAC.
Although partnerships with Toyota and Honda have been very successful, Mitsubishi and Stellantis haven’t seen similar results. GAC’s Fiat lineup has effectively stopped, while Jeep branded products have seen a decline since 2018 and a 45% drop in 2021.
Thankfully, the news isn’t all bad for the GAC-Stellantis partnership; Dodge has taken GAC’s popular GS5 and exported it to Mexico as the Dodge Journey. Further plans of selling the vehicle in South American markets also exist.
From photos released, only the Dodge grille is different from the standard GS5. Rear badging is likely to be different too.
Powered by a mighty 1.5T 150hp (111kW) I4, the Journey will arrive in showrooms starting November 2021; SXT, Sport and GT trims will be available.
Plans are in place to build 3000 Dodge Journeys. Likely a test of the market, the Journeys may lead to more rebadges of Stellantis vehicles and in more mainstream markets.
With previous generation Journeys produced in Mexico and exported to China, the GAC collaboration is a strange turn of events. Given the little work done to the GS5 to turn it into a Dodge, I wonder when we’ll start seeing Dodge grille upgrade kits for the GS5 on Taobao?
It’s just a matter of time now that GAC enters the back door of the U.S., via Stellantis…..fulfilling the dreams of Trumpchi executive Wu Song, expressed in June 2014.
It’s all rather ironic given the recent jetisoning of the Stellantis Jeep operation from GAC home base to remote Changsha.
Agreed, I see it happening that way too. Inching towards the US market firstly under any means possible- then when established it’s their own brand with cheaper retail costs.
Might be a double-edged sword for Stellantis or whoever brings in Chinese vehicles to the States as rebrands, they’d be making great margins at the beginning but creating a very formidable competitor at the same time.
I agree. Stellantis is certainly not going to acquire GAC, but rather conceivably the other way around.
Will Stellantis just be a pawn in this game?
Let’s see what unfolds there in Mexico, remembering that big plans by FAW and BAIC in the past, have not yet come to fruition.