Chrysler ends production of Dodge Caliber

 Chrysler Group LLC, on Saturday announced that the company has ended production of the much-maligned Dodge Caliber compact vehicle.

Introduced in the spring of 2006 as a 2007 model year vehicle, Caliber was built to replace the Neon, but it was never a success. Consumer Reports ranked the Caliber SXT at the bottom of its list of small hatchbacks and wagons in the 2011 annual car issue.

The 2012 Dodge Caliber may be a decent commuter car, but test drivers agree that it’s overshadowed by rivals that offer better quality and performance at about the same price.

The problems start under the hood. The Caliber’s engine is underpowered and noisy, a problem that’s exacerbated by an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT) that reviewers don’t like.

When Italy’s Fiat SpA took over the automaker as part of a 2009 bailout brokered by the Obama administration, CEO Sergio Marchionne made replacing the Caliber a top priority. And now, looks like its successor, the all-new Dodge Dart, will be unveiled next month.

The new Dart, a 2013 model, will be the first Chrysler vehicle based on a Fiat architecture, in this case the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.