Although US designed Dodge Brothers and Dodge trucks had been assembled in Britain since 1927 it was some years before they began building models of basically British content at their Kew factory. Only the gearboxes and engines were built in the US but to avoid confusion with US built Dodges they were often sold abroad as Kew-Dodge or Kew-Cargo. To start with only 11/2 and 2 ton models and a 20 seat passenger model were offered all using a 3.3 litre, 6 cylinder petrol engine with a 4 speed transmission. By 1936 engine capacity had increased to 3.6 litres and forward control models were also offered.
In 1937 the model range was reviewed and the top of the range was a 4 ton snub nosed Dodge Major with a 4 litre petrol engines and a 5 speed transmission, in 1937 the Perkins P6 diesel engine was offered as an option. After the 2nd World War new 2, 3,5 and 6 ton models were based on pre-war designs and no restyling was carried out until 1949 when a cab was produced that was similar to that of the Leyland Comet of the period.
An entirely new range made its appearance in 1956/7, of normal-control outline, and two years later a range of forward-control vehicles extended the range to 22ton gvw. These vehicles used proprietary parts such as Perkins engines and Motor Panels cabs as used on some Leyland and Albion models.
By 1961 the bonneted range included models for up to 7 tons payload while forward control models went up as far as 9 tons payload with a 6.2 litre 100bhp diesel engine, 5 speed transmission and air brakes. In 1963 6 wheeled trucks with AEC engines were added to the range and at about this time the bonneted range of trucks started to be withdrawn. When Chrysler finally gained control of the Commer concern in 1973 there was much changing of badges and in 1976 the Dodge badge appeared on Commer-designed vehicles from the 1-ton Spacevan to the 7-12ton Commando and the Spanish built Barreiros models which were also sold in the UK from 1974 for use at 32 tons.
The Kew plant closed in 1967 and all production was switched to the Commer/Karrier plant at Dunstable. Further changes still took place and in 1980 the K series with tilt cabs were withdrawn. The control of Karrier (likewise Commer) passed to Chrysler UK Ltd in 1970 and the firm is now owned by Renault/Peugeot which took over the Chrysler European operations, and it is now partly merged with Dodge.
Dodge D60 Flatbed 1942
Dodge D105 1952 & Dodge Kew 103 1955
1954 British built Dodge but Dutch registered
1957 Dodge rigid
1960´s Dodge rigid
1962 Dodge D 307 Tipper
Dodge D308 Tipper 1965
Dodge 8 wheel tipper
Dodge 8 wheel tipper with the Spanish built cab from Barreiros
One of the last models to carry the Dodge name in the UK
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