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Want a sneak peak at a new Dodge crossover? Thanks to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, we have a glimpse of the new vehicle well in advance of its official launch date.
Within its five-year plan, Chrysler reveals that it’s planning to launch a full-size crossover in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company describes the vehicle as a seven-passenger CUV, with an all-new design, a swanky interior, and “character consistent with the new Dodge.”
This all seems to line up with the USPTO drawings unearthed by Carscoop earlier today, which show a large crossover sporting a front fascia, hood, and fenders patterned after the current Ram pickup. Although the character lines are unique, it’s more than likely this new Dodge is built upon the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, especially since one drawing shows the two vehicles share a common rear hatch stamping. The Dodge’s rear doors and overhang appear to be longer than those on the Grand Cherokee, which suggest the vehicle has been stretched to accommodate a third row of seating.
Still a mystery at this stage is the crossover’s name. Although some suggest Dodge could (inexplicably) revive the Magnum nameplate for this vehicle, sources familiar with the vehicle tell us they’ve seen it wearing Durango badges in the past.
Regardless of what Dodge decides to call it, expect the crossover to be unveiled and launched by the end of 2010, quite possibly at this year’s Los Angeles auto show.
Source: Carscoop, U.S. Patent Trade Office
Why would they take tooling from the Aspen? It was simply a gussied-up version of the last Durango, which this is supposed to replace…
Yeah, they’d better patent that before anyone wants to copy it… :p Two observations:1. Couldn’t the sheetmetal and tooling come from the doomed-from-the-start Chrysler Aspen full-size SUV? Or maybe it did!2. To me, the front air dam looks like a 1965 Ford Mustang (maybe it’s just the line drawing, but still…)