Editing Dodge (section)

===Pre-war years===
[[File:1933 Dodge advert by Muray.jpg|thumb|Dodge aimed for the luxury market in this advertisement for the 1933 model Eight.]]
[[File:1940 Dodge RX70 Texaco Tanker (33992171930).jpg|thumb|1940 Dodge Airflow Texaco tanker truck]]
[[File: Dodge D11 Luxury Liner 4-Door Sedan 1939.jpg|thumb|Dodge D11 Luxury Liner 4-Door Sedan 1939]]

To fit better the Chrysler Corporation lineup, alongside low-priced [[Plymouth (automobile)|Plymouth]] and medium-priced [[DeSoto (automobile)|DeSoto]], Dodge's lineup for early 1930 was trimmed down to a core group of two lines and thirteen models (from three lines and nineteen models just over a year previous). Prices started just above DeSoto but were somewhat less than top-of-the-line [[Chrysler (division)|Chrysler]], in a small-scale recreation of [[General Motors Companion Make Program|General Motors' "step-up" marketing concept]]. (DeSoto and Dodge would swap places in the market for the 1933 model year, Dodge dropping down between Plymouth and DeSoto.) As Plymouth cars were sold at Chrysler dealerships, Dodge branded vehicles were sold as a lower-cost alternative to DeSoto.

For 1930, Dodge took another step up by adding a new eight-cylinder line to replace the existing Senior six-cylinder. This basic format of a dual line with Six and Eight models continued through 1933, and the cars were gradually streamlined and lengthened in step with prevailing trends of the day. The Dodge Eight was replaced by a larger Dodge DeLuxe Six for 1934, which was dropped for 1935. A long-[[wheelbase]] edition of the remaining Six was added for 1936 and would remain a part of the lineup for many years. To enhance production, in 1932 Chrysler built a factory in [[Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly|Los Angeles, California]] where Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, and Plymouth vehicles were built until the factory closed in 1971.

The Dodge line, along with most of the corporation's output, was restyled in the so-called "Wind Stream" look for 1935. This was a mild form of [[streamliner|streamlining]], which saw sales jump remarkably over the previous year (even though Dodge as a whole still dropped to fifth place for the year after two years of holding down fourth). Dodge did not share the radical [[Airflow Chrysler|Airflow]] styling that was the cause of depressed sales of Chryslers and [[DeSoto (automobile)|DeSotos]] from 1934 until 1937, as a passenger sedan, but it was used on commercial trucks for a short time. Dodge (along with the rest of Chrysler) added safety features such as a smooth, flat dashboard with no protruding knobs, curved in-door handles, and padded front-seat backs for the benefit of the rear-seat occupants.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Dodge/1940_Dodge/1940_Dodge_Brochure/1940%20Dodge-09-10.html |title=1940 Dodge Brochure |website=Oldcarbrochures.com |access-date=August 17, 2014}}</ref>

Another major restyle arrived for the 25th-anniversary 1939 models, which Dodge dubbed the Luxury Liner series. These were once again completely redesigned, with new bodies for 1940, again in 1941, and a refreshing for 1942. However, just after the 1942 models were introduced, Japan's [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] forced the shutdown of Dodge's passenger car [[assembly line]]s in favor of [[Military production during World War II|war production]] in February 1942. 1941 saw the introduction of Fluid Drive for Dodge cars, which eliminated stalling or bucking if the clutch was released too quickly. This feature put a fluid coupling in between the engine and the clutch, although the driver still had to shift gears manually.