Dodge just put out the word that the Durango SUV production will come to an end. Having been in the lineup in its current form for over 10 years, it was beginning to age out. Parent company Stellantis says 2024 will be Durango’s final year. There is no replacement currently in the works based on several reports. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be another Durango coming. 

Could an SUV from Peugeot or Citroen be a Durango replacement?

Stellantis has a portfolio of numerous SUVs it makes that could be rebadged to give Dodge a much newer model. The Citroen C5 Aircross and DS7 Crossback come to mind. There is also a range of SUVs from Peugeot including the 2008, 3008, 3008 Hybrid4, and 5008. 

Any refreshes or entirely new versions could easily be rebadged as a Durango. It is basically a plug-and-play situation. And we expect to see more of this type of crossover for Chrysler and even Ram for some potentially smaller pickups down the road. 

Mopar Insiders says that Stellantis has been looking into using the Ram 1500 as the basis for a new SUV. All it has to do is look at GM to see the Tahoe as an example of that type of approach. This, too, would be cheaper than tooling an entirely new Durango. 

Moving the Durango to a new platform could help both Dodge and Jeep

Part of this possibility happening is because the Grand Cherokee and Durango share a common unibody platform. That means they also share the same Jefferson North Assembly Plant. Jeep thinks it could sell more Grand Cherokees if the plant had more capacity. 

So removing the Durango from that plant would help give Jeep the ability to make more Grand Cherokee models. Stellantis sells around 240,000 Grand Cherokees a year, and about 50,000 to 65,000 Dodge Durangos. So moving the Durango to a different platform could give Jeep potential capacity for another 100,000 Grand Cherokees. 

Dodge has been good about updating the Durango to try and keep it current. For instance, the SRT Hellcat not only gave the Durango a top speed of 180 mph, but it also increased its tow rating to 8,700 lbs. 

Dodge has been good about updating the SUV

Safety features have also kept up with improvements over the last decade. Standard equipment includes blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic warnings. It has also been refreshed to give it a more contemporary face and interior. So Dodge has not left it to stagnate in spite of its age.

Part of the reason for the formation of Stellantis was to build on economies of scale and to get some great products sold outside of the US into the US. There had been a big push within Peugeot to reenter the US market before the Stellantis merger was formed. So this is the perfect scenario.