Fargo (truck)
Encyclopedia
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Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation. In general terms, Fargo trucks were a mere rebadging of Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
trucks models.
History
The first Fargo trucks were built in Chicago by the Fargo Motor Car Company from 1913 until 1922. In 1928 Chrysler bought the business and created their own line of Fargo trucks. Shortly after its creation, Chrysler bought too the Dodge Brothers CompanyDodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
, adding Dodge and Graham Brothers badged trucks to its product line.
From then on, Fargo trucks were almost identical to the Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
ones, save for trim and name, and were sold by Chrysler-Plymouth dealers. Production began in the late 1920s.
U.S. sales were discontinued in the 1930, but the name Fargo was used until 1972 for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and lived longer for other countries around the world under the Chrysler Corporation's badge engineering
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
marketing approach. Most of the Fargo trucks and bus chassis sold in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and other countries in Europe and Asia were made in Chrysler's Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
(UK) plant. Most were sold also under the Dodge, Commer
Commer
Commer became known in later years as a maker of vans for the British Post Office—particularly the Commer FC which was introduced in 1960 with many body styles, including a 1500 cc van. After engine and interior upgrades it was renamed the PB in 1967 and the SpaceVan in 1974...
or DeSoto
DeSoto (automobile)
The DeSoto was a brand of automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto...
names.
Theories on why Chrysler used the name Fargo include the imagery of open range of the American west, symbolized by the city of Fargo and the Wells-Fargo stage lines, while another theory assumes there was a play on the words "Far" and "Go", denoting durability.
Fargo trucks today
The Fargo brand still exists in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, where Fargo and DeSoto trucks are currently made by Turkish manufacturer Askam
Askam (trucks)
Askam, a subsidiary of Çiftçiler Holding, is a manufacturer of trucks and commercial vehicles in Turkey.-History:Askam was founded in 1962 as joint venture with 60% ownership by Chrysler...
, with no technical or business connection with Chrysler.
