• by Karl Greenberg , March 10, 2015

Dodge runs on (Vin) Diesel. The Fiat Chrysler Automobile U.S. (FCA) brand, which has had a place in all six — make that seven — “Fast and Furious” movies, is back for a last spin in Universal's “Furious 7.” Dodge will have cars in the movie, and will run its own marketing campaign. And, for the first time, it will have cars  in Atlantic Records' music videos for the soundtrack. 

In the revenge film, Diesel's character, Dom Toretto, drives a red Charger. There is also a “sublime green” and black 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T driven by Michelle Rodrigues' character, Letty Ortiz. Ludacris' character, Tej Parker, drives an armored Wrangler Unlimited from Dodge’s sibling brand, Jeep. All of them fly, or at least free fall, from the rear hatch of a C-17 cargo jet. FCA U.S. said it delivered about 30 vehicles to the production. 

Dodge is represented in the Atlantic Records videos both by vintage cars and by the new Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, which has over 700 horses under the hood; Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat; and Dodge Viper GTS.

Said Olivier Francois, CMO at FCA, in a release: “For the first time, Dodge is broadening its long-time partnership with an innovative new Atlantic Records collaboration that truly expands the power and reach of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, and provides a natural extension for showcasing Dodge’s most powerful new performance vehicles.” 

Dodge’s cross-branded campaign includes television spots for the United States and international markets, social media and digital marketing campaigns, and a special “Furious 7” landing page on the brand’s website, which explores Dodge performance cars: the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Charger SRT Hellcat, Charger R/T Scat Pack and Charger 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker.

For the U.S., a national spot launched this week for the 2015 Dodge Challenger. There are also spots featuring that car which will air in the Middle East. In international markets, FCA will air an ad for the 2015 Jeep Wrangler. All ads include clips from the movie and new vehicle footage, per FCA.

The cross-promotional spot for the U.S., via Doner, uses the tried-and-true, aspirational-fantasy car leitmotif: A guy perusing cars at a Dodge dealership hops into a Dodge Challenger R/T, and notices a poster for the movie on the showroom wall. He grabs the wheel, and we are transported to world of the movie, ending with a shot of the late actor Paul Walker's character hanging from off of a cliff fromthe spoiler of a fishtailing Challenger. Back to reality, and the guy is also hanging from the spoiler of the car while a salesperson watches. Voiceover says “It’s not ‘Fast and Furious’ without a Dodge. ‘Furious 7’ in theaters starting April 3.”