Any longtime Dodge enthusiast — or any automotive enthusiast, for that matter — will immediately recognize the Mopar name. Chrysler merged the words “MOtor” and “PARts” together in 1937 as a trade name for its line of antifreeze. In the 85 years since, Mopar came to be synonymous with high performance parts through the 1970s, and now pretty much every part that comes over the counter at a Chrysler dealership.
At the beginning of August this year, Stellantis, the current name of Chrysler’s parent company, announced it was introducing a sister parts line to Mopar, called “bproauto.” (Hardly a catchy name worthy of sharing space with the cleverly derived Mopar moniker.)
Stellantis says bproauto supplies “competitively priced, private label, replacement parts.” The sister parts line is meant to capture a chunk of the lucrative, aftermarket segment, which supplies those cheaper parts alternatives that owners and garages often turn to during service and repairs, instead of dishing out the cash for, often, high-priced OEM parts.
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“With the introduction of bproauto, we’re further enhancing the customer experience by offering a new, competitively priced, private label line of high-quality, factory-backed parts for most makes and models,” said Mike Koval, head of Mopar North America, in a press release.
“While Mopar will remain the global original-equipment parts and authentic accessories brand for Stellantis, bproauto will offer an alternative for nearly all brands and all cars — new, used, owned, rented or shared. With Mopar and bproauto, our dealerships offer a 360-degree, multi-brand, one-stop-shop solution for nearly all customers, all vehicles and all brands.”
So the new parts line isn’t restricted to Chrysler and Ram vehicles.
Initially, bproauto will offer parts in 30 different categories, mainly those most commonly replaced, such as oil and filters, brake pads and rotors, batteries and some common wear components like ball joints and injectors. But Stellantis is promising the availability list will eventually grow. And all bproauto parts will be available through Chrysler dealerships.
The company says this parts line has been available for decades in Europe, South America and elsewhere. Although these components will typically cost less than original Mopar or OEM parts from other brands, they will still carry a two-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.
If you’re a Dodge purist, don’t worry. Mopar isn’t going away any time soon. It will remain the true, full-price OEM replacement parts line.
