OCBob
VIPER POWERED
Money isnt everything, but neither is poverty... just ask GM, Ford and any number of rival automakers struggling to make ends meet despite strong overall automotive sales. Amongst the winners, flush with cash and celebrating another record year (despite slower sales and high inventory levels for the first half of this year) is Chrysler Group, pumping out new vehicle after new vehicle with the brash confidence of LeBron James shooting hoops; its latest Dodge Caliber selling so well that dealers cant get enough to keep up with demand. Chryslers 300C is still the value leader among entry-level luxury offerings and one of the coolest cars on the road, while a dozen SRT models, from the soon-to-be-released 300-horsepower Caliber SRT4 to the all-powerful Ram SRT10 and Viper supercar are the envy of every rival brand. And the best part of the story is there are a number of holes in its Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineup still needing to be filled.
Next on the horizon, after the Nitro, a new midsize 4x4-capable SUV based on a stretched Jeep Liberty architecture is released to new vehicle buyers later this year, and Jeeps new Compass gets a compact companion dubbed Patriot in alignment with the brands all-American marketing bravado, performance car fans will be able to relive the glory years of the late 60s and early 70s by opting for a two-door sports coupe with decidedly retro appeal. Designed to lure in Mopar muscle car loyalists and newbies alike, a new extremely hot Dodge Challenger is on the way.
Yes, its odd that a major new product initiative is announced on a Saturday, but in the case of Challenger, introducing it at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, home to the Pepsi 400 NASCAR event, made perfect sense. The color of the winning car was picture perfect, a bright orange two-door coupe (or at least it looks like it has two doors), but unfortunately for Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda who made the announcement and Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour who drove a concept version of the car out for the unveiling, Tony Stewarts winning ride wore a bowtie.
Chryslers execs can be proud of the Dodge brand, mind you, as it has a legacy of top-tier racing cars to pull from, the Challenger being one of its most prominent. A special limited-edition T/A model first competed in 1970, the model year it debuted, in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod events. The car also paced the Indianapolis 500 race, host venue for this weekends F1 carnage, but more noted for that annual 500 lap race that incidentally originally ran Grand Prix (F1) drivers and cars.
The powers that be arent saying whether or not the production Challenger will mirror the concepts styling cues, but its safe to believe the road car will be very close. In a release timed with the announcement, Chrysler stated that the Challenger will "feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the 1970s." Such a description befits the concept as well, as do LaSordas thoughts on the subject.
"We drew on the rich heritage of the Dodge Challenger, but with contemporary forms and technologies," commented LaSorda. "Its not just a re-creation; its a reinterpretation."
If Dodge stays close to the concept cars styling, "unveiled" earlier this year in Detroit after the poorest enforcement of a media embargo ever, fans of traditional Mopar muscle will be lining up in droves to sign on the dotted line and lay out what should be more money than a base Ford Mustang, its pony car rival. Why more money?
The concept Challenger rides on a version of Chrysler Groups LX architecture, the underpinnings for the 300, plus Dodge Charger and Magnum (originally sourced from Mercedes-Benzs E-Class), which if carried forward to production trim will result in a sophisticated independent suspension setup albeit a much heavier curb weight than its blue-oval competitor. When the concept debuted even those at the top levels of Chrysler Group management were openly speculative about its potential for production, unsure whether they should take the Mustang route (Ford sold 166,000 units in the new models first year) with a high-volume V6-powered entry-level model plus additional racier versions with R/T and SRT monikers, or simply a single low-volume, high-powered SRT variant.
Such a low-volume car, or the SRT flagship of a higher production series, will feature a version of Chrysler Groups 425-horsepower 6.1-liter HEMI or possibly something with even greater displacement; in perfect harmony with the original all-powerful 426 Hemi. It also makes sense that a 5.7-liter HEMI will be made available featuring somewhere in the neighborhood of 350-horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, and probably dubbed with the R/T moniker. And what about an entry-level model? Dodges Challenger strategy is as yet unknown, but now with the addition of a new 255-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 with 265 lb-ft of torque (which no doubt could be tweaked for more) to the Chryco mix, just introduced in the 2007 Pacifica mid-cycle upgrade, plus a well-proven five- and all-new six-speed automatic available plus any number of manual gearboxes at their disposal, it might make sense to offer a high-volume Challenger. While it might not sell at the rate of the new Mustang, it would hold its own in the Dodge family and offer dealers one more reason to celebrate. A low-volume model would be good for the brands overall image, but in reality another halo car isnt all that necessary within a range that starts with the Caliber, passes by the Charger, Magnum, Nitro and Durango on the way up to the Ram and Viper.
Then again, the Challenger is hardly a "necessary" car (if you dont factor in that it would be a gross error not to join the pony car slamfest with Chevy looking prepared to throw a new Camaro into the ring), but more like a reward to Chrysler Groups engineers, designers and loyal customers alike for making it the only profitable Big 3 automaker. Those customers were the reason the car got the green light, the response in Detroit and auto shows that followed being extremely good.
"We havent seen this kind of spontaneous, passionate response to a car since we unveiled the Dodge Viper concept in 1989," said LaSorda. "But its easy to see what people like about the Dodge Challenger. Its bold, powerful and capable. Its a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars, and sets a new standard for pure pony car performance."
Next on the horizon, after the Nitro, a new midsize 4x4-capable SUV based on a stretched Jeep Liberty architecture is released to new vehicle buyers later this year, and Jeeps new Compass gets a compact companion dubbed Patriot in alignment with the brands all-American marketing bravado, performance car fans will be able to relive the glory years of the late 60s and early 70s by opting for a two-door sports coupe with decidedly retro appeal. Designed to lure in Mopar muscle car loyalists and newbies alike, a new extremely hot Dodge Challenger is on the way.
Yes, its odd that a major new product initiative is announced on a Saturday, but in the case of Challenger, introducing it at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, home to the Pepsi 400 NASCAR event, made perfect sense. The color of the winning car was picture perfect, a bright orange two-door coupe (or at least it looks like it has two doors), but unfortunately for Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda who made the announcement and Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour who drove a concept version of the car out for the unveiling, Tony Stewarts winning ride wore a bowtie.
Chryslers execs can be proud of the Dodge brand, mind you, as it has a legacy of top-tier racing cars to pull from, the Challenger being one of its most prominent. A special limited-edition T/A model first competed in 1970, the model year it debuted, in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod events. The car also paced the Indianapolis 500 race, host venue for this weekends F1 carnage, but more noted for that annual 500 lap race that incidentally originally ran Grand Prix (F1) drivers and cars.
The powers that be arent saying whether or not the production Challenger will mirror the concepts styling cues, but its safe to believe the road car will be very close. In a release timed with the announcement, Chrysler stated that the Challenger will "feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the 1970s." Such a description befits the concept as well, as do LaSordas thoughts on the subject.
"We drew on the rich heritage of the Dodge Challenger, but with contemporary forms and technologies," commented LaSorda. "Its not just a re-creation; its a reinterpretation."
If Dodge stays close to the concept cars styling, "unveiled" earlier this year in Detroit after the poorest enforcement of a media embargo ever, fans of traditional Mopar muscle will be lining up in droves to sign on the dotted line and lay out what should be more money than a base Ford Mustang, its pony car rival. Why more money?
The concept Challenger rides on a version of Chrysler Groups LX architecture, the underpinnings for the 300, plus Dodge Charger and Magnum (originally sourced from Mercedes-Benzs E-Class), which if carried forward to production trim will result in a sophisticated independent suspension setup albeit a much heavier curb weight than its blue-oval competitor. When the concept debuted even those at the top levels of Chrysler Group management were openly speculative about its potential for production, unsure whether they should take the Mustang route (Ford sold 166,000 units in the new models first year) with a high-volume V6-powered entry-level model plus additional racier versions with R/T and SRT monikers, or simply a single low-volume, high-powered SRT variant.
Such a low-volume car, or the SRT flagship of a higher production series, will feature a version of Chrysler Groups 425-horsepower 6.1-liter HEMI or possibly something with even greater displacement; in perfect harmony with the original all-powerful 426 Hemi. It also makes sense that a 5.7-liter HEMI will be made available featuring somewhere in the neighborhood of 350-horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, and probably dubbed with the R/T moniker. And what about an entry-level model? Dodges Challenger strategy is as yet unknown, but now with the addition of a new 255-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 with 265 lb-ft of torque (which no doubt could be tweaked for more) to the Chryco mix, just introduced in the 2007 Pacifica mid-cycle upgrade, plus a well-proven five- and all-new six-speed automatic available plus any number of manual gearboxes at their disposal, it might make sense to offer a high-volume Challenger. While it might not sell at the rate of the new Mustang, it would hold its own in the Dodge family and offer dealers one more reason to celebrate. A low-volume model would be good for the brands overall image, but in reality another halo car isnt all that necessary within a range that starts with the Caliber, passes by the Charger, Magnum, Nitro and Durango on the way up to the Ram and Viper.
Then again, the Challenger is hardly a "necessary" car (if you dont factor in that it would be a gross error not to join the pony car slamfest with Chevy looking prepared to throw a new Camaro into the ring), but more like a reward to Chrysler Groups engineers, designers and loyal customers alike for making it the only profitable Big 3 automaker. Those customers were the reason the car got the green light, the response in Detroit and auto shows that followed being extremely good.
"We havent seen this kind of spontaneous, passionate response to a car since we unveiled the Dodge Viper concept in 1989," said LaSorda. "But its easy to see what people like about the Dodge Challenger. Its bold, powerful and capable. Its a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars, and sets a new standard for pure pony car performance."
