Dodge introduces Charger hybrid - kind of
In my opinion, this is the coolest print ad I've seen since the "Lord Vader" ad for the 1994 Chevy Impala SS. It should probably go without saying that the Prius crowd isn't really amused, but I'm guessing that the average Charger Hemi buyer won't let that bother them too much.







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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Smoove D 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Ha! That is hilarious. It is also mighty effective, as I wanted one for a second. Then I remembered it was an American car.
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Mal Fuller 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
If this ad doesn't amuse the "Prius Crowd" then they really are a humorless bunch!
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MikeCapone 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
If you actually follow the link, you'll see that many of the "Prius crowd" are amused:
"Yea, but how many miles per tire does it get?"
"At least it's somewhat amusing :)"
"I'm a hybrid driver: I burn gas AND Car and Driver magizines."
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7of7 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I don't think they should be proud that the POS Hemi engine is so poorly built that it actually burns through it's gaskets and hoses as well as all that $3 a gallon gas.
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Motorin' 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
LOL. That is a pretty good ad.
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iQuack 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Clever ad that will amuse more than annoy; the feel-good greenies deserve to be annoyed, anyway.
Nobody seriously considering a Hemi Charger is likely to be shopping for a Prius, so the ad is targeted perfectly IMO.
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Rick 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
When I saw that in a magazine, I thought the ad was hilarious. Look, the fact is that car is made for peeling out. Why not sell it in a funny way. Bravo, Dodge.
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Homer 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I think that Dodge is making a mistake with this; ok, the people who are in the market for a Charger-esque car are going to be amused and the people who are in the market for a Prius, Dodge doesn't care about them. But the huge middle part. I think they run the risk of having people notice the glaring hole in the Dodge-Chrysler lineup right now. They have very few cars that are good on MPG. Yeah, the Caliber is coming, but it's not yet here. They have a ton of Hemi-branded vehicles, trucks with Cummins TDs and huge V8s, but I think the environmentally conscientious, but not tree-hugging consumer may think twice about purchasing a Dodge. In as many words, Dodge is saying "We don't give a sh!t about the environment."
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MikeCapone 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
With the price of the barrel of oil soon busting $70 (remember when people couldn't believe it was at - OMG - $45!!!), I wonder think that Chrysler will soon realize that it won't be able to make up for lost sales with huge discounts and "emotional/clever" ads for ever.
Oh well. Survival of the fittest.
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Robert 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
"Lord Vader, your car is ready"
Great call Eric. I'm still amazed how some styling tweaks and a good V8 turned the bloated whale Caprice into a car to lust for.
Homer, I don’t believe the average car buyer puts as much thought into it as you or I do probably do. Where are all the Prius owners complaining about the abysmal MPG of Toyota’s truck lineup?
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MikeCapone 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
"Where are all the Prius owners complaining about the abysmal MPG of Toyota’s truck lineup?"
They do complain about it, and Toyota is planning a hybrid pickup next.
But I think that if things are put in perspective, Toyota's trucks get better fuel economy than trucks of a similar size by the Big 3 (AFAIK).
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Dale 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Got 25 MPG (calculated, not estimated) MPG in my V6 magnum on the last tank.
Not bad for something it's size I think.
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Devin Lussier 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
As the owner of a 35MPG Hyundai Elantra and future owner of a hybrid, I find this ad hilarious. Good on Dodge for sticking to their guns and being honest.
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Bob R 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
it took me a minute, to get the joke. (Sad.)
but only because DCX, and the automakers should make a hybird charger, also a hybird mustang, maybe a hybird vette.
I want everything, power and over 30 mpg. the automakers can do it, they need start making hybirds for everyone, not just the treehuggers.
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MikeCapone 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
#10,
Decent "for something its size" if those were mostly city miles, but if they were highway miles, that's barely acceptable IMO.
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JayP 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I think it's great. PC be dammed.
Hey- the mileage is plastered on the sticker. If you buy a Dodge Hemi, you're going in knowing the car isn't gonna get 40mpg.
If you want better mileage, buy something else. The market will adjust.
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Jaymez 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Hmmmm. Charger or Prius? Charger or Prius? Hell, no doubt about it. For my money, I'd much rather buy the Charger. Greenies and those that bitch about gas guzzlers can collectively Kiss My Ass. It's my money and I'll do what I want with it. Don't like it? Tough titty. I'm not telling them how to spend their cash.
I love the ad. It seems as though it'd be more appropriate for the GTO (Gas, Tires, Oil), but it's still great.
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MRWSM 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I find that GM vehicles I have owned get better mileage than foriegn jobs. I have a full size 2000 Bonneville with 130,000 miles that gets 34 MPG on long trips with 5 large people inside. I regularly get 28-30 MPG. I laugh when I here of a little Hyundai owner boasting he gets 35 MPG, driving a little puddle jumper and not getting any better mileage than me. My mother owns a larger Hyundai Sonata with a V-6 and only gets an average of 22 MPG, plus the car sucks in my opinion, damn ugly also.
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WolfgangNC 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I own an american V8 2-door (20mpg city/hwy) and an american owned import I4 5-door (30mpg city/hwy) and both serve my purpose in my family. The 4-banger is a point A to B car. And the V8 is when I go on trips and sunday afternoon drives. They are both functional and fun; but I don't think we need to all be buying V8's or I4's; because that's the fun part about cars...personality.
BTW, studies are out that say a car that gets roughly 30mpg is technically clear than a totally electric car. Reason, they still have to make the electricity the old fashioned way (oil, coal, water).
PS- I believe Toyota and the others that mass produce hybrids will be in for a rude awakening when hybrid owners start having battery problems and see the cost to replace it. Landfills will be to the peak with old batteries. Just a thought.
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CJS 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Has anyone in the hybrid crowd sat down to do the math on their beloved hybrid cars? With fuel prices as high as they are, paying the $3,000-4,000 premium for the hybrid over the comparable gasoline powered car doesn't make sense. At an average of 15,000 miles per year, one would have to drive a Prius nearly 8 years for the fuel savings to pay for the cost difference over a similarly equipped Corolla.
Until fuel becomes real expensive, buying a hybrid is nothing more than a feel good move for you tree huggers out there.
FYI: From first hand experience, a HEMI powered Charger/300 gets between 25-30 mpg on the highway.
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