Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Dodge
Dodge Challenger production decision by fall
Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda says the company may have a go/no-go production decision on the Dodge Challenger, a concept car hit of the Detroit auto show (above), as early as September.
It's been widely assumed that the Challenger was destined for production, to take advantage of the resurgent interest in muscle cars triggered by Ford's hugely popular new Mustang. Not only does the Chrysler group have a history of bringing low-volume, niche-market vehicles to production, but the Challenger also can be based on the existing platform and powertrain underpinning the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Dodge Challenger, which should help make the Challenger a profitable venture.
[Source: Autoweek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Lee Gibson 5:03PM (6/19/2006)
*yawn* Build it, or don't. Stop jawing about when you might think about maybe building it, or maybe not.
Wake me up when I can buy one.
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James 5:05PM (6/19/2006)
CEO Tom LaSorda? Does he say anything about "the Great Dodge In the Sky?"
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Scott Eaton 5:13PM (6/19/2006)
I vote NO GO. I think it's just too dated (i.e. "retro") to sustain interest for very long at all, and frankly, I'm glad the Seventies are behind us.
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Chris J 5:18PM (6/19/2006)
#3 Just like the HHR or PT Cruiser? Both very retro looking and still selling.
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jim 5:34PM (6/19/2006)
I am w/Lee(#1)on this.tell us you are going to build it or tell us you are not. The days of dragging out concept cars and milking the presss and the consumer public are long gone. Between product life cycles getting shorter,CAD design,and the influence of Asian and European Oem's willing to contest tenths of a percent in market share Chrysler needs to poop or get of the pot as does the General and FMC. Is retro the correct direction?...not sure and this from a guy who drives a 64.5 Mustang Fastback. Can a unit like this carry a company...doubt it. Illustrating that the Domestics still have a soul and passion...absofrick'nlutly. Only they can decide on the bottom line. However if they had not squandered past opportunities to develop a broad, encompassing productline no domestic would be in the position of looking for home runs when a series of base hits could have carried the day.
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Lucas 5:38PM (6/19/2006)
"Just like the HHR or PT Cruiser? Both very retro looking and still selling."
I think hes thinking more like the Ford Thunderbird and the SSR... Retro can sell well if done right(Mustang, Mini), but it's not a "get out of jail for free card" for a bad product. People like the Mustang because it evokes 70s style in the way it looks, but it's not anywhere near a 70s product. It is a throughly modern, livable car. The new Challenger will not just have to look good and be fast, but also handle well, and be refined and reliable to sell well. Sure, some people will buy it regardless (the same people who own fully restored musclecars that ride like a brick and don't stop and turn worth anything and say they are the greatest cars ever made) but "some people" is not enough for companies in crisis mode.
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Richard Warren 5:45PM (6/19/2006)
The markets there, just build the damn thing.
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laserwizard 6:19PM (6/19/2006)
Considerably nicer than that mutt Camaro concept with that awful interior. Build it, GM. Then take one and run over Robert Putz and his boy Wagoner - the dynamic dunces over at GM.
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Bob 6:19PM (6/19/2006)
If they say no to it, its because the market is about to be saturated with too many muscle cars. Once a certain groups buys 100,000 Camaros and 125,000 Mustangs (if both is possible) there is not much left over for the MOPAR. Its not like they sold a ton of Challengers in the 70's in the first place.
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Paul 6:24PM (6/19/2006)
Sooo what about the camaro production model?
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James Fabin 6:45PM (6/19/2006)
Here is a video of the concept car being driven by the CarTV team: http://www.cartv.com/content/research/channels/index.cfm/channel/cartv_video/action/showvideo/vid/r_0199/vcat/Review/pagenum/1/make/Dodge/MAKE_VCH/Dodge
I say build it!
James
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Doug Johnson 6:53PM (6/19/2006)
talk ..talk ..talk remind me of women Stop talking about it and build it already. You know we want it.
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edmund 7:09PM (6/19/2006)
"...underpinning the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Dodge Challenger"
I think you meant "...and Dodge Charger."
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mike 8:23PM (6/19/2006)
Well, #2 its not dated yet. but by the time it makes its way to a showroom it will be. and so will all of the buzz and some of the potential buyers will have long moved on to some other joy.
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madmaxmedia 8:31PM (6/19/2006)
Re: #6 (HHR, PT Cruiser, Thunderbird, SSR)
That's a valid point. But I think the big difference between those cars is that the HHR, PT Cruiser, and Mustang are relatively practical, affordable cars.
The Thunderbird and SSR weren't. I think if the Thunderbird had rear seats it would have sold a lot better (maybe not possible with the design.)
I think the Challenger could end up in the first group if it is not priced too highly. It has to be within shouting distance of the Mustang for it to work IMO.
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hmmm 10:04PM (6/19/2006)
are these guys drinking at the same water cooler as the SMART car guys that constantly say a decision will be made soon as to import the smart car or not ??? YAWN ! my biggest problem with there thoughts is that they said the challenger will be a bit bigger than the mustang so it will cost alot more ! WTF ? its based on a mass produced carline already and the tooling for alot of the parts is already there, bring that damn car out cheaper than the stang and watch sales fly off the charts !!!
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Zo 10:28PM (6/19/2006)
Daimler-Benz purchased MOPAR but has never done anything with the company. Hear is a real chance to actually use some of that German know-how.
What makes a Benz, BMW or Audi great is that they look civil on the outside and handle on rails when pushed. Here the challenger looks like a monster on the outside, its the driving that I am not sure about.
Can they make a car that can go in another direction other than straight? I am thinking BMW M5-like performance for a car that is sub-40k.
Make it the average guys Viper and they will sell like hotcakes. It has to be tame enough to be a daily driver and then come the weekend it has to be the ultimate street rod.
I don't know if MOPAR has it in them. The car is going to be front heavy and probably have monster push in the corners. I doubt they will give it a 50/50 balance. The suspension will be rock hard and it will have big displacement without any agility. It will be a great idea but will never fullfill what it could have been. American car companies have become the could'a, would'a, should'a car companies and can't seem to get all the pieces correct because they lack vision and have forgotten how to dream
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gbh 12:27AM (6/20/2006)
More changes of direction than a Roomba.
If they keep this up, the Chinese will be knocking it off before Chrysler even starts building it.
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beken 2:05PM (6/20/2006)
Huh??? They still haven't decided???? No wonder the American car manufacturers continue to be in trouble. No product no sales. No sales, no revenue.
You're still evaluating the market? What are all those PHD Sales and Marketing people doing?
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Dodge Challenger 2:30PM (6/20/2006)
I would be shocked if the Challenger did not get the production green light. I think the biggest question would be if they are only going to offer V8 variants. I think to get the volume necessary, they will need to have a V6 base model.
Check out: http://www.challengertalk.com
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