Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chrysler, LLC., Daimler, Dodge
Officially official: Challenger a "Go"!
As we reported yesterday, the Dodge Challenger was officially given a green light for production today. The announcement was made by Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda before the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway. After 35-years off the market, the Dodge Challenger will return in 2008 as a 2008 model.
LaSorda commented that the company hadn't seen this kind of "spontaneous, passionate response to a car," since the Dodge Viper concept debuted back in 1989. No other concrete details about the production Challenger were given, like what engine will find its way under the hood and to what type of transmission it will be mated.
Chrysler's full press release with a nice history of the original Challenger can be found after the jump...
[Source: Chrysler]
Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda Says Dodge Challenger Is a "Go"
Nearly 35 Years Later, Dodge Challenger Returns as the Ultimate Modern American Muscle Coupe
- Unprecedented public response to Challenger concept leads to "green light" decision for production
- Chrysler Group COO Eric Ridenour says concept-to-production success story highlights focus on speed-to-market
Auburn Hills, Mich., Jul 1, 2006 - Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda today announced that Dodge Challenger will return to production after a nearly 35-year hiatus. The all-new Dodge Challenger will debut as a 2008 model in calendar-year 2008.
The announcement was made shortly before the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Driving out with the Dodge Challenger was Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour.
"We haven't seen this kind of spontaneous, passionate response to a car since we unveiled the Dodge Viper concept in 1989," said LaSorda. "But it's easy to see what people like about the Dodge Challenger. It's bold, powerful and capable. It's a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars, and sets a new standard for pure 'pony car' performance."
The Dodge Challenger will feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the 1970s.
"We drew on the rich heritage of the Dodge Challenger, but with contemporary forms and technologies," said Ridenour. "It's not just a re-creation; it's a reinterpretation."
Dodge's "Pony Car" in the 1970s
The Dodge Challenger made its debut in the fall of 1969 as a 1970 model. While it shared the "E-body" platform with the Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger's wheelbase was two inches longer, creating more interior space.
The Dodge Challenger was originally offered as either a two-door hardtop or convertible. And, befitting the brand's performance heritage, the Dodge Challenger also went racing in its first year, competing most notably in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock class.
Although it was produced only from 1970 to 1974, the Dodge Challenger earned a reputation as one of the most desirable of the original "pony cars," with meticulously restored and rare examples today selling for six-figure prices.
In its first year, Dodge Challenger was offered in a limited-edition T/A model to meet homologation requirements for SCCA Trans-Am racing. In 1971, a Dodge Challenger paced the Indianapolis 500 race. New front-end styling in 1972 featured a larger, "egg-crate" grille. In April 1974, Challenger production ceased. Over a five-year span, approximately 188,600 Dodge Challengers were sold.
The Dodge Challenger is another chapter in Chrysler Group's long history of bringing concepts quickly to production, including the Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Jeep® Compass.
"Our product development system allows us to quickly turn concepts into high-quality production vehicles," said Ridenour. "We're justifiably proud of our speed to market, and Dodge Challenger is the latest example of our focus on getting gotta-have-it vehicles to our customers."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris 2:35PM (7/01/2006)
Looks like GM will be a year or two late to the party when both Ford and DCX will have already saturated the market with retro muscle cars.
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iQuack 2:37PM (7/01/2006)
OK, here's what'll happen: The Challenger will be introduced and the gotta have it folks will overpay for this impractical revival of a car that was only mediocre 35 years ago.
Then sales will fall like a stone after the gotta have its have theirs.
Thunderbird anyone?
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friko 2:49PM (7/01/2006)
The Thunderbird wasn't practical at all, and its performance was subpar, there is no comparison at all.
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RJ 3:00PM (7/01/2006)
Im thinking this will be in a different class than a mustang GT or a base v8 camaro. I predict the cost of it to be $35-40,000 with the srt8 engine.
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TJ Hooker 3:03PM (7/01/2006)
Not only was the performance of the T-bird subpar the car itself was downright ugly. Now the Challenger on the other hand captures the pure performance look and feel of the original Challenger. Alot of car buffs will despute this, but when you go to the classic car auctions the Hemi powered Challengers and Cuda's bring in the big bucks.
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Dodge Challenger 3:08PM (7/01/2006)
xj29j8 posted some pics from the announcement here:
http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11042#post11042
And theres a ton more info for all you Challenger fans here:
http://www.challengertalk.com
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carbuzzard 3:55PM (7/01/2006)
What? No Barracuda? Oh, yeah. No Plymouth.
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Tim 4:18PM (7/01/2006)
Just like the 60's...Mustang will sell more than all its competitors combined. Cars like these may top it in hp or torque, but its out of reach pricewise for the general public and thus large-scale production is not feasible. This car is less for profit than it is too draw people to the dealors. Car is highly attractive, unlike the new camaro concept.
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Smoove D 5:02PM (7/01/2006)
I won't be trading in my Acura.
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Jeff Banks 5:31PM (7/01/2006)
Hmmm...looks way too close to the Magnum/Charger/300M stuff already out there. I also agree that the Camaro concept kinda sucks, and looks badly proportioned. Mustang is still the best looking of the three. It was in the 60's and 70's too.
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Jaymez 5:46PM (7/01/2006)
This will come out around the same time my truck is paid off. I *WANT* one. After test driving a Magnum yesterday, my mind is set on getting a Challenger, provided it's priced right. As long as I can get a stripped* down, V8, manual, for less than $30,000 OTD, I will be buying one.
*I hate all the BS options they put in new cars. I want manual windows, bench seats, no console, no power locks, with an FM radio. No CD. No MP3. Just a bare bones, minimal equipment ride. Give it a posi rearend and A/C and I'll be happy.
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Aaron 5:58PM (7/01/2006)
Great to see. This will be a halo car. Ford NEEDS mustang sales as they always have. I would suspect the challenger will be low volume high power (which they can do basing it off of the LX - LY platform).. The market for welfare v6 muscle wanabes can stay with Ford (70% of stangsd are the AIDS ridden v6s that you see at airport rental lots). I'm not sure there is a tonne of production capacity to make a high volume challenger. In any case, thumbs up!
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John Cressy 6:03PM (7/01/2006)
Just for the looks alone I'd buy one. Even if they put the 3.7L V-6 truck engine in it. Maybe with 230 HP and a stick.
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Roy 6:03PM (7/01/2006)
I won't be trading in my Aztek. :-)
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xtracrispy 6:21PM (7/01/2006)
10: you really should.
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Nate Wesley 8:11PM (7/01/2006)
And just how is this car supposed to pry me out of the Mitsubishi Evo or the Subaru WRX I own in my dreams?
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Chris 8:33PM (7/01/2006)
It defeats all with racing stripes Nate. They give it 1000hp to the maxxx!!
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Alex Zhao 8:59PM (7/01/2006)
this has been known for quite some time. EA games already has developed their next game in the need for speed series called carbon.
http://www.ea.com/nfs/carbon/us/
this trailer shows the new challenger in action. EA does not use unlicensed cars.
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Ken 12:49AM (7/02/2006)
Roy... # 12.... that is a good one. Aztec... one of the worlds most butt ugly cars er ahhhh truck or whatever it was!! So... your comment is humerous. But... as much as I do like the Mustang.... I do like the looks of the Challenger.
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AAM 1:09AM (7/02/2006)
Having owned the original, I know a thing or two about what it *should* be. I agree with some of the other posters in here. They will overprice it. The folks in HQ are too insulated from the rest of us to know how to price these things. If they knew their history as well as they can copy it they'd know these were priced as "secretarys' cars" with 6 cylinders in them. (ok, e-bodies had the 318) this led to a more reasonable entry point for us workin' folk. And 25 years ago this car wasn't mediocre "quack", with a 440 stick you had to be careful about the revs or you'd be on the wrong side of the speed limit, even with a couple of large servicemen in it. One time I did a coast-down test on it. That bullet shape was as functional as it looked. Bet the new car doesn't, it looks too "stubby" from the pics I've seen so far.
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