Filed under: Economy, Chrysler, LLC., Daimler, Dodge, Misc. Auto Shows
Chrysler set to reveal new model at Woodward
Information is more than scant, but Chrysler will be kicking off the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise by pulling the wraps off a new vehicle later this morning. Not just any new vehicle, but a limited production model. Judging from the fact that Larry Lyons, VP for the FWD product team, will be in attendance, our money's on the Caliber SRT-4, which we've seen before at shows and been promised in showrooms before the year's out. Woodward is a good place to unveil such a vehicle as the Caliber SRT-4 with its performance bent and 280 nasty horses funneling through the front wheels. The Caliber's forebear, the Neon, already established the SRT moniker as a furious buzzbomb to be reckoned with, and the SRT's certainly got more powder in the charge. We should note, however, that Chrysler has unveiled a special edition model right before the Dream Cruise for a few years in a row now, and in the past it's always a special edition of the PT Cruiser. We think it will be the Caliber SRT-4 this time, but we could be wrong. What we find most amusing is that the unveiling will take place at an Irish pub. At 8:30AM. Right on.
UPDATE: We're wrong. It's the PT Cruiser Sunset Boulevard edition.
[Source: TAC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
iOrange 1:12AM (8/14/2007)
I was home for the weekend last weekend and had a chance to take my sister's Caliber out for a spin to run some errands.. while I HATE the cvt transmission and the interior is cheap, I didn't think it was as horrible of car as it has been made out to be.. don't get me wrong I will take my 5 door SVT Focus, or a Mazda3 wagon without a passing thought over the Caliber but for someone like my sister who beats the heck out of her cars she loves her car.. Now 280hp may make me change my mind..
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Mattias 1:39AM (8/14/2007)
Why FWD only? The Lancer EVO uses the same platform and is AWD!?
You Americans seem just need to go fast on your quite straight quarter mile.
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Mr. Oak 10:41AM (8/14/2007)
Shut up!! What is the cost of the EVO? what is the cost of this car? You freaking jack-offs are annoying.
See the trouble VW is having selling cars here? they priced themselves out of their customary market. I would pay 17,000 to 22,000 max for a Caliber. Don't give a damn what you put in it, that what I'd be willing to spend.
You add awd, 6speed gearbox with titanium paddle shifters, this thing will start approaching 30,000.00.
Chrysler would not be able to move these things.
Dan Roth 11:14AM (8/14/2007)
Some of "Us Americans" also like cars that handle. Drag racing is one of the most boring things I can fathom. AWD would push the price of the SRT Caliber up quite a bit.
Taken for what it is, an inexpensive entry-level rocket, the Caliber's got a thing goin' on, torque steer is forgiveable for what you pay and what it can do. My S60 T5 torque steers like a pig, too, and it's terribly unacceptable in that expensive EUROPEAN car - see, it's not just an American thing. Ever drive a Viggen?
vdk 12:19PM (8/14/2007)
MR. Oak: Okay. First of all you gotta admit 280 on the front wheels it's kinda pushing it... you'll spin your tires in 1st and 2nd for sure... and that thing will fight like a bull trying to go anywhere but straight ahead. It's plainly stupid, but it's good if you want to commit suicide or something. I'll have my 200hp GTI which will own your SRT through the twisties...
Have fun Mr. Oak, and don't tell people to shut up, it just shows how (un)civilized you are. And excuse me, when was the last time a US manufacturer made a car that actually corners? Oh, it hasn't happened yet.
Brooksie 3:23PM (8/15/2007)
280 through the front WHEEL, not wheels.
Its got an open differential.
Dylan 1:59AM (8/14/2007)
A limited edition piece crap is still just a piece of crap, there's just less people that have it which probably means there will be less recalls.
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iamhoff 3:13AM (8/14/2007)
Whatever the car, there's something cosmically right with having it at an Irish pub at 8:30 a.m.
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Nick 4:10AM (8/14/2007)
Having the SRT-4 as FWD only is about as sensible as chopping off your testicles just because you're bored. The Caliber as it stands is a rather humdrum affair, but with 280 horses and -AWD-, it would have caught my eye, not to mention it would have taken away some thunder from the upcoming HHR SS.
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Blake 4:41AM (8/14/2007)
Buzzbomb, Buzzbomb, macho-mobile. The road's my slave, that's how I feel.
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FThorn 7:09AM (8/14/2007)
Uh, it is (will be) the PT Cruiser. (Dream Cruiser)
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georgejetson 7:24AM (8/14/2007)
Yep. Just another paint-and-badge job on the PT.
FThorn 9:55AM (8/14/2007)
and here it is
http://jalopnik.com/cars/woodward-dream-cruise/chrysler-to-reveal-2008-pt-cruiser-sunset-boulevard-edition-on-woodward-avenue-this-morning-289172.php
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070814/FREE/70814001/1024
M Bell 1:17PM (8/14/2007)
Wow, I'm underwhelmed. Look, fabulous new features include a Chrysler badge on the grille! I'd probably be more impressed by that if the car wasn't a Chrysler. Analogue Clock - STANDARD. 22HP motor - STANDARD. Map light - STANDARD. And ooh! Sixteen-inch wheels! Sixteen! That's right on the cutting edge of late-1990s style!
Actually, at a closer glance, can anyone actually confirm that those are chrome wheels? They look remarkably like those chrome-painted Wal-Mart hubcaps you can buy for $19.95. Maybe they are... can you upgrade to chrome-painted "spinners" for an extra $10? Somebody check the option packages.
Jugomugo 9:06AM (8/14/2007)
Yawn.
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RicardoHead 9:09AM (8/14/2007)
Addendum to Press Release:
To show Cerberus' commitment to improved quality, the supplier for the interior has been changed from Tupperware to Gladware. Rubbermaid was briefly considered but it was learned the products are sourced in the USA and not in China, which thus means the quality is too high for the new Chrysler.
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Icon149 11:29AM (8/14/2007)
hahaha Sad but true, especially the china bit.
Joe 11:18AM (8/14/2007)
I agree totally. I had the (dis)pleasure of having a Caliber SXT as a rental a few weeks ago. The car had 4 miles on it when I got it. 4 miles. The engine stalled out if you have the A/C on, with the car at idle, and the steering wheel turned off-center. The interior plastic was harder than the case of my computer. The center console, with the sliding top doesn't lock, so each time you accelerate, your arm slides rear-ward, and vice versa. Also, Chrysler's interior ergonomics are so bad, you could barely see the gauges through the steering wheel. The CVT transmission sucked, and banged constantly, and the shifter is awkwardly placed. On a scale of 1-10, with a 10 being a Mazda 3, and a 1 being a Yugo, I'd rate the Caliber as a 3, at best. Also, the Charger is not far ahead of that.
1337 10:18AM (8/14/2007)
It seems like Cerberus is trying to go back to Chrysler's roots--awful cars at low prices. Wait, DiamlerChrysler did that too...
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whofan 10:08PM (8/15/2007)
If Roadrunner, Charger, GTX, Challenger, Demond, Daytona, 300, Cuda is what we get so be it.
Chryslers` roots aren`t bad.