Dodge Challenger is a “Go” Says Chrysler CEO LaSorda
Money isn’t 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 can’t get enough to keep up with demand. Chrysler’s 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 4×4-capable SUV based on a stretched Jeep Liberty architecture is released to new vehicle buyers later this year, and Jeep’s new Compass gets a compact companion dubbed Patriot in alignment with the brand’s 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, it’s 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 colour 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 Stewart’s winning ride wore a bowtie.
Chrysler’s 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 weekend’s 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 aren’t saying whether or not the production Challenger will mirror the concept’s styling cues, but it’s 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 LaSorda’s thoughts on the subject.
“We drew on the rich heritage of the Dodge Challenger, but with contemporary forms and technologies,” commented LaSorda. “It’s not just a re-creation; it’s a reinterpretation.”
If Dodge stays close to the concept car’s 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 Group’s LX architecture, the underpinnings for the 300, plus Dodge Charger and Magnum (originally sourced from Mercedes-Benz’s 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 model’s 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 Group’s 425-horsepower 6.1-litre 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-litre HEMI will be made available featuring somewhere in the neighbourhood of 350-horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, and probably dubbed with the R/T moniker. And what about an entry-level model? Dodge’s Challenger strategy is as yet unknown, but now with the addition of a new 255-horsepower 4.0-litre 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 brand’s overall image, but in reality another halo car isn’t 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 don’t factor in that it would be a gross error not to join the pony car slamfest with Chevy about to throw a new Camaro into the ring), but more like a reward to Chrysler Group’s 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 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.”
How long will these customers have to wait? Well, it’s been 35 years in the making, so another year or so shouldn’t cause anyone too much mental strain. It will debut in 2008 as a 2008 model, which means we should see the production model in Detroit, January 2008, with a production version to follow shortly thereafter.
This poses an extremely short concept-to-reality timeline, a pattern started with models like the Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler and Chrysler PT Cruiser.
“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.”
Other than the Viper and to some extent the Prowler, the rest of the cars on Chrysler’s list, which also included the Jeep Compass (although the production version looks so different from the concept only the name and traditional Jeep grille and headlight treatment remains similar) have all be developed off of existing Chrysler Group architecture, strengthening the hypothesis that the Challenger will be built off of LX underpinnings.
While Chrysler Group is strong overall, Dodge is its strongest brand thanks to high-volume vehicles such as the Caliber, Dakota, Caravan and Ram. The new Nitro will only add to this momentum, and a replacement of the aging U.S.-only Stratus based on the all-new 2007 Chrysler Sebring will bolster its midsize sedan sales - the Charger is simply too large for more fuel conscious sedan buyers.
Globally, Dodge sold 1.4 million vehicles in 2005, with 10 percent (141,931 units) delivered to Canadian customers, making it the number five nameplate in the U.S. The Ram comprises 16 percent of the truck market, a substantial amount but nowhere near as strong as Ford or GM, while the Caravan accounts for 22 percent of the van market stateside - not what it once was but nevertheless impressive. Dodge’s weakness is in cars, at only 5 percent of the market, but to be fair its Caliber wasn’t available last year and Charger only came onto the scene in the fall. Magnum targets a smaller niche, and considering this has fared well. Overall, Dodge holds 7 percent of the U.S. market.
In Canada that number rises to 8.6 percent, mostly due to its total domination of 37.8 percent of the minivan market. The Canadian division does better selling trucks at 8.9 percent, but overall only 2.3 percent market share.
While a new Challenger probably won’t expand the brand’s sales noticeably, it will pull eyeballs towards Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep showrooms, which can hardly be a bad thing.