Chrysler to announce...

[HEMEEE]

plans for new Challenger
Could it be ???

NEW YORK, June 29 (Reuters) -
The Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG is expected to announce on Friday a new Dodge Challenger coupe styled and named after the automaker's 1970s muscle car, The Wall Street Journal said.

The V8-powered Challenger won't be sold until next year, but Chrysler will promote the car this summer to try to pull customers into showrooms, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the company's plans.
Chrysler's announcement of the new Challenger tommorow at a Nascar race in Daytona Beach, Florida, was moved forward by several months in hopes it will create some buzz for the automaker, the newspaper's sources said.
Chrysler also is expected to unveil details an employee-pricing discount plan for consumers in a campaign that will feature DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche, the Journal said.

Zetsche discussed the campaign with reporters on Tuesday. The new incentive blitz will cut pricing for a limited time to a level company employees normally pay for most Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles, dealers in the know told the Journal.

Customers will be offered interest-free loans of up to 36 months and a guarantee that they can return vehicles in 30 days if they're not satisfied, the dealers said.

Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:10am ET
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And this....

Dodge Challenger's back
Muscle car is reborn

Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
Friday, June 30, 2006

Chrysler designers drew inspiration from a 1970 Challenger parked in the studio as they created the concept version.

Chrysler is crashing the muscle-car party with plans to build a production version of the Dodge Challenger coupe that debuted as a retro-styled concept car in January at the Detroit auto show.

The automaker plans to herald the return of the Challenger at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Fla., on Saturday, according to people familiar with the plans.
The Challenger concept, a rear-wheel drive coupe, drew raves from enthusiasts for its old-school looks and growling 425-horsepower V-8 engine.
"It's a pure retro car," said Csaba Csere, editor in chief of Car and Driver magazine. "It's a dead ringer for the original 1970 Challenger."

Chrysler plans to build the Dodge Challenger off the same basic chassis as its rear-drive Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. Both of those vehicles are built in Brampton, Ontario.

That will save both money and time. The Challenger could go into production by 2008, said one person familiar with the plans.

The Challenger is returning into what may be a new golden age for American muscle cars. The Ford Mustang has become a smash hit since a redesign last year that paid homage to classic versions of the pony car in the 1960s.
General Motors Corp. is widely expected to resurrect the Chevrolet Camaro -- which went out of production in 2002 -- in the next few years.

A striking concept version of the Camaro arguably drew even more attention and praise than the Challenger at the Detroit auto show this year.

Nostalgic made-in-Detroit sports cars are coming back at time when the flagging domestic auto industry could use a little of the old magic.
Chrysler designers drew inspiration from a 1970 Challenger parked in the studio as they created the concept version. Designers hewed closely to the original version but filed off some of the rough edges and added bigger wheels and a more refined interior. The concept sits on a 116-inch wheelbase, six inches longer than the original. And it's two inches wider, making it appear more squat and tough.

"The historical significance of the Challenger takes it back to the days when the Big Three dominated the highways," said Erich Merkle, an analyst with IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, who has closely followed the Challenger program. "The design represents a place where Japanese competitors can't follow."
Chrysler's top sales and marketing executive, Joe Eberhardt, has said in the past that a production version of the Challenger could be priced slightly higher than the Ford Mustang, which has a starting price of between $19,000 and $26,000 depending on engine choice and other options.

"One of the keys for Challenger will be pricing," Csere said. "It can't be priced too much higher than the Mustang or they won't be able to reach the sales volumes they need."

Merkle said he expects that the Challenger will only be offered with a V-8 engine, unlike the Mustang, which comes with both a V-6 and a V-8 option. He believes Dodge will sell about 30,000 to 35,000 Challengers beginning in late 2008.

"Essentially it will be a specialty vehicle," he said.

[Challenger_Nut]

Sounds hopeful.

[allhemi]

And this will be it's down fall.....


Merkle said he expects that the Challenger will only be offered with a V-8 engine, unlike the Mustang, which comes with both a V-6 and a V-8 option. He believes Dodge will sell about 30,000 to 35,000 Challengers beginning in late 2008.

[Mike Penner]

Originally Posted by allhemi

And this will be it's down fall.....


Merkle said he expects that the Challenger will only be offered with a V-8 engine, unlike the Mustang, which comes with both a V-6 and a V-8 option. He believes Dodge will sell about 30,000 to 35,000 Challengers beginning in late 2008.

The more I think about this argument the more it washes out. Does anyone really believe they won't sell every single one that rolls of the lines? If they really did develop a business case that means the car will be a smashing success even with a v8 only. That said making it v8 only means they're boutiquing it which of course makes it a rich boy's play toy. This may be a failure by my standards, but not necessarily by theirs.

Still it is a ridiculous mistake to make it v8 only because they'll sell 3x as many if they make a v6 as well. Come on guys.

[LawFive]

We're still whistling in the dark here about engines... we just don't know what they're going to do. Possibly, neither do they yet.

I, for one, am delighted that we'll finally see a green light. My engine concerns are at the other end of the scale: will we be limited to the 5.7 liter Hemi or will there be a 6.1 liter variant offered in the first year? And if I buy a 6.1 liter Hemi the first year, will I be ticked off later when Chrysler rolls out a 6.4 in 2008 or 2009?

And finally: although I dearly love my 6-speed CTS-V, most of the time it's no fun at all to drive on the backed up freeways where I live. (Even though my right leg is dominant, my left calf could be a ninja weapon...) So if Chrysler offers (flame suit on) a big Hemi with an autostick, do I get that instead of a manual?

I'll be watching Fox tomorrow evening to get whatever info I can straight from the horse's mouth...

[clint]

blah, blah, blah, I still won't believe it until they actually announce something. Even the two stories posted are contradictary in ways. One says that it will be built next year, and they other speculates that it could be in production by late 2008.

Thanks for posting though, just not getting my hopes up too much, yet.

[allhemi]

rich boy's play toy.


You hit the nail on the head when you said this! It seems that DCX does not care about the working guy