Patrick you are like me in dreaming of all the possibilities available for the New Challenger. It boggles the mind what COULD happen but I truly believe that this will be the everymans muscle car and the reason I think this is because of what happened with the Charger and the obvious disappointment surrounding the end product. DCX knows that the faithful along with most enthusiasts were turned off by what they ended up offering considering the legacy of the original Charger. This can be their way of making ammends for that mistake while capturing a great deal of the pony car segment IF they price it right and get down to it and aren't the last in line as they were back in the day.
I think that option 2c. is the lineup that will come forth since there will be no need for the 2.7 V/6 and the 3.5 is the high output variant. Offering the 2.7 just muddies the water as far as the performance image is concerned in my opinion. Both current production Hemis will surely be offered to follow suit with the other rear drive lineups.
The BIG question is what plans do they have for the 6.4? And this is where it gets kinda foggy at least for me. As you have stated there is rumor that the Viper will become a Hemi car but will they really give up the V/10 Viper after this long of a run? There is alot of bragging rights that go along with being able to say they are the only domestic manufacturer to have a high performance V/10 production car. I just don't know that they are willing to give up this claim and a proven although not real profitable package.
Then there is the Fire Power and if it is produced where will it fall in the lineup? Is it to be a Viper replacement? Is this the Platform for the 6.4 and will it be a middle to upper market segment offering perhaps aimed at the Vette? There is hardly a need for two of this type (Viper) of vehicle but the development cost for the 6.4 will have to be paid for with something other than the crate engine market.
Which brings me back to the New Challenger. Will the 6.4 be offered in the Challenger? If they are wanting a GT500 killer then yes this will be the way to go and you will pay top dollar I agree for this capability. Since the Challenger is the car I am waiting for and I will not need the ULTIMATE to go knock of a seldom encountered GT500 I don't see the point of them offering the 6.4 but don't get me wrong I'm not against it by any means! Hell with the 6.4 in the right hands even the "invincible" Vette would be fair game and that's just COOL!
So I guess to sum it up I would say that I'm still thinking as I always have that the drivetrain lineup will be about the same as the rest of the reardrive lineup with the exception of the 2.7. I also don't think there will be a stripper version (Deputy). And that if offered that the 6.4 will be a very limited and exclusively priced model. I guess I'll STILL be dreaming of owning that T/A someday though!
Oh and Patrick I think you're pricing is right on! They will be out to capture market segment from the Mustang as well as those waiting for the Camaro. BUT the time is NOW! DCX cannot waste time getting this car to market with the Camaro hot on it's heels. Yeah I know it's a junk Chevy but having the Challenger to the market first will pull some of those sales from GM and bring new converts into the DODGE fold!
