Chrysler's Dodge Challenger to make a comeback
Chrysler's Dodge Challenger to make a comeback
Tuesday, July 04, 2006 6:55:28 AM ET
newratings.com
NEW YORK, July 4 (newratings.com) – Chrysler Group, the US division of German-American car giant DaimlerChrysler (DCX.ETR), Saturday announced that it will resume production of the Dodge Challenger, one of its most powerful models in the 1970s, in 2008. The move signals the return of an icon after a 34-year hiatus.
The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company's Chief Executive Officer, Tom LaSorda, said at a news conference that the two-door coupe is being revived to take advantage of the booming market for powerful new American cars. The success of Ford Motor's redesigned Mustang has prompted Chrysler to try to replicate the success story at its end in order to revive its stalled sales. The Challenger became a collectors’ favorite after its production was stalled in 1974, just four years after its launch. The Challenger would return as a 2008 model, with a modernized Hemi V-8 engine and a six-speed manual transmission. The company has not given any indication of the number of Challenger cars to be built per year or the targeted retail price of the model.
Bloomberg quoted an automotive analyst at CSM Worldwide, Mike Jackson, as saying that the Challenger model would be profitable for Chrysler, since it will use the same chassis that is used in the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum.
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