Chrysler Group shows off concepts in downtown Royal Oak to create buzz
 

HITS ON THE STREETS: Chrysler Group shows off concepts in downtown Royal Oak to create buzz

BY JOE GUY COLLIER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

July 27, 2006



Mike Flevaris, 40, of Franklin checks out the Dodge Challenger R/T concept car on Main Street in downtown Royal Oak on Wednesday. (Photos by ERIC SEALS/Detroit Free Press)

Tim Nolan, a 44-year-old real estate agent, shot out of his seat Wednesday morning at the Starbucks coffee shop in downtown Royal Oak.

A Dodge Challenger concept car, with its 425-horsepower engine rumbling, is what sent him rushing to the street.

"I love this color," said Nolan, standing awestruck next to the orange preproduction car.

"It's definitely a muscle car," said Mike Flevaris, a 40-year-old cement contractor walking down the street with a newspaper in hand. "This is what Detroit is all about."

Workers, shoppers, diners and coffee drinkers got an eyeful Wednesday as Chrysler Group flaunted a wide range of concept vehicles, early models of cars and trucks the company could make in the future.

The Challenger, to be available in 2008, was the only vehicle in the bunch officially slated for production. Chrysler Group is talking with potential partners about making the Dodge Hornet, a compact car.

These concept vehicles typically are reserved for auto shows or special displays. But Chrysler Group decided to roll them out in Royal Oak to generate buzz and see how people react.

"When you see it at the auto show, it's cool, but it's not the same experience," said Irina Zavatski, a Chrysler Group designer who worked on the Dodge Rampage concept truck.

"It looks like it's some sculpture on a stage."

Cars and trucks look different on the street, weaving in and out traffic with other vehicles, said Mike Nicholas, a Chrysler Group designer who worked on the Chrysler Imperial luxury car.

"That's when the car comes to life," Nicholas said.

The Chrysler Group concept cars received plenty of double-takes as they cruised the streets of downtown Royal Oak.

Sitting at a sidewalk table at the Monterey Cantina on Main Street, Camille DuBois, a 36-year-old real estate agent, snapped photos with her cell phone of the Chrysler Imperial.

Her coworker, Joe Greib, 32, jumped over the railing for a closer look at the Imperial.

The suicide doors swung open to reveal a leather and suede interior with burl wood accents.

"Wouldn't this be nice, Joe, to drive your clients around in?" DuBois asked Greib.

"It's really classic looking," Greib said. "The only thing missing is whitewalls."

In metro Detroit almost everyone seems to be an expert on cars, and the onlookers had definite opinions, both good and bad, about the vehicles. Many could identify the vehicles, even though they were still in concept stage.

Zach Beeman, a 21-year-old Western Michigan college student working as a roofer this summer, wasn't sure if he'd be interested in a Hornet, the compact concept car. He wanted more power.

Instead he set his sights on the Chrysler Firepower, which sports a long flowing hood and 6.1-liter V8 Hemi.

"It's pimpin'," Beeman said. "Hopefully, one day I'll have one of these."

Contact JOE GUY COLLIER at 313-222-6512 or jcollier@freepress

Copyright © 2006 Detroit Free Press Inc.