Just last week we brought you the news that the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 likely on their way out in the future without any plans for the company to replace them. Should that happen, the Challenger would be the smallest cars from the current lineup, as the company looks to focus on their popular trucks, vans and SUVs.
When it was first considered that the Challenger would be the smallest car in the entire Chrysler Group core brand lineup, it seems crazy, even with the low gas prices and the predictions of continued low gas prices. However, when you look at January sales numbers, it makes sense as to why the company wants to focus on their bigger vehicles.
In January 2016, the Dodge Charger was the bestselling car in the entire Chrysler Group lineup with 9,164 full sized sedans sold in the first month of the year. That marks the best ever January for the modern Dodge Charger, outselling the Chrysler 200 in second place by almost 4,000 units. The Dodge Challenger was third in car sales with 5,085 muscle cars sold, which is also a January record for the modern Challenger.
When you add in the Chrysler 300, the LX-based cars moved 18,883 units while the entire other car list (Chrysler 200, Dart, Viper, Alfa 4C, Fiat 500, Fiat 500L accounted for just 11,643 units during the same period of time.’
When you couple that with the fact that Chrysler’s bestselling vehicles were the Ram pickup (29,938), the Jeep Cherokee (15,347), the Jeep Grand Cherokee (13,164) and the Jeep Wrangler (10,797), it is hard to question why the company is putting more emphasis on their big vehicles headed into the future.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
