I saw that. It's nice to hear kind words from an outfit that usually bashes American cars.

 

Youre on the right track with this idea. The Dart name was mentioned and I fully agree that name should be resurrected and find its way onto a midsize performance coupe.

Thing is, we dont want another Avenger/stratus coupe effect. First off, using Sh!tsubishi underpinnings was a huge mistake, as was the decision to go soft-core. Sedan versions of a car dont really have to be special, just cheap and reliable. But coupes will appeal to the younger crowd. Some will want just a sporty car theyll look good driving and thats all fine and good. The last midsize coupes just didnt cut it in that dept either. They looked ok, but offered mediocre performance. At the same time, they offered the SRT-4 neon which had fantastic performance, but a sedan bodystyle that looked about as appealing as an @sshole sandwich. Sedan underpinnings and platform would have to be used, as would fwd. The Challenger is already Mopars muscle car, and rwd would be much more expensive. There's no reason not to bring back the 265 hp turbo 2.4L from the Caliber SRT-4 and stick it in a new coupe based off of a redesigned Avenger. It would need to have the styling that an enthusiast would want, as well as offer plenty of upgrades supported by Mopar and the aftermarket, something ChryCo hasnt had a problem with in the past. I think an awd model would be a good thing to offer as well.

Marketing is key here. Look at Scion, for example. The tC is crazy popular but as a car its just average at best. But they know how to sell it. Dodge would need to take a good hard look at how Scions are pushed and not make the same mistakes they made with the PT cruiser. They would need to keep this car fresh fresh FRESH and not let it get stale and played out--again, PT Cruiser. Personally, I feel that the sedan version should be the bread-and buter version of the car with just a V6 as the top drivetrain and marketed the same way the current Avenger is. The n/a 2.4 could be the base engine for the 'normal' version of the Dart coupe with manual and slushbox options while an R/T version could bring back the 'turbo lite' low pressure turbo that runs on regular gas and offers a noticeable bump in performance (like what the PT cruiser had) again with a manual or auto while an SRT-4 top end model would be the hardcore performer. Manual tranny only, available awd and a unique handling suspension. None of this would be available to the sedan buyers, which would separate the pedestrian buyers from the hard core performance addicts. It would be able to spank any comparable sport compact from Scion, Honda, Suburu or Mitsu but it would succeed among the tuner crowd where ford and gm have had just modest success. Chrysler had offered more boosted fwd cars than anyone back in the 80's and they should draw on that in order to gain the street creds.

I just saw that concept pic of the Hornet type car. A 5-door hatch would be acceptable whereas a sedan-only would just be another boring faceless nothing car. Id have no problem with using the SRT-4 type drivetrain I just mentioned in that, or the original Hornet concept car either.

 

so something like a Subaru Sti, or an Evo?? a street legal rally car if you will?