Last night, on Speed... the show Wind Tunnel w/ Dave Despain had a Detroit native who runs a popular website, named Peter M. DeLorenzo... (http://www.autoextremist.com). He mentioned several things about the upcoming Charger... including he has seen it... confirms it is a sedan, but looks ompletely like a coupe... mentioned as well that the big-3 are talking to NASCAR about stock cars, because they all want to enter cars that will have a hard time looking like the current "aero" stock car packages. He then went on to say, the Charger will look hardly like the stock car version of the car... mentioned in his own opinion the car is beautiful, and said like we now already know the car will debut in Detroit next January. However, he said Dodge does plan on campaigning it in NASCAR racing, and it will be rushed into production shortly after NAIAS to meet NASCAR requirements... so we are looking at Feburary 2005 for a release of the Charger as a 2006 model year car, from what he was saying... thought you guys would be intrested!

redriderbob

 

Cool, thanks for keeping us up to date.

 

Now hearing... "Production concept" at New York, real production version at Detroit next Jan, '05, in showrooms late winter/early spring 2005 as a 2006 model.

redriderbob

 

taken from thecarconnection.com...

Dodge Said to Be Reviving Charger

Chrysler Group is said to be developing a successor to the famed Charger musclecar of the 1960s. Reports from around Detroit indicate the new car will arrive in time for the 2006 model year, based on the same LX architecture that has spawned the new Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum vehicles. The Charger, probably most famous to the TV generation as the car piloted by Bo and Luke Duke in the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard, is presumed to be returning in four-door form, to fill a slot that will be left behind by the front-wheel-drive Dodge Intrepid. Whether retro-styled or HEMI-powered or both, the Charger could give Dodge a potent competitor to the Toyota Camry/Ford Five Hundred segment while also giving the brand a way to re-enter the police/law-enforcement vehicle market. Dodge has shown concept Chargers, such as the 1999 idea car shown here, but no photos or spy shots of the new vehicle have surfaced as of yet.

redriderbob

 

EDWARD LAPHAM COMMENTARY: New muscle cars bring back old rivalries
By Edward Lapham
Automotive News / March 12, 2004
The new muscle-car era is shaping up to be a revival of old rivalries among some very familiar players.

Off to a quick lead is the new Pontiac GTO from General Motors, which already is on sale. The new Ford Mustang arrives this fall as a 2005 model.

And now Chrysler plans to join the fray next year with a Hemi-powered rear-drive sedan that draws its inspiration from the original Dodge Charger muscle car.

This undoubtedly will lead to competitive marketing that reminds us of our youth and the days when GTOs, Mustangs and Chargers battled for bragging rights at stoplights across America. But this time it's not for kids.

I'm already having flashbacks, and I'm not alone. That's why this week's SAE panels about performance and racing were so popular.

 

How sad.[sm=smiley19.gif]And I thought that the use of the Charger name on a FWD 4 banger was bad, but putting it in the same class as the Toyota Camry is just too much.[sm=smiley11.gif]It's bad enough that they are making it 4 door ONLY, even the previous FWD 4 banger version was 2 door only, but Dumler just keeps butchering away.[sm=smiley7.gif]

 

How sad is it, when you have a HEMI V-8 RWD car, going against a stupid V-6 powered FWD? Come on, give it some hope here!

redriderbob

 

Ive seen some pictures of what it is suppose to look like. I thought it was suppose to come out this year but i havnt heard anything about it in a while. It would be a good boost for dodge.

 

I wish they would go back to stock cars. Then they could allow for more horsepower to overcome poor aerodynamics.[sm=smiley4.gif]

 

I would hestitate to make a judgement before seeing the car. Coupes just don't sell. I would suspect that the car will come in different trim levels. I would not even rule out a low volume coupe that could appear in 2007 or 2008 if the GTO sells well. I think if the GTO and Mustang show improved sales numbers, Chrysler will surely follow.

I also would caution lampooning the 4 cylinder Chargers. The Shelby versions were fast. The GLHS, with the Garret Air Research Turbocharger and a few small mods from Mother Mopar, could take that '71 Roadrunner of yours to task at the drag strip. In fact, with the Mopar Super Sixty package, you could boost the out put to 300 HP in a car that weighed in around 2700 pounds. That power to weight combination was almost second to none. Today, there are still guys running in the low 12 second range in Mopar turbo fours.

I drive a tricked out 1992 V-6 Plymouth Duster with a stick. The best it has ever done on the strip was 15 seconds flat. That is considered pretty fast for a V-6 manual P-body...but it doesn't hold a candle to the modified turbo Ks.