Most product developments for ‘09 coming from Dodge
Dodge has the lion’s share of Chrysler LLC’s exciting product news for the 2009 model year.
Among the highlights:
– The expanded Challenger car line features a lower-priced V-6 version that might tempt consumers who are concerned about high gasoline prices.
– The Ram pickup undergoes an extensive re-engineering and restyling, along with the addition of an unconventional rear suspension.
– Dodge will offer what sounds like an oxymoron — a 2009 Durango SUV with a Hemi V-8 linked to a Two Mode hybrid system.
Small cars: Dodge is Chrysler LLC’s most likely choice to market vehicles from Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co. The timetable has yet to be determined; Chery must first produce a vehicle that passes U.S. crash tests.
Hornet: The Hornet (pictured - right) concept caused a buzz at the 2006 Geneva auto show. Styling cues from that vehicle are expected to evolve into the production car Nissan Motor Co. will make for Chrysler next year. The vehicle will be based on the Nissan Versa platform and mechanicals and will be assembled at Nissan’s Oppama, Japan, factory in 2009 for the 2010 model year.
Caliber: If Chrysler sticks to its schedule, the Caliber is expected to be redesigned for the 2012 model year. But the small car’s future may depend on how Chrysler’s alliances with other carmakers pan out.
Global mid-sized vehicles: Multiple models — cars, crossovers and possibly a pickup — are expected to be developed on Chrysler’s new vehicle platform. The first vehicles are likely for the 2012 model year or sooner.
Avenger: The Avenger and its sibling, the Chrysler Sebring, have been sales disappointments. The Avenger could be freshened for the 2010 model year, but major changes are unlikely on the current platform as the automaker switches to the new global mid-sized platform.
Charger: After a slow start, the Charger has been outselling its sibling, the Chrysler 300, by a wide margin. If Chrysler follows its Project Genesis plan to eliminate similar vehicles from its product lines, it would have to drop the 300 or Charger by 2011. But both cars remain in the plan and are scheduled for a restyling and re-engineering for the 2012 model year.
Challenger: The 2008 Challenger SRT8, a full-blown homage to the original 1970s icon, arrived in May in full muscle-car trim, powered by a 425-hp, 6.1-liter Hemi.
This fall, Dodge will follow with two other versions for 2009: a base model SE at $21,995, powered by a 250-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 combined with a four-speed automatic; and the R/T, starting at $29,995 and powered by a 370-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 combined with a five-speed automatic. Both prices include shipping.
With the cost of gasoline likely to determine the Challenger’s future, no major changes are expected in the coming years.
Viper SRT10: With the Challenger offering Dodge an affordable halo car, the days of the limited-edition, $98,000 Viper SRT10 likely are numbered. The V-10, high-performance two-seater probably will vanish in 2011 or earlier if gasoline prices continue climbing.
Journey: The recently introduced 2009 Journey serves two purposes: It provides a crossover for a brand that had lacked one, and it fills the gap created when Dodge dropped the short-wheelbase Caravan minivan. Five- and seven-passenger models are available. No major changes are expected in the coming four years.
Grand Caravan: Here’s a dilemma for Chrysler. Part of the Project Genesis consolidation plan aims to eliminate badge-engineered vehicles that compete with each other in the showroom. But minivans are Chrysler’s bread and butter, and the Grand Caravan appeals to a different set of customers than does its sibling, the Chrysler Town & Country. Chrysler is differentiating the two minivans by tilting the Town & Country toward luxury and the Grand Caravan toward value.
Odds are, both will stay. In the meantime, the Grand Caravan will be freshened for the 2011 model year.
Nitro: The Nitro could be a casualty as Chrysler looks to eliminate badge-engineered models that compete in the showroom. The Nitro and Jeep Liberty are siblings, and the Liberty is more popular. If the Nitro survives, it is scheduled for a 2010 or 2011 model year freshening.
Durango: The 2009 Durango SUV will be offered with a Two Mode hybrid system combined with Chrysler’s 380-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. But the hybrid version’s future will be short-lived. The Newark, Del., factory, which assembles the Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs, is scheduled to close in late 2009.
Company officials say the Durango could be made at any Chrysler truck plant, but no decisions have been made on the vehicle after the Newark factory closes.
If the Durango survives as an SUV, it could be as a seven-seat complement to the five-seat Grand Cherokee, possibly for the 2011 model year. There are rumblings that the Durango could be engineered and assembled for Dodge by Nissan.
Dakota: With the steep increase in fuel prices hammering pickup sales, the future of the Dakota mid-sized truck is in question.
One possible replacement: a lighter, nontraditional pickup on the order of the Honda Ridgeline. At the 2006 Chicago Auto Show, Dodge unveiled the Rampage pickup concept, which essentially used a front-drive platform to create an all-wheel-drive pickup. Dodge could have that option with its global mid-sized platform.
Ram: The 2009 Ram pickup has been restyled and re-engineered.
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