Dodge Challenger Orders Mounting |
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Anthony Fontanelle
December 7, 2007
With market share on the decline in the United States auto market, Chrysler needs eye-catching vehicles to attract the attention of car shoppers. Apparently, the Detroit automaker has done just that by resurrecting the iconic muscle car that is the Dodge Challenger for the 2008 model year. The said nameplate has not been used by the automaker since the 1970s when the Challenger was very popular among consumers as the price of petroleum fuel back then was not as high as it is today.
According to reports from the automaker, they have already received thousands of orders for the Challenger. The hype that the Challenger created is noteworthy as consumers are willing to plop down half of the Challenger's sticker price just to be one of the first owners of the revived pony car.
More interestingly, these consumers are still yet to see the production version of the Challenger. The said muscle car is only shown as a concept car and the production version of this car will only be unveiled at next year's Chicago Auto Show, and that would be on February 6. Chrysler though has created more hype by releasing teasers showing pictures of the production Challenger SRT8.
According to the automaker, they are only going to produce 4,500 units of the Dodge Challenger SRT8. But orders for the muscle car have now reached more than 6,000 units. With regards to this, Dodge has hinted that they will increase production to cope up with the surging demand. Consumers who want to get their hands on the Challenger have even sorted to bidding on the Internet. One such bidding war has the winner paying $20,000 over the sticker price.
When it was unveiled as a concept car, the automaker announced that the iconic muscle coupe will be powered by a 6.1-liter V8 engine. This HEMI engine can produce as much as 425 horsepower. That amount of power would surely warrant the presence of Dodge brake boosters. Being limited edition vehicles, each Challenger SRT8 will have a numbered dashboard plaque.
This success of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is similar to the success achieved by the Shelby GT500 sold by Ford. During the first days that the Dearborn automaker accepted orders for the pony car, thousands have lined up to get the chance to become one of the first owners of the said muscle car. Although the price of gasoline and other petroleum products is increasing as well as the awareness regarding climate change, it is still apparent that Americans love their fast cars.
Source: Amazines.com