East Coast Gets Taste of New Dodge Challenger…Until Sunday
Feb 8, 2008 at 3:24PMBy Mark Mallie
Dodge Challenger Brand Manager
If you don’t live near Chicago you can still get a glimpse of the new Challenger SRT8…it’s making a surprise appearance until this Sunday in Philadelphia. Siezing a unique timing opportunity, Challenger was also unveiled at the Philadelphia International Auto Show about 1 hour after the Chicago world debut. We knew there would be incredible demand for the Challenger SRT8 and were preparing a fourth vehicle in Hemi Orange for the show circuit. It was expected next week in Canada, but we decided to try and accelerate the timing even though the debut would hit in the middle if the Philly show.
Although it’s unheard of to debut a car in the middle of an auto show, with Challenger we knew we could break the rules. We pushed to finish the fourth show car and it arrived just in time the night before the show. Dodge sent invitations to all the local dealers and requested that they get personal invites out to their customers with orders. The East coast debut was quite a success with more than 300 journalists, dealers and Challenger customers in attendance.
So East Coasters…get over to Philly and take a good look for yourselves. The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is live and in person for a few more days. Check out the Philadelphia show’s Web site here for details on how to get there.
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19 Comments
Bring it to Columbus, Ohio!!! I was at the auto show this past weekend and very disappointed to not see it here.
http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56094
THIS JUST IN…
#43 AUCTION TO START TONIGHT AT 10PM EST
LOOKS LIKE CHALLENGER #43 IS HAVING PROBLEMS. AUCTION WAS SUPPOSED TO START TODAY, BUT HASN’T. APPARENTLY E-BAY WONT PUT UP WITH DODGE’S VEIL OF SECRECY. WAY TO GO EBAY!
i hope i don’t get smoked on this board for saying this, but has anyone actually seen the interior? just going from photos of the charger and chally and can pick up several fairly important differences…the i.p. is metalic and seems based on the challenger concept, there’s a few trapezoids on the doors and other pieces, which alan talked about in the vids. and the stick appears to be somewhat tilted toward the driver, like the concept. and the doors look substantially different from chargers. i also read somewhere that the dash is not hard plastic, but soft touch rubber. but i can’t confirm that.
again…perhaps its jsut a matter of taste. but it’s not identical. and i think its got some sweet parts of concept in it and is a step up from charger.
it was rumored that the scoops would be non-functional until the 2009 model.
From examing the photos it is clear that Dodge eliminated the functional butterfly scoops, and replaced them with honeycomb vents. Definately a let down. Hopefully Dodge can offer this as an option in the 09’s
I hope they’re not saving them for a limited edition either. Ford offers the mustang in 10 different colors on every model. . .
Although frankly I’m not sure I want to count THREE different shades of grey.
Sublime, B5 blue and plum crazy please!
The outside of the Dodge Challenger is beautiful. Hopefully it will look just as nice with a V6 under the hood.
The interior is kind of a let-down. I was really hoping for the 3 spoked steering wheel. I realize that a new interior in the car would have delayed the release and that Chrysler is trying to save money by reusing current available parts. Hopefully the 2009 model will have the silver colored frame around the dash gauges.
My car color choices are purple, blue or green which I have not seen on any list of the 2009 colors. I hope you are not saving the best colors for the limited edition (maybe \”T/A\”) Challengers, like you did on the Charger Daytona models.
One question, that may be postulated is the stated commitment to improved interiors in Chrysler products. Nardelli/Press, are you pleased with this interior, and does this meet the higher standard you espoused earlier?
I hear that NASCAR and Dodge are looking into running the Challenger in the 2009 Nationwide Series. Ford to use the Mustang and GM the Camaro.
This would be awesome!
Now someone tell me why Chrysler can not do this..
Nissan attempting to reduce markups on GT-R orders
Pre-orders for the 2009 Nissan GT-R have already begun, with 691 certified dealers across the US ready to service the new offering. The expected sales volume is in the range of 2,500 vehicles for the first year and 1,500 anually after that. Do the math and you’ll see the equation adds up to limited consumer availability. Mix that with high demand and you know that markups follow. Eager enthusiasts are up in arms over the possibility that their greatest desire might he priced out of reach as a result. Even Nissan expects to see its dealers make an attempt to cash in.
Hoping to alleviate fears of $60,000 fees tacked onto the $70,000 GT-R, Nissan North America spokesman Darryll Harrison spoke with Inside Line about the automaker’s actions aimed at curtailing dealer markup. After all, Nissan worked hard to create a high performance machine that sits in a more affordable price range and it wants it to reach its originally intended consumers. Harrison revealed that not only is Nissan requiring all GT-R sales to go through dealership management staff, but paperwork must also be filed with Nissan North America’s regional sales offices. The term “counsel” was used to describe the interaction between the dealership and regional sales office. What this “counseling” entails is unknown, but sounds like it involves discouraging dealerships from engaging in egregious rip-off artistry. How successful this approach will be remains to be seen.
I turn the big 50 in July, what a way to celebrate this day cruising in my new 2008 Dodge Challenger. My first car when I got my license at 16 was a 1973 Dodge Challenger. It was a serious babe magnet,I was young, dumb, and full of cu*, as the saying goes. After numerous tickets, my parents soon took it away from me and sold it. Thank you Chrysler / Dodge for the memories. The new Challenger design is right on the money and this is a beautiful car. Now that I find myself single again I hope that it is still a babe magnet!
Okay, okay, so the interior looks a lot less exciting than Alan’s concept, and there are too many Rams’ Heads, and there is that odd looking black body strip running along the bottom of the car (don’t know why no one has mentioned it here because I think it’s the worst design compromise) BUT REALLY, this is a NEW DODGE CHALLENGER! C’mon folks, only a few years ago, we were all lamenting the lack of new muscle car offerings, and watching the prices of the original article going beyond reasonable reach, and wishing for the day (even though it seemed just a fantasy) when Mother Mopar would “reissue” classics like the Challenger. And then WOW! We’re here! It’s BACK!!! We have a NEW CHALLENGER! OMG! This car, with all its flaws, is still totally excellent and awesome!
Sure, I’d still like to see Dodge make some improvements to the interior, and I’d love no B-pillar, more paint choices, and a lower overall weight, but in reality I can put up with a B-pillar if it stops creaks and rattles, the interior will look a lot better when they offer it in white to complement the Plum Crazy exterior they’ll bring on in 2009, and the extra weight will be overcome with a little engine/exhaust modification.
As I’ve always said, if you get it, you’ll get one, if you don’t, well who cares? Thank you Dodge, and again, Michael and Alan.
I WOULD SAY THE CAMARO WILL BE A SHELL OF THE CAR THE CHALLENGER IS. NO QUESTION, EXPECT THE SAME INTERIOR MATERIALS AND QUALITY THEY HAVE USED ON THESE CARS SINCE THE 70′S. IT’S A JOKE TO EVEN TRY TO COMPARE THE 2.
Brian,
I understand your disappointment with the new Challenger’s interior (I disagree with it though) but what makes you think the new Camaro interior is any better. It looks like they need more improvements to the exterior first. Obvious alot of other people like the interior because ofthe sales of the cars. Good luck on your Camaro
You Nailed It !! It’s nearly flawless, Great job guy’s…. The production car actually came out as good or even better than the concept, which is “rare” these days. I’m saving $ for a 2009-10 model.
TO DODGE CEO, I AM 46 AND ILLITERATE. PLEASE BUILD ME A CAR WITH A SPELLCHECKER. AND NO RAMS HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL.
THANKS
To Dodge ceo. I’m 46 I have had many sport cars in my life. I was looking forward to buy a challenger. ( NOT NOW! ) Can you tell me why dose a car company spend millions of dollars making a concept car ( challenger ) that every one likes wants to buy then after all that the car company ( dodge ) totally changes the interior. The funny thing is the first pic on the dodge site never had the inters pic on it I wondered why ?
Maybe they know there would be an up roar over this.
PS: Dodge you screwed up the charger now the challenger forget the past apparently you have no idler what your doing just keep making your mine vans.
I rented a dodge charger a week a go not a bad car , the interior is the same in the challenger what a disappointed. If they fix the interior on the 2009 model I will buy it if not I will wait for the Camaro.