I'm not quite sure this is news, as you'd have to be a rivet counter to spot ANY difference between the new Dodge Challenger interior and any other of the crap interiors Chrysler is currently wrestling with its supplier to shoehorn into its lackluster range of car, minivans, cod Jeeps and pickup trucks to avoid bankruptcy long enough to sell the whole kit and caboodle to the Chinese. But here it is, courtesy allpar.com: proof positive that Chrysler thinks it's OK for the cabin of a retro muscle car to look and feel like a nasty ass rental car. Honest to God folks, how hard could it have been to do SOMETHING unique here? Can you imagine the SMELL? If not, smell ANY of Chrysler's other products. While I'm sure the Challenger will sound authentic enough in SRT8 trim, I wouldn't pay a plug nickel to live inside this plastic Hell. But it looks like the boys over at Autoblog would: "The Mustang and Camaro might have more exciting designs, but the ergonomics and controls in the revived Dodge ponycar look well thought out." Oy.
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Maybe Plastech’s demise will be a blessing in disguise.
At least Dodge knows their target market well. I doubt anyone will cross-shop the Challenger with an Audi S5.
Looks better than the “new” Camaro. I know that’s damning it with faint praise…but…well, I guess that’s the best you can hope for in a Chrysler interior.
Better than their other interiors but not by much. It is functional if not attractive and in the grand scheme of things it won’t stop one person from buying it for the first couple of years.
You would think that after the fiasco of the last set of Dodge interiors, they would have put some extra effort into this one. I guess they really do have a death wish.
I frankly don’t understand the appeal of this car – a Mustang or Camaro seems to be more appealing in size/design. If they are going to so shamelessly copy the 70s Challenger on the exterior, why not continue the theme inside as shown on the concept?
And here I thought Ford was going to have to huff and puff to stay ahead the the competition! Hit the snooze, Ford, you’re ok on this one…
the original challenger had a horrible interior, so it’s faithful to the namesake.
Points to keep in mind:
-This car is in the same category as the Mustang: rear-drive pony car, plain and simple for a reasonable price. It goes fast in a straight line and looks cool while doing so. That’s what the customers want.
-All of Chrysler’s interiors are similar (usually worse) to what this photo reveals. This car fits Dodge’s image and place in the market, so we shouldn’t expect drastic change.
-It’s much more tasteful than what we’ve seen of Chevrolet’s future offering in this segment.
The problem is not with the Challenger, it’s with Chrysler. The interior issues span across all three brands. Functionality is noble, but quality could and should be better.
other than the pretend aluminum and the ugly steering wheel, i don’t see a problem.
i can’t squeeze the dash plastics from here, and even if it were my car and i were inside it, i wouldn’t do it anyway
C’mon people – where is that optimistic spirit! At least it’s not grayish-beigy.
The first decent shot of the inside of the car, no in-person test drive, no in-person even sitting in the car no less, and the interior already sucks?
Wow.
Maybe we should actual sit in the car and feel the materials before we declare that it sucks. It looks pretty functional to me. The hand-stitched seats in the other spyshots look good. This is a pony-car, not a Rolls. About the only thing I can say I don’t like about the car is the lack of panache in the center stack, otherwise the guage cluster and center console look sharp.
Ponycars were not known for their luxurious interiors. It would be a bonus to have a really nice one, but not really expected.
If you’re buying a muscle car, your priority isn’t in the interior. Look at any muscle car from the 60’s and in their time none of them were anything to rave about. You want a plush interior with cup holders and seats that rub your thighs then stick with your Toyota Sienna. Muscle cars aren’t about interior aesthetics. Muscle cars are about shut up and drive mentality.
timoted: Muscle cars are about shut up and drive mentality. Excuses, excuses. This is not 19somethingorother. Customers expect a little more than nothing much at all. If the outside looks special, I want the inside to look special too. In fact, most people care MORE for interior of their car than its exterior. Otherwise, explain Audi. Or, for that matter, the Pontiac Aztek.
Y’know, if the Challenger was going to sell for $20K, it might not matter. But evidently a well-equipped SRT8 is going to sticker for high $30s, at which point it becomes, “Houston, we have a problem.”
Sure it’s different. It’s not grey.
People who buy Azteks and Audis don’t buy Challengers. Additionally, I’d be willing to bet a small fortune that people who are buying Challengers aren’t a one car family or will consider this a daily driver. This isn’t the car to pile kids in and take on a family vacation or to go get groceries in. This car has it’s purpose just like the Acura NSX did. Lumping all cars into one category is horribly short-sighted.
People who bought Azteks statistically were bought by families who were on a budget and had the dealer practically beg them to take them off the lot by heavily discounting it.
As far as explaining Audi, I can’t. Audi along with their drivers have always been and continue to be an Enigma. Dodge has quite a demand for this car and it isn’t based on its interior. I doubt that anyone is going to cancel their order because the interior “sucks”.
If you’re buying a muscle car, your priority isn’t in the interior. Look at any muscle car from the 60’s and in their time none of them were anything to rave about. You want a plush interior with cup holders and seats that rub your thighs then stick with your Toyota Sienna. Muscle cars aren’t about interior aesthetics. Muscle cars are about shut up and drive mentality.
It is exactly this type of thinking that has doomed our domestic auto industry to failure.
That’s right look at all Domestic cars from this era and you will see a general lack of quality in just about every aspect of these cars.
And remember “Muscle Cars” were nothing more than performance verison of other products. Their quality was the same as the rest of the models being prodcued by GM, Ford, Chysler, BAD!
GOOD ENOUGH is NEVER good enough!
At first, I thought it, along with the new ‘Maro interior, looked pretty sharp. But then I forgot every car ever made is supposed to have the same interior as an Audi A8, and if it doesn’t, its automatically and epic failure.
[/sarcasm]
I like it.
The end of the muscle car in the 60’s was doomed by a combination of the gas crisis and the EPA, not because of poor quality or “good enough” attitude. Again, I stand on the fact that these cars will sell. Dodge is not going to have to beg people to buy these cars because of the interior. It would/will be an issue if the car didn’t perform or have the right powertrain. That’s what a muscle car is all about.
timoted:
This isn’t the car to pile kids in and take on a family vacation or to go get groceries in. This car has it’s purpose just like the Acura NSX did.
And the NSX’ relatively pedestrian interior limited its sales too.
You can’t defend cheap, boring, offensive smelling and pedestrian. Well, you can, but why bother? If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Chrysler phoned this one in and you know it.
Shame on them.
I know it hurts when the big 2.8 has a success but, it sure keeps things interesting doesn’t it?
The cars will sell well initially…then drop off.
Go look up the sales for the 300c, Charger, and new Mustang. They all started off great then went down fast.
As for why we criticize the interior, if you take a look at other cars in the $30k price range where this car will be loaded, then look inside this one, it makes one wonder why the interior of the Challenger is so cheap and garish.
The big 3 have been trying to figure out the retro car thing for a while and keep falling short. They want to charge an outrageous sum of money for an underwhelming product that harkens back to the cheap thrill days. The only retro vehicles that have done reasonably well are the Mini and the PT Cruiser (although this one was left to rot on the vine), and to an extent the Mustang if you truly want to consider it “retro” with the rest of these.
timoted: I know it hurts when the big 2.8 has a success but, it sure keeps things interesting doesn’t it? Sure, the Challenger's a success. Remind me again: Chrysler's sold how many? For how long? At what profit? Yes, I know about the advance orders and price premiums. Two words for that: Pontiac Solstice. Don't get me wrong: I would dearly love for Detroit to knock one out of the park. For real. Aside from pickups (fading market) and the Corvette (niche market and we're back to crap interiors again), I don't see it.
Aside from the stereo controls on the steering wheel, blue tach and sat nav, this interior looks like it is vintage 90s interior. Those vents, color scheme (If you consider black and gray colors) and the huge nobs really capture the essence of a mid 90’s rental car. I wonder what the center consule looks like without the sat nav.
Ford got it right with the Mustang however, it looks like it will probably suffer the same fate as the PT cruiser to quote Orian’s comment, it will probably “rot on the vine” . The Mustang helped prop up Ford when it needed it most by offering v-6 models as well the GT model. Mustangs still sell relatively well.
Dodge has as an opportunity to do the same thing though I doubt they will. They should offer a v-6 model with de-tuned suspension, different trim levels etc etc however, I don’t think that was the objective with Dodge. Maybe the interior would have gotten more attention if that was/will be the case.
This is Dodge’s way of puting their hat in the ring up against Ford and Chevy and their respective muscle car specimens. (These cars don’t have a stellar interior either) This begs the question, will we see a v-6 Camaro with various trim levels? It would make sense but then again I’m not in the board room making those decisions.
Just take the Challenger for what it is-a loud obnoxious reasonably attractive automotive version of say Anna Nicole Smith. Rich daddy supported her and she died in her sleep due to mismanagement by her handlers. Plus she had no redeeeming qualities on the inside.
timoted : Ford got it right with the Mustang however, it looks like it will probably suffer the same fate as the PT cruiser to quote Orian’s comment, it will probably “rot on the vine” . The Mustang helped prop up Ford when it needed it most by offering v-6 models as well the GT model. Mustangs still sell relatively well”
….well mostly right. As an owner of a ’05 Mustang—I clearly love the car outside and underneath the hood. The interior is well designed (I like the retro theme) but falls short on material quality. It is solidly put together (I have no rattles after 3 years) and the interior upgrade package helps cover some of the plastic—-but I EXPECT Ford to upgrade the level of plastic in the ’09 refresh to the level of the Fusion.
timoted,
Do you seriously think people will buy this car as a weekender? Enough people to make the project worthwhile? In the teeth of a recession?
I sure don’t. There’s too many other good choices and, if the economy does turn significantly down, the price of the real deal (genuine 60’s muscle) will drop and seem much more attractive.
And there won’t be a long line of people buying it for use as a commuter vehicle, either. It’s going to be a thirsty bugger and the attraction of that is on the wane. People can persuade themselves that a thirsty pickup or SUV has some utility to it but the Challenger lacks that argument.
There’s a reason GM stopped selling the Camaro and Firebird (before they announced they’d try again). If this was a big, deep market segment, that car would have survived. How many Mustangs of all stripes does Ford sell every month? 14K? That’s the market for which the Challenger is vying.
This car is in the same category as the Mustang: rear-drive pony car, plain and simple for a reasonable price.
According to the Dodge website, the MSRP of the Challenger starts at $40,095.
At $20-25k, this thing would compete with the Mustang directly and might work. At $40k, it’s destined to become the next GTO, a vehicle doomed to fail after an initial promising gurgle of hype due to an excessive price point.
The unanswered question here is how a car that was supposed to be launched with a starting MSRP of $25k morphed itself into a 60% increase. Either the production costs exceeded expectations, or else some overly optimistic brand manager humored the accountants by promising more than could be delivered. In other words, business as usual.
That interior does look like it sucks but I have to agree that it isn’t that big of a deal in this segment. However, that steering wheel likely will inhibit sales. It is so slim and delicate looking. You would think they’d at least make the one area that is touched and looked at the absolute most have the right feel and visual appeal…
The question boils down to “Whose interior is the tackiest?” The Mustang, the Camaro, or the Challenger?
Personally, I think the Camaro interior is more tacky. The Mustang interior is the least tacky (but still tacky). And the Challenger cuts the difference.
But they all have cheap and tacky-looking interiors.
Boring looking interior. Can’t say it truely sucks until I get inside and really see it up close, but there is nothing unique about it, same old Chrysler.
Pch101: $40,095
Holy crap I thought this was a $30k car. I change my mind this is a crap interior for that price. I sure hope it didn’t cost them much to design it because hey aren’t going to sell that many after the first year of intenders at that price. That’s way too expensive for aht you are getting.
Let me try this again.
The Challenger is a fantasy car, right? So why wouldn’t it have a fantasy interior?
To wit: even the low-volume SSR TRIED to do something different with its interior. It was cheap and nasty, but it had style!
This interior is anti-style. A constant reminder that you are not nearly as cool as you think you are, or want to be.
Pch101,
I may be wrong, but I believe that the price quote you give is for the SRT model which will be the only one available for 2008. Come ’09, the Challenger will be unleashed to the masses (should there be masses who wish to buy) with RT and base V-6 models. I bet that the base and RT models will have a much lower MSRP. Releasing the SRT first would be like Ford releasing the GT-500 Mustang before the V-6 or GT models. It’s expensive and fast, but still has a simplistic interior of its lower-bracket brethren.
Chrysler management are seriously ignorant if they think this thing has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever selling for $40 grand.
This is prime competition for the Mustang, Camaro, and even 350Z, but there is no way in gods green earth anyone would pay $40,000 for one of these over any of those 3 cars. The rep Dodge has gained in the last few years, they are $20,000 or even $25,000 too high on that cost.
This car should be the economic and smaller muscle car, not the outrageously expensive WTF were they thinking car. It better have some serious stats if they plan on selling many.
Wait, Chrysler’s 4th LX car has the same interior as the other 3 LX cars that it’s based on? Muscle cars aren’t trimmed with the finest, hand-stitched materials nor do they feature the latest gizmo distractions? I am truly shocked.
On a muscle car they throw in the interior for free, you’re paying for everything else. It’s not any different than most dedicated sports cars on the market, especially the affordable ones.
This interior checks all the right marks for the inside of a proper muscle car. Big gauges, big seats, big simple controls, big wheel, big shifter, big space, and a dash or two of unique cues from the original (pistol-grip yes!). It remains fairly pure and doesn’t get caught up in any unnecessary frills or nonsense while retaining the slightly gritty, meaty purpose a muscle car should have. And unlike the original Challenger this interior won’t fall apart nor is it adorned with wood stickers. Pass on that silly MyGIG nonsense and put the money towards mods and customization.
If you really can’t stand this but gotta have a hot-blooded muscle car you can still get a Mustang, G8 GT, the upcoming Camaro or a used LS1/LS2 GTO.
Also remember this car has two other models coming that cost thousands less. A 5.7L HEMI R/T for around $30 large and a base V6 model that will be around $20 large.
And here’s the interior you get on a $40 large Mustang GT500 with ole Shell’s name on it.
http://www.svaconversions.com/Dash-md.jpg
Always keep in mind that though some of you may not like something that doesn’t mean that other people feel the same way or want the same things as you do.
There’s much more to a car than it’s interior, and many cars have a different focus and mission than others.
Holy crap I thought this was a $30k car.
It will be interesting to see whether the marketplace agrees with you. (Personally, I thought that $30k was a tad generous for something that inspires flashbacks about The Dukes of Hazzard.)
Here’s a third theory to toss into the mix: When the Daimler-era guys were conceiving of this vehicle, they probably viewed it as a Mustang competitor, with pricing and production volumes to match.
Cerberus sees it differently. Given the changing environment, they may not have even moved ahead with it at all had it not been for the hype and sunk costs that preceded it.
So Cerberus has instead modified the strategy, opting to sell this as a limited production model (only 6,400 units to be made available for sale during 2008), with the goal of selling a few vehicles for as much money as possible.
Since a lot of the development cost was probably incurred by Daimler, Cerberus’ net cost to launch is probably fairly low, and a limited production schedule would allow them to squeeze a lot of dollars out of each unit sold in a market where demand for such cars is shrinking. The total revenue generated probably isn’t enough to matter much, but it will help put some cash back into the coffers, and do so at a relatively low cost.
Mmmmm cheap grey plastic. Way to go Chrysler!
Pch101
I may be wrong, but I believe that the price quote you give is for the SRT model which will be the only one available for 2008.
Jesus! This is the interior for the SRT8 Challenger? I totally missed that. Now I really am stupefied. The market for this car just got a whole lot smaller. Like you (and others) said.
TriShield :
On a muscle car they throw in the interior for free, you’re paying for everything else. It’s not any different than most dedicated sports cars on the market, especially the affordable ones.
Right. So the old M5 (or the new one but don’t get me started) could have had a craptastic interior like this and it would be no biggie? I don’t think so.
Personally, I loved the 300C SRT8 but the similarly bland interior stopped me from taking it to the next level.
N85523 That makes a little more sense, but they should have brought out the SRT8 and the R/T the first year and left the V6 for 2009. It’s going to get the stigma of being overpriced if they just sell the high dollar one.
I have one question when this is selling in all 3 trims, SRT8, R/T and V6 isn’t going to cannibalize some sales from the Charger which is priced almost the same.
Robert, I understand what you mean but I think the market and expectations for muscle cars (even the expensive special editions) and German luxury super-saloons is a bit different.
I agree with you about the 300 SRT8 and we’ll use that as an example.
If you look at that car from the muscle car perspective the interior is good and functional. If you approach that car from a Euro-luxury perspective the interior design and trim is horrific.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Muscle car nuts don’t want their cars to look like BMWs inside. Euro-luxury car nuts probably aren’t going to look at muscle cars in the first place. Unless it’s for their 2nd, 3rd or 4th ride for car shows, the drag-strip or Sundays.
To put this into context, Cerberus is already considering a repositioning of the brands so that Dodge sells only trucks, and Chrysler sells only cars:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/27/news/companies/taylor_chrysler.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2007112706
A Dodge Challenger obviously doesn’t work within that lineup. It would either have to become a Chrysler Challenger or get dumped.
Furthermore, a Challenger doesn’t really work well within Cerberus’ repositioning of Chrysler as an international brand that can grow in Asia and Eastern Europe. With rising fuel prices and very little demand for American muscle cars outside of the US, there isn’t much reason to invest heavily in this vehicle or to build very many of them.
Chrysler is a different company since Cerberus acquired it, and I believe that this is one vehicle that bears the stamp of that change. As a mass market car competing head-on with the Mustang for volume sales, it looks like a losing proposition.
For those of you saying that the car is overpriced, tell that to the 9000 people who pre-ordered this car and have already sold out the entire 2008 production run. There are already 3000 more standing in line.
The interior looks like an upgrade to the current LX interior, the material on the doors looks soft to the touch, the guage cluster is improved, and the seats are sweet.
$40,000 gets you a solid interior, a whooping ass 425 HP motor, a great chassis, all wrapped up in a fantastic exterior. Obviously it will sell.
Not to mention the 32K 380HP R/T, nor the 260HP V6 probably selling in the mid 20s in 2009.
Robert Farago :
February 5th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
“…If the outside looks special, I want the inside to look special too. In fact, most people care MORE for interior of their car than its exterior. Otherwise, explain Audi. Or, for that matter, the Pontiac Aztek.”
Hey! I like Audi’s! Outside as well as inside. (bows head and goes into a corner to sulk).
For those of you saying that the car is overpriced, tell that to the 9000 people who pre-ordered this car and have already sold out the entire 2008 production run.
That’s about three weeks’ worth of Mustang sales.
Ford sold about 135,000 Mustangs during 2007, and those sales are on a hard downward trajectory.
You can hang this one on your wall aside the commemorative plaque that honors the Solstice. Once the initial hype dies, this will be much ado about nothing.
kericf
“Chrysler management are seriously ignorant if they think this thing has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever selling for $40 grand.”
Everyone (2008 SRT8 models – the 40k one) has been sold. Already.
Pch101
“It will be interesting to see whether the marketplace agrees with you. (Personally, I thought that $30k was a tad generous for something that inspires flashbacks about The Dukes of Hazzard.)”
That was Dodge Charger. They were not remotely similar in appearance, unless you count wheels, lights, and door handles.
“Here’s a third theory to toss into the mix: When the Daimler-era guys were conceiving of this vehicle, they probably viewed it as a Mustang competitor, with pricing and production volumes to match.
Cerberus sees it differently. Given the changing environment, they may not have even moved ahead with it at all had it not been for the hype and sunk costs that preceded it.”
The story behind this car can be found at Allpar and some other sites. It was never intended to be sold in mass volumes like the Mustang. In fact it was not intended for production. But because of the enthusiastic response, and that it was based off an existing platform, and would be built in the same factory, and that factory is a flex manufacturing facility, they realized they could build enough for anyone who wanted one and make money on each one. When the sales dry up the car goes bye bye and the factory just keeps on turning out the other models from the same platform.
“As a mass market car competing head-on with the Mustang for volume sales, it looks like a losing proposition.”
That’s because it isn’t.
MrDisco:
“Mmmmm cheap grey plastic. Way to go Chrysler!”
It’s black. And I’m not nitpicking. I’ve read post after post on the web that the black looks waaaay better than the typical corporate gray or beige we’ve seen in the past.
Bottom line folks – It will be made as long as it sells, each copy will make a profit, all the first years model are sold, the interior is not trying to comepete with Audi, and you will be able to buy one in the 20’s and 30’s when the lesser ones come out. And when the hype is over, they will just turn off the switch and stop making them. By then the new 300 and Charger will be coming out anyway.
$40,000+ for this thing, are you kidding me or what? Now I know this is for the SRT-8 model but so what. I think we need to see how crappy or good the lesser models are. If they suck they will only serve to drag down the appeal of the top of the line SRT-8.
I cant wait to see the 20something thousand dollar v6 model with the undersized rims and tiny exhaust pipe(s)!
I know some of you guys are getting all excited about this thing but I would not be surprised if this thing is a big fat failure. Unless you are intro the whole retro muscle craze this thing does look like an outdated dinosaur.
Please tell me outside of some gearheads exactly who is this car designed to appeal to?
It doesn’t look that bad to me. The steering wheel controls aren’t laid out to my liking and it has the dreaded auto, but it is certainly way better than the interior of an Impala rental I drove last year (that had the most annoying, least ergonomic interior of any car that I have had the misfortune of driving and that was its best feature). The color scheme looks correct and the controls appeared to be laid out in intuitive locations. As already pointed out, it’s light years ahead of that Camaro interior we were shown earlier.
That was Dodge Charger. They were not remotely similar in appearance, unless you count wheels, lights, and door handles.
As two-door muscle cars with that ever-elusive Cheese Factor that remains true to the spirit of that wonderful (cough, gag, cough) pinnacle of television entertainment, I’d say that they’re kissing cousins.
It was never intended to be sold in mass volumes like the Mustang.
According to Business Week, LaSorda has suggested that annual sales of 30,000 units would be considered a success.
The original price point, which has been since elevated substantially, further hints that the original goal was to sell at higher volumes.
I would not assume that the fanboys at AllPar have the full story, or that Chrysler has been exactly eager to spell out what their plan has been. Their actions indicate a change in plan, and given the noteworthy decline of Mustang sales, I can’t blame them.
HAving read the other posts now, I have to ask WTF!? $40+ K!? They are launching the top of the line model first!? That is completely bassackward. I’ll take a Mustang, thank you.
While the masses wait for the reasonably priced versions of this car, the market for it will continue to shrink and the furor surrounding the concept will die down even more. Chrysler (and even more so GM) were silly to bring these cars to market if they had an inkling of how long it would take (when is GM going to actually release the Camaro? Before or after the Volt?). It’s one thing to take a long time from intro to release for a low (micro?)volume car, but if you want to compete with the Mustang, you better get your car to market relatively fast because you need that hype from the concept if you want to have any chance at taking more than a nibble out of the Mustang’s market share.
It’s easy to sit behind a keyboard and criticize. Like the interior or not it’s a hot car. Yes, the interior is not to everyone’s liking but, this car isn’t trying to please everyone just the enthusiasts. And as long as Dodge makes a profit off of those enthusiasts then it’s a win for Dodge. Quit whinning about the interior and celebrate the fact that Dodge has a vehicle that people actually want to own. It’s popular, if Dodge was going to cut corners on a muscle car it makes sense to cut corners on the interior instead of the engine, tranny or suspension. I could care less if Audi has a better interior. How many people are lined up at the Audi dealership for their upcoming car?
celebrate the fact that Dodge has a vehicle that people actually want to own.
I would, er, challenge the belief that a vehicle that has collected 9,000 deposits is a vehicle that a lot of people want to own. In a market in which over 16 million vehicles are sold per year, this is a tiny drop in a huge bucket.
It’s not at all surprising that a few people will line up to buy the thing. The critical question is whether the car can sell in volumes that are profitable for an extended period, not just for several months, and that it can do so while enhancing the brand.
Daimler would not have bothered with developing this thing for production if the goal had been to sell 7,000 units per year, as it could not have recouped its costs at such a low sales volume.
I have my doubts that this car will be much of a buzz generator within two years of its release. And if Dodge ditches its car lineup entirely, then it may very well just be an orphan that will be left to wither once the initial hype has died off.
Are you this not a Charger interior? I could almost swear it is, otherwise, the Charger needs its steering wheel back!
As I understand it, this car was developed on an existing platform so its cost to develop was relatively small in comparison to other cars in its category. I believe this was their intent so in the event that it as not well received or if economic conditions change their investement loss would be minimal. Dodge has one of the most efficient design & development processes when compared to most manufacturers. They can bring a car from design to production quickly. This is part of what saved them years ago. Sales dropping off any vehicle a few model years old is not unusual for any car. Sales will not stay strong unless the car is kept fresh with features and options that are popular. I can say that all of the Mopar fans I’ve talked to can’t wait for this car.
TriShield :
On a muscle car they throw in the interior for free, you’re paying for everything else. It’s not any different than most dedicated sports cars on the market, especially the affordable ones.
This rings true with affordable ones (WRX, Evo, Z, S2000, Mustang, Ferrari) at $40k, I bought an interior. Notice with the Evo and WRX price creep, their interiors have gotten better. (Still no Audi, but, who is?)
I can’t wait to see how the 3 Challengers all do against the CLK-Class vehicles =)
My kingdom for soft, richly textured, vintage Muscle car pleather wrapping!!!
http://www.motorsportscenter.com/uploads/driver_view_interior.jpg
Shit. What happened?
Pch101
“According to Business Week, LaSorda has suggested that annual sales of 30,000 units would be considered a success.
The original price point, which has been since elevated substantially, further hints that the original goal was to sell at higher volumes.”
The 30k number is correct. Actually I heard 35k. But not for the reasons you are stating. It was not cut back to 30k because they could meet an original goal – it was the goal of the project team to create a car which on a low volume of 30 or 35k would produce a profit for the company. That’s why it will be built in flex factory next to other vehicles on the same platform. That’s why it does not have the interior of the new Ram, which will sell over 300k. Chrysler never had dreams of selling 200k of these cars, but they did insist that each one make a profit.
I like it better than the Mustang interior. And WAY better than the Camaro…
I say wait to pass judgment until it finally comes out…
I don’t get it. The exterior looks magnificent, but this interior is complete shite. The exterior looks mean and like it’s constantly in motion, but the interior looks worse than the Caliber’s. The Mustang’s interior may not be winning awards, but damn it, at least they tried to make it cool and unique.
This abomination of an interior doesn’t belong in a car that’s supposed to be fun. There’s nothing special about it. It honestly looks like a depressing place to be. That four-spoke steering wheel looks like it belongs in my mom’s car. The blue-backlighting on the gauges looks cheesy and the gauges themselves have been on Dodge vehicles for ages. These vents remind me of my 1990 Subaru Legacy’s vents- too bad the rest of the interior doesn’t look as good. They should have at least put in some color accents or something to contrast all of that blackness (those tiny pieces of “chrome” don’t count). It’s not even a particularly good looking shade of black because I keep thinking “gray” when I look at it.
I just can’t get over the huge difference between the exterior and interior. The interior has no character at all and belongs in a truck, not in the reincarnation of one of history’s coolest cars. If this is the best that Chrysler can do, maybe they deserve to go under.
Samir Syed:
Shit. What happened?
Old habits die hard. Looks like the former DCX did the same thing that Ford did back in 2002 with the Thunderbird – show-car exterior, but lift the interior straight out of the donor sedan, in that case the Lincoln LS.
Windswords,
How many years did Dodge predict it will take to sell 300k Rams? They certainly aren’t anywhere near that on a year to year basis now.
Samir:
Warn us when you post a link like that. I hadn’t had my coffe yet this morning. Please tell me that was not the most recent interior and that the one in the article is what they are going with.
Orian,
You need to look up your sales figures buddy. Last year the Ram sold 326k, the last full year of the OLD generation and an off year of sales for them. A few SHORT years ago, they sold 450k. The new one will, barring a recession, sell more. A lot more.
I like the Challenger’s interior, and I like the LX interiors in general. I had several friends that owned Chrysler 300’s, and my next door neighbor had a Magnum and then a Charger. Except for the pitifully weak engine both had, 2.7 L, they were ok cars, nothing the hemi, or the 3.5 couldn’t have fixed.
I guess I don’t understand what people are complaining about. Just the fact it’s not grey should get it a break from the “craptastics” comments. It’s miles ahead of the concept’s interior, now that really was “craptastic”.
The comment about the wheel looking thin and flimsy was funny. It’s very solid, and is a decent thickness too. The Mustang has the ugliest wheel I have seen in some time, hands down.
If I was buying a car a couple of years from now, a Challenger (with a 5.7) would be it, in black.
Nope. Total and absolute FAIL. Don’t even give me that “its a muscle car, interior doesn’t matter” BS. Camaro and Mustang both put the effort in. “Nobody will pass on it just because of the interior”? Untrue. I worked on a lot that sold both Challenger and Stang and let me tell you, sit in one right after the other, and the differnce is HUGE. The inside of the Challenger is bland, cheap, and looks obviously plastic. Nobody wants to spend 35K on a car and then feel like they are sitting in a cheap car when they sit in it. I’m not asking for lavish lexus or Mercedes interior here, but something that looks like they tried.