Car NEWS log

posted by admin on Feb 8

When Chrysler introduced its Dodge Challenger SRT Wednesday at the Chicago Auto, it went straight into talking about power. The car was designed to outperform the classic 1970’s Dodge muscle car of the same name.

But after touting the Challenger’s 4.9 second 0-to-60 miles per hour speed, Chrysler vice chairman and president Jim Press reminded the audience of journalists and industry executives that Chrysler features a full line of more practical vehicles.

“This is a great car but its not all we’re building,” Press said. “We’ve got Journey crossover which gets 28 mpg, and the Durango hybrid (sport utility vehicle), those are our vegetables. We’ve got our Ram, which is our meat and potatoes. But you’ve got to have desert, don’t ya’? Trust me, (Challenger) is sweet.”

With a price tag of nearly $38,000, you could also say the 2009 Challenger is rich. However, this initial release is a limited edition and the vehicle’s next model will feature a wider range of prices, the company said.

The updated Challenger embraces its history as a drag-racing favorite, with electronic dashboard gauges that display the vehicle’s 0-60 speed, its quarter-mile driving time and measures the amount of gravitational force the driver is experiencing.

Chrysler’s executive vice president of product development, Frank Klegon, summed up the vehicle up by saying, Challenger is “built by gear heads for gear heads.”