Dodge Charger a chance for Australia in 2014

[DanielXR8]

Would set the cat amongst the pigeons in the local performance car market:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/222946/d...ralia-in-2014/

By Tim Beissmann | March 29th, 2013

The Dodge Charger could be introduced to Australia from the beginning of 2014 if the business case that is currently under assessment stacks up.
Chrysler Group senior vice president of design Ralph Gilles told CarAdvice at the New York auto show his team is investigating shipping a converted right-hand-drive version of the large rear-wheel-drive sedan to Australia to sell alongside the Chrysler 300, with which it shares its platform.
“Apparently the Australians favour the Charger more than the 300, so we’re looking at a conversion package where we could do something,” Gilles said.

“The market wants it, so that’s something I’m very interested in.”
He said a Dodge Charger built specially for Australia could take “less than a year” to materialise if the business case comes back positive – the magic number being 1000 sales per year.

Gilles said rather than create a complete right-hand-drive Charger just for our market, the American brand was looking at melding the instrument panel from the 300 into the Dodge for Australia.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to reinvest in a custom one, so I think if we kind of mix the DNA a little bit we could come up with something very cool.”
If it eventuates, the right-hand-drive Dodge Charger will cost more than the entry-level 300, which is priced from $43,000 in Australia.

Dodge offers the Charger with three unique powertrains in the US: a 218kW/353Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, a 276kW/536Nm 5.7-litre Hemi V8 and a high-performance 351kW/637Nm 6.4-litre Hemi V8 in the flagship SRT variant, which sprints from 0-60mph (0-96.6km/h) in under five seconds.
At 5077mm long, 1905mm wide, 1482mm tall and riding on a 3052mm wheelbase, the Dodge Charger is just 11mm longer and 6mm lower to the ground than the Chrysler 300.

While Australia’s large-car market is in decline, 1000 sales is far from unreachable. The locally made Holden Commodore (30,532), Ford Falcon (14,036) and Toyota Aurion (9074) easily eclipsed that number in 2012, while seven other similar-sized models – Honda Accord (1565), Holden Caprice (1460), Nissan Maxima (1454), Chrysler 300 (1206), BMW 5 Series (1087), Peugeot 508 (1085) and Mercedes-Benz E-Class (1036) – also reached four figures.

A 2014 launch would see the iconic Charger nameplate return to Australia 36 years after the locally manufactured two-door Chrysler Valiant Charger was discontinued in 1978. The original VH Charger was tremendously popular and highly acclaimed in Australia, though the car’s gradual shift away from its performance origins saw production cease after just seven years.

[Revolver]

Yeah right.

Chrysler barely sells enough in Australia to break even & justify staying here.

Its funny because Australia has the most offerings for cars in the world. We are the hardest market to break into. IIRC there is around 150 lines available to us when you start looking for a new car.

Yet we miss out on all the good stuff from international car makers. Case in point. The 2014 Corvette. It's BS.

[SteveJH]

Why not the Dodge Challenger or SRT Viper instead?

With the 300C already engineered and sold over here, they would be better off to sell the Next generation Charger over here when the current 300C is replaced.

[csv8]

At least Chrysler is willing to take a risk..not like Ford who won't bring back the XR8 or introduce a G8E..KUDO'S to Chrysler

[BEN189]

R/T, yes please!

[mcnews]

The Charger is quite ugly and far from appealing in real life, it is a low budget taxi in the states. Only the Challenger is a real looker and something you would like to own. I am a Charger nut forever, but latest Chargers are pretty poxy really. The Challenger is hot, as is Chev's current Camaro in the states, both of those whop the Mustang for real appeal, but the current Yank Charger is an insult to the Charger name once you have seen them in flesh and been in them. A bit like calling a Mondeo the new GTHO.....

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by csv8

At least Chrysler is willing to take a risk..not like Ford who won't bring back the XR8 or introduce a G8E..KUDO'S to Chrysler

And how do you know that?

[pursuit2359]

I can't see this happening unless the Charger is factory RHD due to the conversion costs. Case in point: the 2001 Ford Mustang

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by pursuit2359

I can't see this happening unless the Charger is factory RHD due to the conversion costs. Case in point: the 2001 Ford Mustang
image

It would be factory RHD, it looks like they might pinch the dash from the 300 rather than mirroring the current Charger dash though.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by pursuit2359

I can't see this happening unless the Charger is factory RHD due to the conversion costs.

Charger and 300 are on the same platform and therefore, the engineering is mostly done....
This plan wreaks of desperation, the 300 has basically crashed and burned and Charger is plan B.

[Bossxr8]

They have continually knocked it back in the past because they couldn't sell enough to justify the huge engineering costs going RHD for a small run of cars, what's changed here?

Nothing.

300C is selling bugger all too really. 200 odd a month I think. Just wait a few months and it will be even lower than that. Charger sales would probably just eat into 300C sales anyway, cause they are pretty much the same thing, just look a little different. The idea that a Charger can be a 4 door stinks anyway. The Challenger is much better.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

They have continually knocked it back in the past because they couldn't sell enough to justify the huge engineering costs going RHD for a small run of cars, what's changed here?

Nothing.

300C is selling bugger all too really. 200 odd a month I think. Just wait a few months and it will be even lower than that. Charger sales would probably just eat into 300C sales anyway, cause they are pretty much the same thing, just look a little different. The idea that a Charger can be a 4 door stinks anyway. The Challenger is much better.

These days, trying to sell large cars in Australia is a thankless job, I think that Ford and Holden do such a good job,
they practically have the market sewn up. Advocates who lauded the 300 and 300C for being so superior to G6E and Calais
obviously didn't actually convert into actual buyers..

Challenger won't come to Australia for the same reason Camaro doesn't, justifying such a low run is hard.
Mustang has a lot more international identity and could pull it of as a regional RWD performace car..

[Bossxr8]

That, and the 300C looks like total a***.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Revolver 45

Yeah right.

Chrysler barely sells enough in Australia to break even & justify staying here.

Say what?

[LG17]

Unfortunately we hear this kind of statement from time to time.
There's always lots of "ifs" in it and "we are looking at" but how many times does it come to fruition?
Rarely, sadly!

[Kingsley]

Prefer the Challenger.

[mik]

Originally Posted by csv8

At least Chrysler is willing to take a risk..not like Ford who won't bring back the XR8 or introduce a G8E..KUDO'S to Chrysler

here we go again

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Say what?

That article from last year is very out of date, 300 sales of late have been low to say the least...

[FPV GTHO]

They probably want Charger over Challenger thinking there's a wider market being 4 door. My understanding is although the Camaro and Challenger are 4 seat like Mustang, the rear seats are crap.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That article from last year is very out of date, 300 sales of late have been low to say the least...

Actually Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge in 2012/2013 have been selling quite well, everything they get they sell.
Grand Cherokee is still having supply issues and 300 is selling better than the previous model.
They just need more models here to sell as many here are no longer on sale in the US and are being replaced.

Check VFACTS it is there in black and white.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Say what?

Say what? That proves my point. Doesnt go against it. Read the article. Before that shake up sales were pretty poor. 6 months of sales Doesn't always turn into the results that a company wants & needs for the next 5 years or what the company had 5 years prior does it?

I'm not knocking them off. Mopar is my preferred brand. But 6-12 months of good results won't always turn into future results. Just because I smashed out 400 jobs in a 6 month period at one of my jobs doesn't mean I will smash out another 400 in the next 6 months.

Besides that is October last year. I don't keep up with the motoring journalist world or figures. It is mostly trumped up in either direction. So I wasn't aware of this article.

Not to mention we are talking new model releases. There is always a sales inflation/spike with that. Lets see how they are doing at the end of next financial year.

[4stanger]

They could enter the australian market with the charger, by putting it in the v8 supercar series.
This will be a big call by the chrysler been counters, to bring this car to oz.
The current market shows that these type of cars are not big volume sellers here, there would be a 'niche' market for them, if that means a profit some where for chrysler, that's up to the bean counters.
If they do go ahead with this plan, they must know something a lot Aussie buyers don't!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by pursuit2359

I can't see this happening unless the Charger is factory RHD due to the conversion costs. Case in point: the 2001 Ford Mustang
image

Thats the only series of Mustang I like the look of, those 99-2002 models.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Check VFACTS it is there in black and white.

300 is around 200/ mth but Grand Cherokee is selling well,
no great shakes but still interesting enough

[2011G6E]

MMmmm...new Dodge Charger...

[MercurySilver]

Originally Posted by BluFGXR6

Prefer the Challenger.

sorry guys but if they bring out a dodge challenger rhd i will seriously have to look at jumping ship
cant afford the turbo and a new challenger

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by mcnews

The Charger is quite ugly and far from appealing in real life, it is a low budget taxi in the states. Only the Challenger is a real looker and something you would like to own. I am a Charger nut forever, but latest Chargers are pretty poxy really. The Challenger is hot, as is Chev's current Camaro in the states, both of those whop the Mustang for real appeal, but the current Yank Charger is an insult to the Charger name once you have seen them in flesh and been in them. A bit like calling a Mondeo the new GTHO.....

Geez Trev tell us what you really mean. LOL
I don't mind them at all. I first saw them at the 2008 CarCraft Summer Nats in Minnesota and at the time I thought they would be good competition for FPV and HSV. To late for that now though. The current ones have got rid of that awful five speed auto and now have the much better eight speed.
Here's a link to the "Black Top" edition... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHhYodtUv2o

Here's one I saw in 2008 at the show.

[FPV8U]

I dont mind the look of the current model, with the 5.7 & 6.1L V8 if the pricing is right would probably steal some SS/SSV & XR6T sales and pick up some former XR8 buyers.

I'll believe its coming when its at my local dealer though.

[pottery beige]

that things bashed every stick falling out the ugly tree..

[MethodX]

Reminds me of an old Magna or something there abouts.