Chryslers grandson wants to save the brand

[Too many Kubotas]

Not having Facebook I can't tell what the Charger/El Camino would look like, but...

...don't overlook that Ram already make a car with a bed on the back. They call it the 1500.

 

[DarkBlack]

I look at that car entirely differently, as a flat-out embarrassment to modern Chrysler history. It was proposed to be something great, but then they ultimately released it with a turd of an engine, something like 235 very wimpy horses.

The only thing that made it worse, is it came from the same era as the PT Cruiser. What a complete POS. Whereas the Prowler is something that could have been great, if management hadn't completely neutered it with a wimpy power plant, the PT Cruiser was absolute garbage through and through, from day 1 to the end.

Those two vehicles book-end a very embarrassing era for Chrysler, but they've had some great vehicles from that time until the present. The Viper, the SRT-10 truck, the Charger and Challenger SRT 392 and Hellcat models... all made what I consider the second golden-age of muscle cars.

My short post was to highlight that the Prowler was an unusual design where they gave designers freedom on the design. It was a visually unusual production vehicle and used some unusual construction techniques.
You’re personal opinion on what power level that vehicle should have had, or whatever else you don’t like about it , is irrelevant to the point of my post

 

[WinterDeere]

My short post was to highlight that the Prowler was an unusual design where they gave designers freedom on the design. It was a visually unusual production vehicle and used some unusual construction techniques.
You’re personal opinion on what power level that vehicle should have had, or whatever else you don’t like about it , is irrelevant to the point of my post

Fair enough. And Chrysler has always been a little more "out there", among major American auto makers, with doing creative stuff. Not always to their own benefit, either in terms of sales or reliability, but you gotta give them high points for creativity.

Even the devilish Viper has had a pretty checkered sales history, with now two haituses in manufacturing. It's the car everyone loves, but nobody buys. I think their low point was 2021, Dodge only sold two Vipers in the first three quarters of that year! Of course, they were still selling their 2018 model, at that point.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think Ram/Jeep/Dodge has always been more innovative. With innovation comes risk. I think the Jeep rage has boosted their sales and image a lot. The Cummins powered Ram is another steady source of sales. The Power Wagon is another. Dropping the “Charger” type muscle cars was a mistake. IMO, fuel prices will begin receding and they might become a big seller again if the country rejects the EV mandates.

The other thing the innovative designs do is force the competition to follow. The Cummins forced GM and Ford to up their game with the Powerstroke and the Duramax. The redesigned Jeep forced the Ford Bronco to reemerge. The Power Wagon forced the Ford Tremor.

Personally I hope Ram & Jeep continue to innovate. We really like our Jeep Rubicon, so much so that We rented a Jeep Hybrid for our Glacier National Park trip and liked it, too.

 

[WinterDeere]

Dropping the “Charger” type muscle cars was a mistake. IMO, fuel prices will begin receding and they might become a big seller again if the country rejects the EV mandates.

Good post. But on this one point, I don't think they had a choice. This is just hearsay, I didn't verify anything myself, but the sales manager at our local Dodge dealer told me that the latest emissions and fuel usage requirements just made it impossible for them to put those 6.4L or 6.2T power plants in any passenger vehicle, anymore.

 

[Hay Dude]

Good post. But on this one point, I don't think they had a choice. This is just hearsay, I didn't verify anything myself, but the sales manager at our local Dodge dealer told me that the latest emissions and fuel usage requirements just made it impossible for them to put those 6.4L or 6.2T power plants in any passenger vehicle, anymore.

Oh definitely correct.
Maybe they should introduce a small economy car to increase fleet average?
Other brands do this, and even have been rumored to sell those vehicles at a loss, so they can continue to make big money on the muscle cars and trucks

 

[paulsharvey]

Ok, so, not being an engineer, but can't they stuff that abomination of the 3.0TT into a charger/challenger?

 

[paulsharvey]

The Charger (too a much less degree the Magnum first, and then latter the Challanger) filled a great rule, being a good medium sized, relatively affordable, efficient car, that was cool enough that you don't feel the need to make excuses of why you drive it. If you drove a charger to any construction site, nobody was going to ask about "your wife's car" or "how much groceries does that hold"

 

[WinterDeere]

...being a good medium sized, relatively affordable, efficient car, that was cool enough that you don't feel the need to make excuses of why you drive it.

??? We must be talking about different cars. You're aware these came in 500, 700, and 850 hp variants? Not exactly what I'd call "efficient", or "cool enough that you don't feel the need to make excuses".

These were the coolest North American (NAFTA) 4- and 5-seater coupes and sedans on the road, while they were being made. Period.

 

[WinterDeere]

Ok, so, not being an engineer, but can't they stuff that abomination of the 3.0TT into a charger/challenger?

Good question! I wonder what has prevented them from doing this. The standard Hurricane is on-par with the past R/T models, and the HO Hurricane is better than par with the SRT 392 or Scat Pak models.