KEY POINTS:
Chrysler's new-old baby has arrived - just don't look for it on our roads.
The company wants to double sales outside North America over the next five years - but it has made it clear that its new Dodge Challenger won't contribute to export growth.
"The all-new Dodge Challenger SRT8 is not available to markets outside North America," the car-maker said at the launch of the two-door muscle car - the 2008 version of the 1969 original - at the Chicago motor show.
Frank Klegon, Chrysler's product development boss, said production would be kept under 100,000, a number that rules out right-hand-drive development.
The Australian/NZ arm of Chrysler pushed hard for a right-hooker. Brad Fitzsimmons, sales general manager across the Tasman, said: "We will be putting our hand up for the Challenger. Chrysler is famous for two-door muscle cars in Australia with the success of the Charger in the seventies, and we would love to add the Dodge Challenger to the line-up."
That was last year, when Challenger production got the go-ahead after a 35-year hiatus. Now Chrysler in Australia and NZ will have to settle for mainstream products, one of which, the Dodge Journey crossover, is now under evaluation.
About 9 per cent of the 2,076,650 vehicles Chrysler built last year were exported to left- and right-hand-drive markets. It wants exports to account for around 18 per cent of production by 2013.
But, for the moment, it is talking up the rear-drive Challenger, the star of the Chicago show. Bob Nardelli, the chief executive of Chrysler, thinks the new Challenger has the potential to draw buyers into Dodge showrooms and boost sales of the car-maker's other vehicles.
"It couldn't come at a better time in our business cycle," said Nardelli. He thinks buyers who haven't been in a Dodge showroom in years will take a new look at Dodge vehicles.
"It says a lot about Dodge and it will help attract new customers and old ones, too."
Chrysler will begin selling the 1970s-style coupe in the US in April, starting at US$37,995 ($48,250). It is powered by a 6.1-litre Hemi V8 engine producing 320kW (425bhp) and 560Nm of torque. Chrysler also plans to build a six-cylinder base model.
Jim Press, Chrysler vice-chairman and co-president, said the V8 Challenger sprints from zero to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 275km/h. Its Brembo disc brakes will bring the car to a stop from 100km/h in 33.5m.
The Challenger SRT8 comes in three colours: Hemi orange, bright silver metallic and brilliant black crystal pearl coat. Each two-door, rear-wheel-drive coupe will be produced with a numbered dash plaque and carbon fibre-like hood stripes.
The Dodge Challenger features the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the 1970s.
"Our designers wanted to capture the mind's-eye-view of what people today remember about the Challenger from 35 years ago," said Trevor Creed, vice-president of Chrysler design.
"So their challenge was to excite today's customer by capturing the emotion of the original Challenger, but with today's quality and performance."
The Challenger's full-width grille and fog lamps are reminiscent of the original Challenger. The bonnet's raised centre, carbon fibre-like stripes and functional dual scoops stay true to the Challenger heritage, as does the A-line and beltline.
The front end incorporates numerous functional design features. Included are a fascia that directs air around the front of the vehicle, dual snorkel hood scoops that bring cooling air into the engine bay and ducts that direct air to cool the brakes.
The rear spoiler is not only reminiscent of the original T/A model, but is a functional part of the new car.
"We used the original Challenger as an inspiration for many of the features found on the all-new SRT8," said lead designer Jeff Gale.
"The side mirrors actually started with a mould from the mirrors of an original Challenger.
"We tweaked a few details for fit and finish, then put them through our modern aerodynamic testing metrics and ended up with a body-mounted mirror that is remarkably similar visually to the original, but offers significantly better aerodynamic performance."
The Dodge Challenger is another chapter in Chrysler's long history of bringing concepts quickly to production, including the Dodge Viper, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Jeep Compass and Plymouth Prowler.
The Dodge Challenger made its debut in the US in 1969 as a 1970 model. It sold 83,000 in its first year. While it shared the E-body platform with the Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger's wheelbase was 5cm longer, creating more interior space.
It was originally offered as either a two-door hardtop or convertible. And, befitting the brand's performance heritage, the Dodge Challenger also went racing in its first year, competing most notably in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod Associations Pro Stock class.
Although it was produced only from 1970 to 1974, the Dodge Challenger earned a reputation as one of the most desirable of the original pony cars, with meticulously restored and rare examples today selling for six-figure prices.
In its first year, it was offered in a limited-edition T/A model to meet homologation requirements for SCCA Trans-Am racing. In 1971, a Dodge Challenger paced the Indianapolis 500 race.
In April 1974, Challenger production ceased. Insurance rates for performance cars had skyrocketed in the US and the first of the oil crises had taken effect. Over a five-year span, about 188,600 Dodge Challengers were sold.
Chrysler says its Mopar parts division will have plenty of performance parts available for the new Dodge Challenger at launch.
Mopar is a contraction of motor and parts, the two words in the middle of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation, a company formed after Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928.
