Dodge Expected to Revive Sporty Charger Sedan for the 2006 Model Year

DETROIT March 10, 2004; The AP reported that Chrysler is harkening back to the muscle car days of the 1960s as inspiration for a new sporty sedan planned for the Dodge lineup.

The U.S.-based division of DaimlerChrysler AG is expected to add a rear-wheel-drive car called the Dodge Charger to its portfolio for the 2006 model year, a Chrysler official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The Charger would join a product offensive at the Chrysler division that includes 25 new or redesigned cars and trucks over the next few years.

Dodge used the Charger name in the 1960s for a high-powered car popular among the street-racing set. An orange 1969 Charger dubbed the General Lee was arguably the biggest star of the popular TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Producers wrecked more than 250 Chargers while jumping them over creeks and filming the numerous car chases that made up much of the show.

The latest version would be built on the same platform as two other rear-wheel-drive Chrysler vehicles that make their debut this spring -- the Chrysler 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon.

It also would be the latest in a number of new high-performance vehicles that cater to drivers who crave high horsepower. Other examples are the Pontiac GTO, Ford GT and Cadillac CTSv.

Some analysts and dealers have said Chrysler left a void in the Dodge lineup when it discontinued the mid-size Intrepid sedan last year. The Charger would fill that hole, competing against models such as the Chevrolet Impala, the new Ford Five-Hundred and higher-end versions of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

Chrysler spokesman Bryan Zvibleman said the company doesn't comment on prospects for future products.

"They really do need a mainstream sedan competitor," said Mike Wall, an analyst with the forecasting firm CSM Worldwide. "It's kind of one of those not-terribly-well-kept secrets."

CSM has a Charger-like sedan in its forecast for Dodge production next year. Wall said he expects the car to come with a powerful V-8 offering, which would make it an attractive option for law enforcement fleets.

CSM predicts annual sales of about 50,000 units for the new Dodge sedan.

"The key for Chrysler is going to be trying to blend pricing with volume," Wall said. "They may be willing to cede a little volume to get a better pricing position, or vice versa."

Chrysler hinted at a return for the Charger in 1999 when it showed the Dodge Charger R/T concept at the North American International Auto Show. That sedan, which never entered production, had a supercharged, 325-horsepower V-8 engine powered by compressed natural gas.

Photo Courtesy ModernRacer Magazine