Brother Mike
02-14-2005, 10:56 PM
FROM BLUEOVALNEWS.COM
When the Dodge Charger was introduced this past January in Detroit, the vehicle seemed to lack that certain "EYE-POP" appeal. I thought the Chrysler group could have presented a Charger that didn't look, well, so vanilla. Being vanilla isn't a bad thing, especially if you're a Toyota Avalon or a Ford Taurus - but the Charger's styling screamed for some recognition!
The Charger as introduced at the 2005 NAIAS in Detroit, MI.
Fast forward to the Chicago Auto Show and WOOOOOHAAAHHHHHH - we have the Dodge that the Chrysler Group should have unveiled in Detroit. A burnt orange colored, Hemi-powered beast accented with a flat black painted hood, taillight panel along with "Hemi" and "Daytona" graphics. The Charger was tucked off to the side of the Dodge display, but it drew enough "Oohs" and "Ahhhhs" to drive home the point that the Chrysler group might have another sales hit.
Good bye to vanilla - this Charger makes a statement that it is serious and capable.
The biggest Charger hecklers come from performance enthusiasts who do not accept the Charger because it is a sedan (4-door). But hot sedans are "in" because they are more practical for a wide variety of people - they are capable of serving a wider range of roles. Besides, there is no rule that stipulates that sedans are wimps. Mercedes-Benz just released their 604 horsepower AMG sedan in Chicago and BMW has been making ganz schrecklich (German slang for totally awesome) sedans for decades. It wasn't long that FoMoCo fans rejoiced at the idea of a hot Mercury Marauder sedan, but Mercury made too many critical errors during the car's execution and marketing (or lack of) that doomed the car from the onset. But let's not fool ourselves; there are a lot of people in a lot of places that have been waiting for a large American sedan powered by a big V8 with rear wheel drive.
The Charger best exemplifies that, "In your face, pal" look.
While the market is packed full of bland, front wheel drive, V6 powered sedans, it's comforting to find a company with the nerve to finally create a large sedan with a top notch chassis/engine combo melded into pretty cool packages. Whatever opinion one might have about their styling, the Charger and 300C are distinctive vehicles that offer real performance and have a certain personality about them. When was the time you were able to equate an American sedan with those attributes?
There can be no mistake - this sucker is all U.S.D.A. prime Hemi power.
Just compare the Dodge Charger or 300C to Ford's new Five-Hundred flagship, their Crown Victoria or Chevy's Monte Carlo SS and you'll soon be classifying the DCX duo as being in a league of their own. The Chrysler group is, without a doubt, in an enviable position and everyone at Ford and GM know it. The only problem for Ford and GM is that they can't do anything to counter Chrysler, nor will they be able to any time soon. Of course, Ford has the Mustang, which is also in a league of its own.
The new 2006 Monte Carlo's design is dated before its introduction. Many would agree that the 2006 Monte Carlo's front end is too reminiscent of the Lumina. While the SS model does sport a V8 engine, it rides on a front- wheel drive platform crippling the vehicle's image and performance capabilities.
Despite the negative news media and the countless lawsuits surrounding it, the Crown Victoria remains a durable vehicle and has a cult-like following (CrownVic.net).
According to a Ford manager, the DCX trio (including the Magnum) are so threatening that the future of the Crown Victoria may ultimately depend on how well they perform in the market. There has been a lot of speculation that Ford will regulate the Taurus and Crown Victoria to fleet-only sales, but that flies counter to Ford's strategy of reducing overall fleet sales.
There are several schools of thought about what will happen to the Crown Victoria. The first one is that Ford's recent decision to cancel the Hurricane engine program may signal that Ford may have little interest in producing an engine capable of fighting the Hemi. If Ford believes that the future will point to smaller engines, then the need to have both a Crown Victoria and the Five Hundred make little, if no sense.
The second school of thought goes like this: The Crown Victoria is essential to Ford's product lineup, and it makes Ford money; although, it has been unopposed in the market and most of the profits it generates come from fleet sales. The arrival of the Charger gives both retail and fleet customers a viable option to the Crown Vic. In addition, the arrival of the 300 and Charger has made it painfully apparent to everyone in the auto industry that the Crown Victoria is in desperate need of a platform and styling change, which costs big bucks. What then becomes the question is: Does Ford have the desire and funding to invest in the Crown Victoria to save it? When faced with the Magnum, Charger and 300, can Ford find a case with which to convince itself that investing in the "Panthers" will return juicy profits? Or will Ford decide that it can invest its profits more wisely elsewhere? According to a recent article by Business Week, the Chrysler 300 forced Ford to sell the Five Hundred for nearly $5,000 USD less than originally planned - thus costing Ford millions of dollars in profits. Can the same thing happen to a revised Crown Vic?
Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis Sales Figures
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Grand Marquis
114,162
122,776
122,575
112,034
80,271
86,986
79,329
Crown Vic
111,531
114,669
92,047
95,261
79,716
78,541
70,816
Combined
225,693
237,445
214,622
207,295
159,987
165,527
150,145
Sales of the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis have been declining steadily since hitting a high in 1999. It is doubtful that they will rebound or stagnate unless changes are made to make it competitive.
The bottom line is that the Charger, Magnum and 300 have received favorable media coverage because they are all well executed products whose presence does not reek of Ford or GM's "purgatory" design elements. If only Ford would build the 427. . .
When the Dodge Charger was introduced this past January in Detroit, the vehicle seemed to lack that certain "EYE-POP" appeal. I thought the Chrysler group could have presented a Charger that didn't look, well, so vanilla. Being vanilla isn't a bad thing, especially if you're a Toyota Avalon or a Ford Taurus - but the Charger's styling screamed for some recognition!
The Charger as introduced at the 2005 NAIAS in Detroit, MI.
Fast forward to the Chicago Auto Show and WOOOOOHAAAHHHHHH - we have the Dodge that the Chrysler Group should have unveiled in Detroit. A burnt orange colored, Hemi-powered beast accented with a flat black painted hood, taillight panel along with "Hemi" and "Daytona" graphics. The Charger was tucked off to the side of the Dodge display, but it drew enough "Oohs" and "Ahhhhs" to drive home the point that the Chrysler group might have another sales hit.
Good bye to vanilla - this Charger makes a statement that it is serious and capable.
The biggest Charger hecklers come from performance enthusiasts who do not accept the Charger because it is a sedan (4-door). But hot sedans are "in" because they are more practical for a wide variety of people - they are capable of serving a wider range of roles. Besides, there is no rule that stipulates that sedans are wimps. Mercedes-Benz just released their 604 horsepower AMG sedan in Chicago and BMW has been making ganz schrecklich (German slang for totally awesome) sedans for decades. It wasn't long that FoMoCo fans rejoiced at the idea of a hot Mercury Marauder sedan, but Mercury made too many critical errors during the car's execution and marketing (or lack of) that doomed the car from the onset. But let's not fool ourselves; there are a lot of people in a lot of places that have been waiting for a large American sedan powered by a big V8 with rear wheel drive.
The Charger best exemplifies that, "In your face, pal" look.
While the market is packed full of bland, front wheel drive, V6 powered sedans, it's comforting to find a company with the nerve to finally create a large sedan with a top notch chassis/engine combo melded into pretty cool packages. Whatever opinion one might have about their styling, the Charger and 300C are distinctive vehicles that offer real performance and have a certain personality about them. When was the time you were able to equate an American sedan with those attributes?
There can be no mistake - this sucker is all U.S.D.A. prime Hemi power.
Just compare the Dodge Charger or 300C to Ford's new Five-Hundred flagship, their Crown Victoria or Chevy's Monte Carlo SS and you'll soon be classifying the DCX duo as being in a league of their own. The Chrysler group is, without a doubt, in an enviable position and everyone at Ford and GM know it. The only problem for Ford and GM is that they can't do anything to counter Chrysler, nor will they be able to any time soon. Of course, Ford has the Mustang, which is also in a league of its own.
The new 2006 Monte Carlo's design is dated before its introduction. Many would agree that the 2006 Monte Carlo's front end is too reminiscent of the Lumina. While the SS model does sport a V8 engine, it rides on a front- wheel drive platform crippling the vehicle's image and performance capabilities.
Despite the negative news media and the countless lawsuits surrounding it, the Crown Victoria remains a durable vehicle and has a cult-like following (CrownVic.net).
According to a Ford manager, the DCX trio (including the Magnum) are so threatening that the future of the Crown Victoria may ultimately depend on how well they perform in the market. There has been a lot of speculation that Ford will regulate the Taurus and Crown Victoria to fleet-only sales, but that flies counter to Ford's strategy of reducing overall fleet sales.
There are several schools of thought about what will happen to the Crown Victoria. The first one is that Ford's recent decision to cancel the Hurricane engine program may signal that Ford may have little interest in producing an engine capable of fighting the Hemi. If Ford believes that the future will point to smaller engines, then the need to have both a Crown Victoria and the Five Hundred make little, if no sense.
The second school of thought goes like this: The Crown Victoria is essential to Ford's product lineup, and it makes Ford money; although, it has been unopposed in the market and most of the profits it generates come from fleet sales. The arrival of the Charger gives both retail and fleet customers a viable option to the Crown Vic. In addition, the arrival of the 300 and Charger has made it painfully apparent to everyone in the auto industry that the Crown Victoria is in desperate need of a platform and styling change, which costs big bucks. What then becomes the question is: Does Ford have the desire and funding to invest in the Crown Victoria to save it? When faced with the Magnum, Charger and 300, can Ford find a case with which to convince itself that investing in the "Panthers" will return juicy profits? Or will Ford decide that it can invest its profits more wisely elsewhere? According to a recent article by Business Week, the Chrysler 300 forced Ford to sell the Five Hundred for nearly $5,000 USD less than originally planned - thus costing Ford millions of dollars in profits. Can the same thing happen to a revised Crown Vic?
Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis Sales Figures
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Grand Marquis
114,162
122,776
122,575
112,034
80,271
86,986
79,329
Crown Vic
111,531
114,669
92,047
95,261
79,716
78,541
70,816
Combined
225,693
237,445
214,622
207,295
159,987
165,527
150,145
Sales of the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis have been declining steadily since hitting a high in 1999. It is doubtful that they will rebound or stagnate unless changes are made to make it competitive.
The bottom line is that the Charger, Magnum and 300 have received favorable media coverage because they are all well executed products whose presence does not reek of Ford or GM's "purgatory" design elements. If only Ford would build the 427. . .