Challenger nearing release

The Dodge Challenger for 2008, the Chrysler Group's tribute to 'Mopar Muscle' from the seventies, has attracted over 4300 orders from its first day on sale.

Chrysler has released teaser pics of the new car, which has been seen in concept form previously (more here), but will be exhibited in production form at the Chicago Motor Show on February 6, next year. One of the pictures shown here is the concept car, but the production vehicle is not expected to be radically altered.

Pricing for the top of the line Challenger SRT-8 will be US$37,995, but the Challenger range will also include lower-priced models and there is no information on these variants at this stage.

The Challenger is a very faithful reproduction of the Challenger from the early seventies -- probably best remembered from the film 'Vanishing Point' -- and will be a strong competitor to the Chevrolet Camaro, which is built on a variation of the Zeta platform, developed in Australia originally for the VE Commodore.

Dodge will get to market with the Challenger ahead of Chevrolet's Camaro, the Chrysler Group announcing the Challenger would go on sale during the northern hemisphere spring next year (our autumn).

With the expected demand in North America for the Challenger -- and the lack of announcements concerning RHD versions -- the Challenger is not likely to reach Australia in the immediate near future.

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