-A Challenger concept may NOT end up being at 2006 NAIAS.

- Challenger will probably be on the LX replacement platform LY...or maybe not? DCX is reportedly reviewing it's options on which platform may be most appropriate. LY is still the front runner.

- DCX is trying to determine where a Challenger might be built and it's timing.

- The current LX (as well as many other current cars), may not be able to pass 2010 and up crash standards. If so expect LY to gain weight or add exotic lightweight materials. Apparently, meeting side impact and rollover standards will add lots of weight to all of our cars.

 

i really don't like the sound of this.....

 

Oh, and one more thing....and this may be a stretch.

Someone posted an internal DCX document, which I can't find now, that may have indicated a release as early as spring 2007.

 

sounds like that might be in response to the Generals sporty coupe.

 

More weight... yay.

Seems like they would have to know what platform the car will be on by now if it is to be released in a year and a half...

 

Anyone else curious to know if any the General's current batch of cars will have trouble with the 2010 standards? I think it may be the death blow to the W-body.

 

The government.

I'm all for making cars safer, but the government pushes ever-tougher crash standards (some to the point of rediculousness IMHO) and all the while demand that fuel efficiency rise. That's a tough dual goal to accomplish when you have to add weight, or use exotic materials that substantially drive up cost.

And I agree, if DCX doesn't have a platform for Challenger yet, I wouldn't expect it 15 months from now. I know they don't drag their feet like GM does but they don't exactly have a magic wand to wave at a drawing board over there either.

 

Interesting, and not really very encouraging. Got to love what the big money insurance lobbyists can do!I am still amazed they haven't proposed putting us in elastomeric bubbles with filtered and purified air, to protect us from ourselves

 

That would be really interesting.

 

I don't think the W-car will pass them.

BTW, I had a conversation on the 2010 and up standards, with someone who is working to make future cars compliant. When the subject got on weight, they said to forget about what cars weigh now or weighed in the past. Cars going forward - ALL CARS - will be heavier, maybe even substantially so, just to meet those standards.

 

Bit of conflicting info, isn't it? FWIW, I don't believe it'll be out in 15 months either.

 

That would really suck. They need a real Mustang/Camaro competitor.

I don't know where they should build it but I do know that they aren't doing themselves any good by waiting to do so

This sucks way more then the fact that the concept may not be at NAIAS. I really feel that my Camaro is too heavy. If the new Camaro comes out weighing in at 3,700 or 3,800 or 3,900+ lbs. it would be a real shame. I dread the day that a new Corvette weighs 4,000lbs because of gov't safety standards...and at the pace were at now it looks like that will one day be the case. I think it needs to come to a point where the gov't stops mandating all of this safety crap on cars...

 

Ever heavier and safer cars for ever fatter and ever ignorant people.

Lets spend more money making cars safer, heavier, and more inefficient so that stupid people can become more stupid and more inattentive.

 

I think you've got it!

Let your Congressman know how you feel.

 

I was going to put something very similar in my initial post, but last time I put a potentially abrasive comment in my post I got someone very worked up...So I figured I'd wait until someone else said it Anyway, now that you've said it, I must say I totally agree Our gov't seems to like to substitute hightech safety systems in new vehicles to try to prevent people from killing themselves in place of demanding that people actually be able to drive decently well when they get on the road. If we actually had a driver education and testing system that demanded people be able to correctly operate a motor vehicle we wouldn't have to have such overbuilt cars.