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- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
So, apparently this is a real thing.
The “Dodge Lancer” was spotted 12 years ago in 2010 at “lot 27” of the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, by an ex-worker at Dodge who is known on Reddit after the username @lostboyz. While he found it noteworthy and took the time to photograph it, he didn’t want to get into trouble by revealing a well-kept secret. However many years have passed since and when he rediscovered the pictures on a hard drive, he thought it would be safe to share them with the world. As he wrote on a Reddit post: “I could never find out an answer for why this existed and it eventually disappeared”. He also suggested that a hypothetical Dodge Caliber SRT4 twin of the Mitsubishi Evo X would make sense.
Rumor has it that back in 2004 Chrysler was working with Mitsubishi on a compact sedan named Rebel that would succeed the Dodge Neon. As the car was ready for its debut, the project got canceled and Dodge opted for a model with a crossover-style hatchback silhouette. As a result, the Caliber was unveiled in 2005 in concept form, with the production version following in 2006. Mitsubishi continued the development of the four-door variant, introducing the Lancer in 2007.
In reality, if Dodge went down the rebadging route for its compact sedan, it could potentially save millions of dollars in R&D, design, and tooling investments. However, the automaker would risk losing market share and damaging the brand’s status compared to the independently designed proposal scenario that prevailed.
www.carscoops.com
The “Dodge Lancer” was spotted 12 years ago in 2010 at “lot 27” of the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, by an ex-worker at Dodge who is known on Reddit after the username @lostboyz. While he found it noteworthy and took the time to photograph it, he didn’t want to get into trouble by revealing a well-kept secret. However many years have passed since and when he rediscovered the pictures on a hard drive, he thought it would be safe to share them with the world. As he wrote on a Reddit post: “I could never find out an answer for why this existed and it eventually disappeared”. He also suggested that a hypothetical Dodge Caliber SRT4 twin of the Mitsubishi Evo X would make sense.
Rumor has it that back in 2004 Chrysler was working with Mitsubishi on a compact sedan named Rebel that would succeed the Dodge Neon. As the car was ready for its debut, the project got canceled and Dodge opted for a model with a crossover-style hatchback silhouette. As a result, the Caliber was unveiled in 2005 in concept form, with the production version following in 2006. Mitsubishi continued the development of the four-door variant, introducing the Lancer in 2007.
In reality, if Dodge went down the rebadging route for its compact sedan, it could potentially save millions of dollars in R&D, design, and tooling investments. However, the automaker would risk losing market share and damaging the brand’s status compared to the independently designed proposal scenario that prevailed.
Did You Know That The Dodge Caliber Came Close To Being A Rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer? | Carscoops
The photos were shot 12 years ago at a company parking lot by an ex-Dodge employee
www.carscoops.com
