Dodge Demon concept

[Tornado]

It looks like someone drove a Viper between two tractor trailers like in Die Hard With a Vengeance.
That being said, I automatically prefer it to the Solstice (not the Sky, though), assuming they keep the weight down. If it ends up with the 6-speed, it may very well be an even closer competitor to the Miata than the Solstice is.
Why oh why is everyone complaining about the engine? It is essentially the same size and output as the Solstice base, but with a 6-speed (theoretically)? Yes, it sucks in the Solstice, but that is also straddled to a 5 speed.

So... they built an entirely new platform when they already had a perfectly good one that currently carries two cars this size? (SLK and Crossfire) why?

Because the SLK platform is old, expensive and weighs a billion pounds. The single undermining factor behind the Kappa cars is their comparitively high mass, and I doubt Dodge will willingly follow that path.
Also, me likes a 300BHP version. Sounds like a Corvette/SLK/M Roadster competitor to me.

 

[YSSMAN]

I think the answer to your question largely comes from the fact that we've all been spoiled by cars like the S2000 and MX-5 when it comes to power delivery that we want the same silky-smooth powerband in our American models. That said, the key word there is American, and although we certainly know how to build larger-displacement engines, four-cylinder models have never really been our strong suit.

The ECOTEC unit in the Solstice/Sky gets by on the fact that it makes a healthy amount of horsepower with a pretty strong mid and low range, which by contrast to the Mazda and Honda setups, is a bit different, given their preference towards the higher RPMs. The DCX unit has pretty much been lambasted for the same issues as the GM ECOTEC unit, not enough gusto on the top-end to really make it an "optimal" engine in a sports car such as this.

What it comes down to is that you get what you pay for, and in your assessment of the situation, you are right in remembering our "coarse" ancestors from MG, Triumph, etc. They're cheap, fun, and most importantly come from America. What isn't there to like about that?

 

[Tornado]

That reminds me: Does Dodge still produce the DR4E DOHC 2.0L out of the original Neon ACR? That would be perfect for this car.

 

[YSSMAN]

The dropped that engine back in the late '90s when the last of the "good" Neons died. Unfortuante really, as I quite liked the early versions of the Neon, particularly the R/T and ACR models. I could see the engine making a comeback, but given how cash-strapped DCX is, I doubt they would do the development themselves.

...But given that they have pretty much ended all of their ties with Mitsubishi and Hyundai, it isn't going to happen. We're stuck with the "world" engines from their previous development cycles, and we'll have to wait for the SRT-4 version for anything outrageous. Is their engine better than the ECOTEC? I'd say not, but thats just my opinion.

We won't likely know much about the car until they take it out for a spin, and even then, we're looking at least a year and a half until the car would become available to the public.

 

[franz]

I have to agree the interior is pretty nice yet not overdone
however the car still doesn't look right to me ...
it's just a very bad combination IMO (maybe I need more time to like it)
I would much prefer Copperhead, Razor or Slingshot
at least they look okay to me

 

[Philly]

I like the front. Props to Dodge for making a decent looking mini-viper. But that rear. What happened there?

With a good engine and a little rear end clean-up, I think this has potential to be a great car.

 

[STLbarcelona5]

Well to me, the car is put together this way:

- The grille is a bulbous, more vertical Charger grille interpretation
- The headlights to the door are an S2000 + Z4
- The headlights themselves are S2000 + Evo X
- In a side elevation, the back half is an obese Sky (but not to the extent of a Solstace, which is more round, not "fat")
- From the rear, its an Eclipse + old TT

Overall though, a design hodgepodge and an utter mess.

 

[Takumi Fujiwara]

There was a huge pileup on a California freeway recently. In the accident, an S2000 was rear-ended by a 350Z Roadster. The connected mass then hit a wall, and was run into by a Freightliner truck.

A passing design team from Dodge saw the result, and all agreed that it was their next hit car.

 

[harrytuttle]

Yes - it looks rather like a 350Z violating a rather surprised S2000 from behind.

"Zed make you squeal like pig! Hooo-eeeee!!"

It's just not pretty whether you know what movie that's from or not. I think I understand what Dodge was trying to do, but it they ended up forcing too many ill-fitting design elements together for the sake of making it look "like a Dodge". They should take a good look at upcoming Jaguar's & Pontiac's (especially the Solstice/Sky which they are obivously emulating) to learn that you can still look like the brand but have a fresh, modern, and good-looking design.

Nice try, Dodge, but next time, don't try so hard. I can smell the nerual circuits frying from here.

 

[YSSMAN]

[Dr. Farnsworth] GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! [/Dr. Farnsworth]

Chrysler has been through a lot in the past 18 months, including an ad campaign that touted the company's German engineering prowess, three CEOs, and two ownership groups. Now that the company is private, Chrysler would like to reinvent itself as an American automaker. While the Pentistar has canceled the hideous and un-American looking Imperial (actually, we don't know what planet the Imperial came from), the Auburn Hills, MI-based company does have an all-American concept that would help improve the company's image. The Dodge Demon combines aggressive, Viper-like styling and MX-5 proportions with the idea of charging a paltry $15,000 for the right of ownership.

Right now there is no bigger proponent of this roadster than design chief Trevor Creed, and he's willing to fight publicly for his pet cause. Creed told Wards Automotive that the "conditions were right" for such a vehicle, and with Cerberus' new ownership, the private equity group could make a lot of friends inside and outside Chrysler by making the Demon a reality. When we drove the Demon, we were amazed by the positive vibe that the little gold roadster carried. While it's a small, economical, and fun vehicle, it looks the part of a more refined, expensive sports car. We're with you, Trevor. Build it!

Build it! Build It! BUILD IT!

If they want people to be excited about Dodge the brand again, they're going to need small and fun-to-drive (not to mention affordable) cars like these. If they can push the Demon out the door for the right price, I think there would be a lot of people willing to buy one. Take the Pontiac route, steal a bunch of parts from other cars, and go from there.

 

[GT3mich]

And when was the last time you drove a new Dodge product?

 

[harrytuttle]

[Dr. Farnsworth] GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! [/Dr. Farnsworth]


Build it! Build It! BUILD IT!

Absolutely. It may not be what Dodge is known for, but it could end up being a great car. It could...maybe. As long as they don't go all half-assed on it like the Crossfire, they should be fine. I don't think they should go the V8 route, though. A V6 at most, like the 350Z, to keep the car small and light.

 

[Joey D]

I hate this car, I don't want them to build it...and yes I've seen it in person.

I think it's ugly and given Chrysler's half-assed approach to everything I can't imagine it will be any good. If I wanted an American company's roadster I'll just get a Saturn Sky and call it a day.

 

[JCE]

I hate this car, I don't want them to build it...and yes I've seen it in person.



I think it's ugly and given Chrysler's half-assed approach to everything I can't imagine it will be any good. If I wanted an American company's roadster I'll just get a Saturn Sky and call it a day.

Agreed. I'd rather have a Sky or a V6 5spd Mustang Convertable. Dodge's track record on sports cars hasn't been good in 35 years...much less their regular products.

 

[YSSMAN]

Of course you do have to doubt what they are capable of, but if they could pull it off, I see no reason why they couldn't push-off 20,000 a year. The response to the Demon was nothing but positive, and its rather unfortunate that the Cerberus deal nearly shelved it indefinitely.

 

[Joey D]

I don't know how anyone can be positive about a car that has the arse of an Audi TT and the front end of a Charger...it's just not good looking at all. Dodge will probably put a crappy engine in it too.

 

[YSSMAN]

...Probably the "world" engine they co-developed with Hyundai and Mitsubishi...

 

[Joey D]

Correct me if I'm wrong but that's the 173-hp, 2.4-liter I-4 right? The same engine in the Avenger?

Isn't that pretty much the same exact engine that is in the Sky/Solstice? If that's the case Dodge better not make the Demon weigh a lot or the car will just be rubbish...but who am I kidding, Dodge always feels the need to make fat cars.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its pretty much the same spec of engine made available in the Solstice, but I believe the Razor weighed a bit less, so performance wouldn't be hampered too much. Of course, get it closer to production, and I'd bet it weighs somewhere between the MX5 and Solstice.

 

[JCE]

Here's a shocker, after thinking about it I'd rather drive an MX-5--which I can't phyiscally fit into--than this Dodoge concept.

Note: Incase no one has noticed I really hate 99.98% of Chrysler's products. Thank god the Magnum and Charger liven it up a bit.

 

[Joey D]

Here's a shocker, after thinking about it I'd rather drive an MX-5--which I can't phyiscally fit into--than this Dodoge concept.

Note: Incase no one has noticed I really hate 99.98% of Chrysler's products. Thank god the Magnum and Charger liven it up a bit.

That's actually not that shocking, the MX-5 is a really nice roadster.

And I'm with you...except I hate 100% of all Chrysler products currently in production.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its sad when my former love of MOPAR products has pretty much fully migrated over to Ford, something that I had sworn a blood-oath against since childhood. The only good stuff they've got left sit on the LX chassis (Charger/Magnum, 300C, Challenger), and thats it. Its really too bad...

 

[a6m5]

I really like the looks of the car. I'd never buy one, and it might not be a good business decision for Dodge, but that's not my problem. Build it, Dodge!

 

[TopHat]

All this talk of the future of Chrysler makes me wonder when we're gonna see the next Charger.

 

[GT3mich]

Over the last 9 years I've driven most of Dodge and Chrysler cars thru the company lease program. I had to turn in a Charger R/T last week and its the only car I really would have considered buying. Its a nice car and all but now that I have a Mini I'm not so sure..........
On second thought, yeah, I'd get another Hemi Charger. It was real fast.
But the mini cooper S is too and it gets better gas mileage.
The Demon looks like another Crossfire misfire IMO. My wife had 2 Crossfire's and they were nice but too small. The Mini has a larger interior.

 

[Dave A]

The only moder Dodge/Chrysler cars I like are the Vipers and the new Challenger due out soon.

 

[Jim Prower]

Uh....at the risk of looking like a Mopar Fanboy....

can I say that the Demon's growing on me?

No, it ain't perfect, but a cheap, good handling roadster would be something nice to buy from Roanoke Dodge...(it's one of the biggest Viper dealers, despite being stuck out in a cornfield...)

 

[Wolfe]

Can't believe no one has posted this yet. Though I couldn't blame people for pretending it isn't happening.

Chinese platform set for Dodge Demon

The Dodge Demon sports car concept will switch to a Chinese-built front-wheel drive platform for a production version, AutoWeek has learned.

Chrysler will engineer the design on a Chery Automobile platform as part of a wider cooperation between the companies to create small hatchbacks and sedans for the Chrysler and Dodge brands to sell in Europe and North America.

"A small sports car is still on our wish list and in the product plan," Chrysler's Tom LaSorda said on Sunday at the Detroit auto show. "The Demon is a B-segment size car and it would be on the new B-segment platform from China."

One of the reasons the rear-drive Demon concept would switch to a front-drive platform was emissions regulations, said LaSorda. He said that a direct-injection gasoline engine was in development for the car.

With an eye on future European C02 targets of 130 grams per kilometer, the Demon would help cut the automaker's CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy.

What the Chinese production source means for the quality of the finished product is still a major unknown.

The few cars exported form China so far suffer from poor quality and engineering standards in comparison to their Western and Asian competition.

However, price will be a selling factor, suggesting that the Demon would undercut its main competition, the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Pontiac Solstice/Opel Speedster.

Another unknown is when the small Dodge sports car will go into production. Chrysler is talking 2009 for its Chinese-built hatchback, but still negotiating the details of the contract with Chery.

Quizzed about the apparent slow speed at which the negotiations are progressing, LaSorda joked: "I don't know if you've ever negotiated in China, but if you know a way of speeding things up, I'd like to talk to you."

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080113/FREE/358786715/1609/FREE&rssfeed=rss01

Way to go, Chrysler. A goofy-looking Chinese-built wannabe VW Eos with a Dodge badge is just what you need to start raking in money.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Damn, that's terrible.

Goodbye, Chrysler.

 

[JCE]

Are we really surprised? Looks like the Chinese connection will become Chrysler's downfall. How can something be called a Demon andbe so tame? FWD? FAIL.