Will poor '06 Charger sales affect the Challenger project?

[ChargerBill]

First off, I know this topic is a dead horse...but I think the question is worth asking. I was talking to a buddy at the gym who has been selling cars for 20 years now and has been selling for the local Dodge dealership for 9 years. He said they have had 2 Chargers on their lot for months and haven't even had a bite. He also said that the dealership in the next town down the hill has only sold 1 that he knows of. I asked him if 300 sales were as bad and he said that 300's where selling like crazy...go figure. I know that lackluster sales aren't isolated to my area...I've heard that Charger sales are pathetic accross the board.

So, my question isn't really about how lame or ugly the '06 Charger really is, I'm actually more concerned wether or not DCX will follow through with the possibility of a Challenger project in light of their latest failure. And couple poor Charger sales with disappointing Crossfire sales and I could see how the Germans could get a sour taste and not want to produce another performance car. Any opinions?...

[JimShine]

I spoke to two dealerships and the salesmen at both said the Chargers are hard to sell, but not as bad as the Magnum Wagon. One guy claimed his branch never have sold a single Magnum Wagin since they arrived, the other said its been 9 months since they sold one.

[ChargerBill]

Jim, Funny you mention that... I was noticing the Magnum Wagons disappearing off the lot and figured they must have been selling so I asked him about that too. He said they haven't sold one in months and they were shipping them out to different dealerships to see if THEY could get rid of them.

I also wonder how much of the lack of car sales in general has to do with gas prices and consumer fear.

[Steve P.]

Those damn Mustangs are still selling strong around here... My wholesaler buddy askes about the dodges and fords all the time.. Mustangs are still coming off the trucks and going down the road on the same day.. Tarpin Dodge has only sold 2 Chargers.. The salesmen won't tell Tom, Dick or Harry that, but they tell my buddy Ray!!!!



I hope they take it all in and come out with a bad ass retro Chally....  2 damn door of course!!

[Chris G.]

I thought DCX sales figures for the Charger were right on target as of September? Paint whatever picture you want, but they must be doing something right. Weren't they the only one of the big 3 to make a profit this year? I honestly don't know. 

[Steve P.]

Around Tampa Bay they sell Ram trucks and 300-Cs and a few Durango's.   Mostly Hemi equiped..


Sprinters are selling too...

[Orange_Crush]

Four months into production, charger sales are on target...and even slightly exceeding expectations.

Magnums took a big hit this month though.

[Orange_Crush]

Four months into production, charger sales are on target...and even slightly exceeding expectations.

Magnums took a big hit this month though.

One more point that needs to be made.

Chargers, 300s, and Magnum sales are tallied together in DCXs eyes as they are all three LX platform cars while the Mustang is the only car currently being built on that particular platform.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

Well, I talked to one dealer in Florida - my dad and I went out there to take a look at the new shipment of 3 Chargers they had gotten in the day before.  We got there and they were nowhere to be found; turns out they sold them all that day.

The point I'm trying to make is that one or two dealerships won't tell the whole story for a car.

[Andrew]

Why dont they just leave the names alone?

Do we really need a new challenger?

[694spdRT]

Our local dealer had to fight to get a Hemi Charger and he has two Magnum wagon V6's that he can't give away.

I wonder if the dealers are really wheelin' and dealin' to sell the ones on the lot or just letting people get a look and hopefully order one. I know there is a Go Mango Charger Daytona at another local dealer that has been there for months.  I am sure it didn't help sales with the fact that none of the employee pricing was offered with any of the Charger's or Hemi cars.

[bull]

DCX is run by Germans and Germans do whatever the hell they want, then blame everyone else if the results are poor.

[Lowprofile]

DCX is run by Germans and Germans do whatever the hell they want, then blame everyone else if the results are poor.

Damm Right!   

[Silver R/T]

ha ha in your face f(*@(*#in Creed

[myk]

They're moving like hot cakes here in 'So Cal.  The local dealership that let me park my' 69 by their '06 Daytona at a car show a couple of weeks ago sold that same car and the other Daytona they got that same week, WITH a $5K mark up no less!  The R/T's they have are moving just as well...

[Brock Samson]

 I've lost the link to the LX site that has the sales figures mo. by mo. anyone save or know the thread that has it?... a Search didn't work..

[bull]

They're moving like hot cakes here in 'So Cal.   The local dealership that let me park my' 69 by their '06 Daytona at a car show a couple of weeks ago sold that same car and the other Daytona they got that same week, WITH a $5K mark up no less!   The R/T's they have are moving just as well...

Wow. They let you park your '69 by their '06 Daytona? What an honor.

I have seen a grand total of 1 '06 Chagnum on the road here in the Portland metro area. But So Cal being the bling bling capital of the nation I could see why the Chagnum would sell there.

[Headrope]

Portland, Oregon?
Just visited there over the weekend and saw quite a few of the new Chargers driving around. Weird.

[bull]

Portland, Oregon?
Just visited there over the weekend and saw quite a few of the new Chargers driving around. Weird.

That's hard to believe. I drive on the freeways 6 days a week about 1200 miles a month. Seen exactly one so far that wasn't on a dealer lot. Maybe it's because they blend in so well with the rest of the boring cars made today. By the way, thanks for stopping in to say hi.

[Brock Samson]

i seen three,.. on friday i saw two silver rental ones facing each other at fleet week on fisherman's wharf and today i was looking for a gas station with a working air station and at the third one i went to, there was a family in another, child seat and all, all of them were bare bones.
fourth station finally had functioning air...   

['CUDA360]

They are all over around the Phoenix area, can't say why though.

As for the Germans, If any of you are reading this please give our company back.
(and why the heck did you sell off the Arizona proving grounds this week?!!)

[bull]

Anyway, as far as the topic goes, I think DCX will screw up the Challenger no matter what. I don't see why they would squander a perfect opportunity to piss off the E-body people too.

[2Gunz]

I live in Socal as well....  and I have yet to see more than one charger in a day.

The 300's are on markup.

The Magnums are sitting on the lots.

Chargers are out front but I dont see them moving.


Ive actually looking for a driver and visiting the Dodge dealers.

They always hit me up trying to sell me a Charger.

At which point I tell them I own a 69 Charger and that "thing" in front of me is NOT a charger.

They generally nod and say sheepishly "yeah" and let me do the talking from then on out.

[Orange_Crush]

As I said before, the Charger is doing better than projections having sold about 6200 copies in September. 

Projected sales were 60,000 cars annually which averages out to 5,000 cars monthly.

If you want to see the sales figures yourselves, go to www.lxforums.com where they are tracked month by month.

Now, as to why you are seeing more in some areas than in others, well, the car has only been out for four months meaning that about 25,000 cars have been sold so far.  This would average out to about 500 Chargers in each state.  I would submit that if you live in mid-sized urban areas, you'll see more Chargers than if you live in a large city or a small town.

That holds true here where I am seeing a lot of Chargers in and around Charlotte.

Remember also that while Chrysler is only selling ONE LX car, Dodge is selling two, the Magnum and the Charger so sales will be somewhat "split." 

In any case, any car that meets sales goals is a successful car. and increases the likelihood of a two door Charllenger being produced.

[bull]

Makes me wonder if Azteks, Subaru Bajas and Yugos met projected sales numbers.

OC, I don't see the sales projections on that website you linked, only the actual sales numbers. Do you have the link?