Roundtable With Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles Reveals TONS!

[Rustymuscle]

Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles Reveals to Street Legal TV The Future of Viper, a SRT10 Challenger, and a Street-Legal Drag Pak. Check it Out HERE!



"There's three new Vipers driving around Detroit right now in old skin. You'll see the new Viper June 2012 as a 2013 model. That's a promise."

This lead to the question of a future SRT10 Challenger. Gilles smirked, "When the Viper was dead? Yes. Now? No."



Light 'em up,
Kevin

[bull]

"Designers of the '06 Charger had admitted privately that while years were poured into the development of the preceding Charger, the decision to name it the "Charger" was made at the 11th hour by the then German marketing department."

Really? What a shocking revelation. Thanks again ya friggin' krauts.

"We're always aware of our history," confided Gilles one-on-one. "We designed this Charger to appeal to everyone, you [implying the old school enthusiasts] and the general car-loving public."

"Aware" obviously doesn't mean concerned. Well, at least they know what the "old school enthusiasts" want. We aren't going to get it but they know what it is.

[greenpigs]

  I still would have liked to see an SRT AWD Caliber. They were SO close to me ordering one when they came out but I just did not want a standard & also like the idea of AWD which they never offered. But that platform was axed so oh well.
  Not buying anything new for a long time, which is why I got the Wrangler. A simple automobile that has a ton of aftermarket & Internet support so I can fix whatever is wrong, within reason.

[Brock Samson]

 It was the Dodge Dealer Association that wrote in the name Charger when the then named ENFORCER was first shown to them, The dealers were so irate because the new product pipeline had been shut down for 15 Mos. to effect the changes specified by Damiler, so, the "Suits" gave them that - because it was the overwhelming desire of the Dealership Sales People at the sneak preview.
The choices they were given were Enforcer, Intrepid or Magnum.
BTW: there was no new info I gleaned from this "Roundtable" - everything there was on ALLPAR three weeks to a Month      ago. 

[Ghoste]

I distinctly remember some woman from marketing back when the whole charger sedan fiasco began saying that the name Charger had been chosen by asking people in shopping malls which product name they most closely associated with the Dodge brand.  Am I just mis-remembering it?  (if mis-remembering isn't a real word I get props for making it up)

[Brock Samson]

 Yeah, that's B.S.  It was the Dealer's Assoc. that wrote in the name.

[Ghoste]

Am I right about the woman at a press conference (falling on a sword for the dealers perhaps?)?

[Brock Samson]

 There was a Gal, who was head of press at one time but that was like four years ago, and she took a lot of guff here for statements she made regarding how old school fans of the Charger didn't much count and were not the target audience anyhow, and stuff like that to paraphrase.. 
It's on the old threads,.. but no one goes back to look at the original material anymore.. I doubt she lasted much beyond the Neo-Charger's Intro...

[Ghoste]

I gues I'm losing it because all of those statements I recall as coming from Trevor Creed.  It doesn't really matter I supose and I have no intention of going through the old threads to research it.  The fact is, someone misnamed it.

[Brock Samson]

 I just had a chuckle or two when I did a search with the keyword "Creeder"..  Good times...   

[bull]

 

[Mike DC]

 
The Charger name was something the 'krauts slapped onto an existing car they were launching because the word tested well.  This has ALWAYS been the story and they NEVER said anything otherwise.  The Mopar enthusiasts & automotive press just liked the idea of a retro Charger better.  So they decided they had been promised a retro Charger and then acted outraged when they didn't get one. 

 
Same with the 2006 Charger being totally unrelated to the 1999 Charger concept.  That's another thing that was plainly clear from public statements long before 2006, if anyone had actually wanted to listen to what the company was saying.     

[Highbanked Hauler]

 I OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW, but I heard that a car line has to use a model name every so many years or they can loose it. Like Chevy uses the SS on occasion and Dodge used "Charger" back in the 80s.

[Ghoste]

Do they have to use it or just keep it registered with the AMA (or whatever organization monitors such)?

[Silver R/T]

I agree with Bull on this one. Just a Nazi dictator telling public what to do....haven't we been through this back in 40's already lol

[Brock Samson]

Names are or need to be trademarked every few years that's how chevy got suburban.

[Ghoste]

But my question is, in order to trademark it, do you have to use it without a specified interuption or do you merely have to keep it registered with some sort of trademark policing body thereby indicating your proprietorship and intention to use?

[TK73]

Names are or need to be trademarked every few years that's how chevy got suburban.

Chevy was using "Suburban" since the '30's... When did Plymouth start using it?

[Ghoste]

Don't know when they started but I know they used it in the late 50's.