Ontario to Become Home of the All-new 2008 Dodge Challenger
February 13 2007 - 9:08PM
PR Newswire (US)
-- Brampton, Ontario plant will begin production in the spring of
2008 TORONTO, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DaimlerChrysler
announced today that the all-new 2008 Dodge Challenger will be
built at its Brampton Assembly Plant near Toronto. "It's good news
that the Dodge Challenger will be added to the Canadian production
line-up," said Reid Bigland, President and CEO - DaimlerChrysler
Canada. "Quickly bringing desirable new products such as the Dodge
Challenger to market is critical to keeping our plants humming and
our dealerships busy." The Brampton plant also produces Chrysler
300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum and works on three shifts. The
Windsor (Ontario) Assembly Plant also works on three shifts and
produces Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country
minivans, as well as Chrysler Pacifica. Production of the Dodge
Challenger will begin next year and preparations to ready the plant
are already underway. The decision to locate this important product
in Ontario was partially the result of the Ontario government's
strong support for the Brampton Assembly Plant through its
contribution to the plant-wide third shift training program, which
was essential to the successful launch of the Chrysler 300, Dodge
Charger and Dodge Magnum, and now the successful launch of the
Dodge Challenger. "Brampton is our first plant to demonstrate the
ability to build four models on one line," said Frank Ewasyshyn,
Executive Vice President - Manufacturing, Chrysler Group. "As we
continue to expand our new model lineup and further implement our
flexible manufacturing strategy, other facilities will also have
this capability." Lean manufacturing and product development
strategies also allow the Chrysler Group to bring new models, like
the Dodge Challenger, to market more quickly. First revealed as a
concept vehicle at the North American International (Detroit) Auto
Show in 2006, it was announced this past summer that the 2008 Dodge
Challenger would be going into production in 2008. Riding a wave of
fan anticipation, a new clock will be on display along with the
Dodge Challenger concept car to count down to the unveiling of the
production version of the car at the Chicago Auto Show next year.
Today, the count-down clock shows 358 days. "Our speed to market
means that Challenger production is now measured in only days,"
said George Murphy, Senior Vice President - Global Marketing,
Chrysler Group. "The ability to quickly react to ever-changing
consumer tastes is a competitive advantage for the company." It
will be just a little over two years from Dodge Challenger's
concept car introduction to the time it will be available in
dealerships. The company has already seen passionate response to
the Dodge Challenger with its bold, powerful and capable
attributes. Challenger content received a total of 1.5 million
visits on the Dodge.com Web site in 2006 and 20,000 potential
customers have asked the company for more product information
regarding the car. The production version of the 2008 Dodge
Challenger will be true to both its historical and modern concept
car roots as a two-door, HEMI(R) V-8- powered, rear-drive vehicle.
It will be the first coupe built on Chrysler Group's highly
successful large car platform, which includes the Chrysler 300,
Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum. DATASOURCE: DaimlerChrysler
CONTACT: Ed Saenz, +1-519-561-9571, or , or Michele Tinson,
+1-248-512-0366, or , or Stuart Schorr, +1-519-973-2253, or , all
of DaimlerChrysler Web site: http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/
Copyright