Sounds like it may happen.

http://news.carjunky.com/chrysler-fi...8-cde606.shtml

 

70 to 90 thousand? I think I'll pass.

 

picture of interior is my avatar.

 

No one is gonna buy that at $90k, when there are Vipers, SLR's Z06 and a couple other models that may come out like the Supra etc...besides there are no decent chrysler mechanics able to fix a Crossfire, so why spend $90k on a car and can't get proper repairs completed. I'll wait for the Supra.

 

70-90K is right above the Crossfire? I don't know, they've sold Vipers at 80-90K maybe a limited production "Gentleman's" Viper could sell at a 10K discount. Plus you'd have the advantage of Chrysler dealers being able to fix what they already know. Not having to learn a new foreign car and become "Crossfire Specialists". Either way its far enough above the Crossfire to be out of my league, but it sure is beautiful! Then again all prototypes are gorgeous and look like jewels. In most cases by the time they reach production they look like cheap crap. Thats what I'm fully expecting to happen to the Camaro and Challenger. Thats one thing that I've always liked about the Crossfire. I think the transition from concept to production was much closer than usual I'm sure in good part to its Mercedes heritage. In general I think Chrysler has always made that transition better than most, ie. Prowler, PT Cruiser, Pacifica, Viper. All very close to their concept car roots.

 

just wait two years. you'll find a firepower for <$30,000 at the rate chryslers keep their value.

 

this a proto. will not be built.

 

It won't happen. The Chrysler brand does not command that kind of $$$ for a vehicle...

 

It's not so far fetched as it might seem since all the engineering and hardware is revamped Viper bits. All we're really looking at is a different body on an existing chassis. Not a big deal really especially considering the Viper's body-on-frame construction. A lot of tooling and development costs are already taken care of by re-using the Viper platform. The Hemi drivetrain is all of-the-shelf SRT8 stuff. If they could bring it to market for 40-50k they might have something to increase showroom traffic for Chrysler. That was supposed to be the plan for the Crossfire but with a 94.5 inch wheelbase dictated by basing the car on the SLK the Crossfire was just too small for a lot of us big/tall/fat Americans.

The Firepower is big enough to actually FIT Americans behind the wheel. Look how much the Pontiac Solstice grew from the prototype to the current production car's size !

Cincinnati Slim (and too tall to wear a hat in a Crossfire !)

 

I'll take this Firepower over the Z06 or the Viper any day... in the ridiculously enforced american highways we drive in performance is not everything and I would surely sacrifice some of it for a luxurious style of a grand tourer... over a sports car theme any day... I am the same guy who frowns upon ferraris and lambos and pays much respect to Astons, continental gts, and other similar vehicles...

When I purchased the crossfire I was very limited in my options of decently performing car with an exclusive styling and heritage... other cars that I was looking at... Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Porsche 911 Turbo where very much more expensive and came down to be simply not a worthy purchase in my case...

For me there has to be a balance between sports and style, and the firepower so far seams to deliver this sort of balance I am looking for... I have high hopes in it's production, because if it is released in the way I Imagine it... it will very likely be joining my garage in time...

 

That is because the Crossfire is a Mercedes, the Firepower is based off the Viper, and there are many factory trained Viper techs out there already. I'd buy one before I bought a 911, or a Jag. The Viper/ZO6 will NOT be competition for this car, it is a GT car, like the Crossfire, not an all out performance car like the Viper or ZO6.

 

Yeah I realize it's a GT car. I love the design of the entire vehicle, in fact more so than a vette or viper, it's more along the lines of Aston Martin. but for the same reason why Toyota will not bring back the Supra, Chrysler will not make the FirePower, the market is too limited, and since Chrysler/Dodge already have the Viper they don't need another 2 door super car. I bet alot of manufactures are getting away form the 2 door car segment, there is not much demand anymore, so you guys better appreciate owning the crossfire.

 

I disagree with your theory, The Firepower would be to Chrysler what the Vette based Caddy is. Even with the niche market and low production, this car will be a better business model than the Crossfire. The Crossfire had to be outsourced to Karmann, whereas the Firepower will fit right on the Viper line, this is a good thing as Viper sales are down and this will allow Chrysler to keep it around as well. There would not need to be a ton of development money, and the Firepower can just keep the 2 pass niche car rolling for chrysler (Maserati TC, Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler, Crossfire, Firepower) It makes perfect sense, and is a great "Halo" car for Chrysler.

 

Yes it would be great for Chrysler, but they don't have GM money to splurge on a niche car, like you stated the Viper sales are down, thats already a red flag. Chrysler's investors aren't looking to risk anymore money on a low production car, it's silly. They need something that will attract masses of people with middle class incomes. What Chrysler really needs is an electric car that isn't a stupid looking golf cart, they need something that's gonna be a big hit like the EV1 and Prius. Super cars are in Chryslers past, it's time to make a move and not waste what little time the company has left in the automotive industry. It's time to compete with Toyota, they are the big dog now, there is no point in messing with GM. Just focus on Toyotas customer base and win them over.

 

For $90,000 I'll buy a Porsche.

 

And I won't... the price estimated is 70-90k estimated so lets take the middle number 80k.. at that price you would not even be able to afford the porsche carrera S and would be more leaning to a loaded carrera... and a carrera over that beutiful concept? NO WAY... NO WAY at all.. not only is the design in the favor of the firepower, but the performance should be as well... and the porsches are just so... out of style these days while new cars like aston martin v8 vantage, and the upcoming r8 being so much more desirable...

The only Porsche that I would consider and did consider is a used 996 turbo, but then still bought the crossfire...

 

Creating the Firepower would not need that much total investment, the chassis and drivetrain already exist. With Daimler keeping 20% of Chrysler for the joint effort vehicles (Sprinter) the old rumor of the Mclaren SLR sharing the platform with the Viper and one more vehicle may still come to fruition. They could easily sell enough Firepowers to make it profitable, especially at the 80-90K price range. Cerberus has More than enough money to bankroll the Firepower, along with the Demon. There IS a market for this car, and along with the new '09 Viper (Rumored to have ~ 700 HP The 600 HP '08 as a stop gap fill in).

As to the EV1 and Prius being hits, The EV1 project has already been scrapped (How much did that whole thing cost GM?), and the Prius is being heavily discounted, along with complaints from owners about quality issues, not meeting the EPA mileage (By 10 MPG!!) and the cost of replacement batteries.

The biggest downside to this is it would probably kill any chance of the Crossfire becoming more valuable in the future.

 

4. Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is proving to be a good, solid car but as the hybrid approaches 100,000 miles a number of odd problems are popping up that ought to be cause for concern among consumers shopping for a secondhand hybrid.

The Japanese automaker began selling gas-and-electric cars ten years ago and is now the acknowledged hybrid leader in the automotive industry.
But a growing number of ConsumerAffairs.Com readers are reporting that the Prius hybrid technology is not aging well. With some Prius models in the U.S. on the road now for eight years and approaching 100,000 miles, owners are beginning to encounter problems that are unique to the hybrids.
One reader reported to us that in her 2004 Prius the hybrid display began to malfunction and “did not work with the result of being unable to get gas into car."

A California reader told us that the monitor is also failing in his Prius and said that Toyota is unwilling to provide any assistance because the monitor is no longer covered by the Toyota warranty.

“There is a technical service bulletin out on it from Toyota which tells the dealer how to repair the problem but only if the car is under factory warranty,” he said. “My car has 49,000 miles on it and is out of warranty.”
A Texas Prius owner with 91,000 miles on his hybrid said that "the dashboard lit up with multiple warning lights. The dealer picked it up and said that the transmission went out and it would cost $6,000 to fix and the Prius was out of warranty.”

Toyota allowed no coverage, not even partial help even though the transmission was part of the Hybrid Power train covered for 5 years and 100,000 miles.

A southern California Prius owner told us that his car has died on the freeway four times. The second time the dealer had the car for 53 days waiting for parts.

The growing number of complaints and problems owners of aging Prius hybrids are encountering suggest that a wary consumer ought to look long and hard before becoming the second owner of one of these hybrids.
Toyota warrants the hybrid drive system for 100,000 miles, but as Danny in San Antonio discovered, there can be some uncertainty as to which of the Prius components are considered part of the hybrid drive and which are not.

 

Excuse me???

 

Ok, good thing the system dumped my last response, because i think it was a little harsh...but just a little.

The last thing Chrysler should do is to build this stupid car. 19/20 inch wheels? Have the pimps taken over the design studio? A two seater with little or no pedigree? Who the hell wants another Viper...and this is no Viper (speaking of which, where the hell is the Viper these days, I didn't see one at LeMans this year with the Vettes, Ferrari's and Aston Martins). Chrysler is really doing a great job keeping the world waiting for its next (first/only) super car...not.

And what exactly does the Firepower have to do with the XF? 2 seats? No spare? This stupid concept would only affect the Crossfire in one way, when it flopped in the market it would prove that Chrylser can't build and market 2 seaters...just like our beloved XF. 600 HP, are these people awake and watching what is going on in the world?

Build the Demon, put some good R/D into it, make it a solid, dependable, affordable car. Then concentrate on some other decent cars in the lineup because right now, there ain't much to look at on the showroom floors at Chrysler.

Have only owned Chrysler products for 22 years...yah i'm a little annoyed.