June 17, 2005
Mopar Madness
Brother AlexC has started a trend -- buying Hemis!
The Wall Street Journal notes, in a Page One story, Chrysler's Storied Hemi Motor Helps It Escape Detroit's Gloom
"The power and mystique of the Hemi made me more willing to go up," says the 34-year-old Marine. That's the name for the car's powerful V8 engine, which added $5,000 to the price. "I said to myself, 'that's 345 horsepower, my friend.' "The Hemi engine, made famous by muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s, is now helping make DaimlerChrysler AG a notable exception to the gloom that has descended on Detroit. Amid the U.S. auto industry's most severe crisis in a decade, the Hemi is revving up profits and market share. In particular, it's reviving sales of passenger cars, a stark change from Detroit's recent reliance on sport-utility vehicles and pickups.
The story of the Hemi is part luck -- Chrysler started tinkering with the engine almost a decade ago -- and part clever marketing. To escape from a slump five years ago, Chrysler's managers placed a premium on making cars that stand out, which it can sell for full price. As part of that thinking, it took the unusual step of making the Hemi engine the star of an advertising blitz. Soon TV viewers were intoning its tagline: "That thing got a Hemi?"
As a result, Chrysler was able to take advantage of a shift among car buyers: a nostalgic return to the souped-up muscle car. About half the Magnums, Dodge RAM trucks and Durango SUVs sold by Chrysler are fitted with Hemis, significantly more than the 30% to 35% the company expected. Its Hemi plant in Mexico is working around the clock and has increased output three times since production started three years ago.
JohnGalt still has a 'cuda (340 in there?) and I have memories a dropping a 440 in a '68 Sport Satellite.
Beyond nostalgia, I offer this story in a Postrelesque vein: While GM and Ford whine about the economy, Chrysler has given people what they want. And are booking sales.
It's been said before, and it's true, that the car you drive is a mirror of your personality and what you value. Chrysler decided to make cars that "stand out" which is exactly the opposite of the prevailing philosophy. All the econoboxes look the same, even in the luxury lines.
What worries me most is not that the majority of cars on the road yearn to blend in with the crowd but that, implicitly, their drivers do too. Viva Chrysler - viva American spirit.
Posted by: johngalt at June 17, 2005 3:23 PMOur nation's love affair with big cars has not ended, and there isn't an end in sight. Despite the late 70s and early 80s junk boxes, todays car buyers remember either their parents big huge beasts, or saddling up in the front vinyl bench seat of their grandfather's Olds.
Witness the SUV craze (now in year 15?), and these damned mini-vans.
Now we can get them with big engines.
If only we could get them optioned like we want them.
1) big engine
2) five speed
3) vinyl
4) heater/radio delete...
mmmmm......
Posted by: AlexC at June 17, 2005 5:57 PMThe 300 is unique, and the Magnum is a category breaker with muscular good looks, but that new Dodge Charger... WOW! What a hot lookin' car.
http://www.dodge.com/home_flash.html (see the Charger Photo Gallery)
And they're now touting a 6.1L 425HP Hemi. That's the old 426 c.i. territory, my friends.
Not a big fan of modern Chrysler interiors though. The Charger is no exception to their "too hard, too sharp" interior style. Nice gauges though.
Posted by: johngalt at June 18, 2005 9:53 AM | What do you think? [3]