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?

[Orange_Crush]

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

Nope, definitely not, and absolutely no way.

[bull]

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

Nope, definitely not, and absolutely no way.

C'mon, even the Baja? That's a hippy/yuppy dream car.

[andy74]

my dealership is fairly small,we average 450-500 new cars a year,and 3-400 used.we have sold quite a few magnums,and already sold 13 chargers.the wierd thing,is when the magnum came out,everybody wanted a hemi-the 6 cylinders were damn nea impossible to sell.the charger is the exact opposite,we sell every base se that comes in,and have only sold 3 or 4 r/ts,with 2 daytonas on order for people.I think every one who knows me from here knows that i do not support the name,but they are a nice driving car,and i really hope they do come out with the challenger,2 door,just so i have something fun to sell for a change!

[BrianShaughnessy]

All I know is now one got sold to some 80 yr old guy down the street... a 3.5 SE.      I was at the garage with the Charger Friday getting the yearly $10 ripoff inspection sticker and he pulled in to pick up his daughter who was dropping off her truck for something.
He was very happy with the car... said the 3.5 was plenty powerful for them and the car rode and handled just great... his daughter who was probably around my age or older agreed that they loved the car.    They loved mine too but hey...   what's not to love   


The dealer in town now has 3 sitting out as of the other day.      The 1st one they had was that gawdawful red R/T that took a few weeks to sell back in June.      I've seen one of the burnt orange looking Daytona versions cruising around town now.

For whatever reasons...   most reviewers like it - we here may be in the minority... well except for all the people that will only buy foregin crap in the first place.   

[Orange_Crush]

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

Nope, definitely not, and absolutely no way.

C'mon, even the Baja? That's a hippy/yuppy dream car.

The Baja has been axed because of poor sales.

They were building the Baja to appeal to all the people who bought Subaru BRATs when they were younger and now wanted a grown-up version.

Problem is, what was cool about the BRAT was the fact that it was NOT grown-up.

[bull]

I believe it. All I know for sure is that the Baja is butt-ugly.

[ChargerBill]

I'm sorry...am I missing something? I guess if no one else is going to point this out or question it, then I will. I thought there were 31 days in October. Am I wrong? Can anyone else confirm 31 days in October? Do they count September sales as the October total? Who knows how this works? You see, because if they are really going to give a TOTAL sales figure for October when we are only at October 10th then something smells a little fishy. Are the total sales based on consumer pre-orders? And if so, why even bother having ANY Chargers sit on the lot for sale? Are the total sales PROJECTED? Are they counted by how many Chargers the dealerships order/purchase or are they figured by consumer sales? So, on the 10th of October the TOTAL sales are already known? These guys should be playing the lotto and predicting the stock market if they're THAT good. My point is this; if these TOTALS are merely a guestimate then we could also logically conclude that every previous month is a guestimate as well...talk about inflated sales figures. Where's the legitimacy in that? Gee, how hard would it be to fudge numbers and inflate totals if all you have to do is GUESS how many cars you're gong to sell? Someone who KNOWS please explain this, because it's making no sense... I'm sure there is a LEGITIMATE explanation...right?



Also, please note another thing. A great example EXAGGERATION here: They scream for joy about how 300 sales are up a HUGE percentage....yeah, from LAST MONTH (which was WAY down from September last years figures) BUT, the reality is that 300 sales are still DOWN from same month last year...almost accross the board in fact. This also doesn't bode well for the Charger. If it's only selling 5,000 units a month this year, it looks like it will be LUCKY to sell 3,000 units a month next year based on the falling sales curve from same time last year of other LX models. We may not see a Challenger afterall...

Also, notice how June is missing from the '05 sales chart? IMO this chart is bogus...or at the very least half assed. If these are true figures, what's there to boast about? And if this chart is bogus and everyone is basing their argument FOR Dodge based on these figures...well, that figures. I must see 10 to 20 new Mustangs a day on the road, so I can BELIEVE the sales figures put out by Ford. But I honestly don't know if I have seen more than ONE Charger a week on the road...these DCX sales figures just don't seem like they have anything to do with reality...

[Charger1970]

We may not see a Challenger afterall...

That is the best news I have heard yet!

[TheGhost]

Um.... what poor sales?  Everything I've seen says that they are slightly exceeding sales expectations.

[Orange_Crush]

I'm sorry...am I missing something? I guess if no one else is going to point this out or question it, then I will. I thought there were 31 days in October. Am I wrong? Can anyone else confirm 31 days in October? Do they count September sales as the October total? Who knows how this works? You see, because if they are really going to give a TOTAL sales figure for October when we are only at October 10th then something smells a little fishy. Are the total sales based on consumer pre-orders? And if so, why even bother having ANY Chargers sit on the lot for sale? Are the total sales PROJECTED? Are they counted by how many Chargers the dealerships order/purchase or are they figured by consumer sales? So, on the 10th of October the TOTAL sales are already known? These guys should be playing the lotto and predicting the stock market if they're THAT good. My point is this; if these TOTALS are merely a guestimate then we could also logically conclude that every previous month is a guestimate as well...talk about inflated sales figures. Where's the legitimacy in that? Gee, how hard would it be to fudge numbers and inflate totals if all you have to do is GUESS how many cars you're gong to sell? Someone who KNOWS please explain this, because it's making no sense... I'm sure there is a LEGITIMATE explanation...right?



Also, please note another thing. A great example EXAGGERATION here: They scream for joy about how 300 sales are up a HUGE percentage....yeah, from LAST MONTH (which was WAY down from September last years figures) BUT, the reality is that 300 sales are still DOWN from same month last year...almost accross the board in fact. This also doesn't bode well for the Charger. If it's only selling 5,000 units a month this year, it looks like it will be LUCKY to sell 3,000 units a month next year based on the falling sales curve from same time last year of other LX models. We may not see a Challenger afterall...

Also, notice how June is missing from the '05 sales chart? IMO this chart is bogus...or at the very least half assed. If these are true figures, what's there to boast about? And if this chart is bogus and everyone is basing their argument FOR Dodge based on these figures...well, that figures. I must see 10 to 20 new Mustangs a day on the road, so I can BELIEVE the sales figures put out by Ford. But I honestly don't know if I have seen more than ONE Charger a week on the road...these DCX sales figures just don't seem like they have anything to do with reality...

Ummmmmm

take a REALLY good look at that second Chart Bill.

Hint...the problem has been corrected on LXforums.

[ChargerBill]

So obviously there was a mistake on the chart... I'd still like to know how the numbers are figured and who organizes the data. To me, for the numbers to be believable I'd like to see an independent 3rd party with no stake in DCX sales to come up with real numbers. I mean, it's not like consumer sales and dollars spent hasn't been padded in the past by many retailers just to artificially inflate corporate value and consumer response to a certain brand... Fudge the numers here, shave a few there...all comes out in the wash, but still not really accurate or reliable. I'd like to see DMV registrations...THAT info I would believe.

I think it's also noteworthy that on a month to month basis sales on the entire LX platform haven't really increased very much percentage wise. Where the 300 and Magnum have fallen off in sales the Charger has made up the difference. I wouldn't exactly call that additional sales. Basically they now offer Chocolate and Strawberry and the blandest of all - Vanilla, but the additional offering hasn't boosted sales enough to even matter much...

[Orange_Crush]

So obviously there was a mistake on the chart... I'd still like to know how the numbers are figured and who organizes the data. To me, for the numbers to be believable I'd like to see an independent 3rd party with no stake in DCX sales to come up with real numbers. I mean, it's not like consumer sales and dollars spent hasn't been padded in the past by many retailers just to artificially inflate corporate value and consumer response to a certain brand... Fudge the numers here, shave a few there...all comes out in the wash, but still not really accurate or reliable. I'd like to see DMV registrations...THAT info I would believe.

I think it's also noteworthy that on a month to month basis sales on the entire LX platform haven't really increased very much percentage wise. Where the 300 and Magnum have fallen off in sales the Charger has made up the difference. I wouldn't exactly call that additional sales. Basically they now offer Chocolate and Strawberry and the blandest of all - Vanilla, but the additional offering hasn't boosted sales enough to even matter much...

Bill, you might want to go to LXforums and check out the charts they have there.  The charts that you have are messed up.

Charger sales for September were over 6000.

In any case, The sales numbers are always supplied by the manufacturer because they are the only ones with access to total sales data.  They wouldn't "fudge the numbers" because those things are pretty easy to track by anyone willing to do just a tiny bit of research.  The purchase of a vehicle leaves several different paper trails.  Fudging the numbers on that would be tantamount to suicide.

As far as Charger sales taking sales from other LX vehicles, that's bound to happen.  The charger is at least five grand less expensive than the 300.  In any case, the plant where all three LX cars are built is running right at the limits of its production capacity. so selling cars you can't build would be impossible.

[Shakey]

Sales are totaled using work orders.  Every car has/is a work order.  Every car is sold before it is built.  Sales figures are calculated prior to month end, as is the case with many manufacturing firms. 

There are just under 1100 members on here talking about a handfull of dealerships in Canada and the United States.  There are 350 million people on the continent and many, many more dealerships that we will ever see.

Like or not, the Charger is selling and will continue to sell.  As mentioned above, the Daimler facility in Brampton, ON is running 24 hrs and building 1200 (combined) cars per day.