Charger Customers Demand Hemis Under the Hood

[BMWDave]

Charger Customers Demand Hemis Under the Hood
Date Posted 07-22-2005

DETROIT ? Responding to dealer complaints that it didn't provide enough V8 engines last year in the Magnum wagon, Dodge is making sure more of its new Charger sedans are Hemi-equipped.

In an early-buyer study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, Dodge dealers said 65 percent of Charger customers in May and June selected the Hemi. That compares with 35 percent of early buyers of the Dodge Magnum, according to Automotive News.

Dodge dealers apparently are selling few six-cylinder versions of the Charger; the richer mix means higher average transaction prices. A survey by the Power Information Network indicates the average dealer transaction price on a V8 Charger was $32,722, which is $7,785 higher than the average price for a six-cylinder Charger.

The Power study indicated 71 percent of Charger buyers are male, and 33 percent are returning Dodge owners.

Dodge has about 40,000 dealer orders for the Charger, according to the Chrysler Group.

What this means to you: Hemi-powered Chargers may be in shorter supply than V6 models, and will likely command premium prices at your local Dodge dealer. But?it's a Hemi!

[ifcar]

That's good. Consumers are not being wowed by the V6 models because they just aren't all that great (though the 300 V6 remains popular), so hopefully DCX will decide to upgrade them instead of selling mostly high-end V8 models.