Yes, the next gen Neon will be based on the next Lancer platform. Its name will change, and there will be a hatchback.
The success of the SRT4 seems to have spawned a Evo-like Neon.

There will be a new 2dr coupe built off teh Eclipse/Galant chassis, and will show its face at SEMA. It will have a "six pack" engine. Some say it will have a turbo 6cyl engine.

I dont know about the Crossfire leaving soon, but it does ride on the old SLK chassis, and I belive sales have sucked for the Crossfire.

And the news about the hemi-v10 is that it will make a lot of power, and be much smaller, displacment wise, then the Vipers giant 8.3 it has now.
It will also power a larger LX based luxury car from Chrysler.

no ****, a lancer based neon? that i'd definitely have to see. i was highly impressed with the evo drivetrain, i just couldn't get the car i wanted with the options i wanted, etc, so that's why i didn't go that route. maybe this will solve that.

did anyone catch the rumored cop car?

yah i saw the article about a week ago up on ls1tech i think...started a big argument there when someone suggested cops would be better off making a toyota camry their vehicle of choice..."slap in a 4 banger so it gets good gas mileage in our time of need" was basically the point the guy tried to make...made for funny reading at least hehe.

first off the new charger isnt"ugly par say" but it is a magnum with a trunk. it doesnt fit the name but if it was a coupe maby it would i dunno. but muscle cars were in fact mid sized sedans in coupe with big @$$ engines and were heavy as hell hense y alot of people called them boats.which in fact the new gto is as a few have pointed out but no1 is grasping. the gto is sleek it dosent have as sexy lines as a trans-am ws6 bvut it still does look sexy even if it looks like a flat grand-am or grandprix on steroids. only thing i dont like about the new gto is that the rear window is to big i dont think it fits but i still would buy the car in a NYC heart beat. especially from the picture of an 06 i saw in a magazine 3 months ago 500hp and not plain at all :drool: but each is entilteled to there own opinion.

:nod:
But the motor... they got that right! 425hp is rather impressive for a n/a engine these days. It's still no LS7 but Chrysler was always a tad behind the general. Until recently when they started sharing technology (displacement on demand). I'm glad the big 3 are working together a bit to fight the plague of import domination. For me, it's always going to be domestic... except for the Harley, they are WAY over priced.

There is nothing "shared" with DCX. They downright jacked the Gen III engine design.
GM's DoD and DCX's MDS are a little different I belive. I think that MDS doesnt colapse the lifter, just shuts off a bank of injectors. DoD shuts down both.
Not to mention the engine design for the hemi.
Hemi my ass....

well, it does have the requisite hemispherical combustion chamber... :scratch:

I personally think that the only company that was successful at going to the "Retro" styling to excite the baby boomer age was Ford (wow thats tough to say...) they are the only ones who actually made a good attempt at making their car look like an older model. No one can deny that. The GTO FWIW looks like a bonneville, the Charger looks like a magnum, but the mustang is the only one that looks like a mustang. From a looks point of view that Charger, and the GTO are UGLY...its a new car what can we say. The mustang actually isnt that bad, yeah the performance may not be at what the GTO is, but if i were to grade a vehicle solely on looks, the mustang takes the trophey HANDS DOWN. Performance would be another story. These cars will NEVER live up to what their ancestors did, but they are atleast a half assed attempt at it. What more can we ask from the car makers these days? No I have never personally ridden in any of these vehicles, therefor I am solely stating my opinion on what these makers were trying to do...go for the retro look.

P.S. If that Chevelle comes out looking the way it does I will be selling mine because that is an insult!!!

Jon

Nope, they do the same thing, both lock the lifters off the cam lobe AND shut down the fuel. There are a few things I still don't understand about DOD but I'm getting my answeres slowely enough through a couple sources. I'll have all my questions answered mid May when I go to the FSAE competition and talk to the GM engineers in person.
You could say that they jacked it but I don't believe it. Both knew exactly what the other was doing and through shared research (by SAE members and papers) they got what they needed from a technical standpoint. Then the R&D was all done seperately. It's just like all the inline 4-cylinders with 16v, they didn't SHARE the D in R&D, just a bunch of the R :) .
Also, the hemi isn't an EXACT classic hemi chamber but it is very close. The valves aren't cantered on a 3D vector, only 2D, but it's still an excellent power maker with that exhaust valve angle. I bet those engines could be sweet talked into making 600hp n/a with just some nice bolt ons and a little porting.

Without sounding like an *ss the Charger is marketed to me. I'm married with three young kids. I would love a powerful car big enough to carry all three kids and not look like a state trooper. Right now the three car seats barely fir in the back of my Accord. I need the 4 doors to get them in the back seat. I want the creature comforts during my hour commute. There are plenty of 2-door "sporty cars" like the Mustang, GTO, and future Camaro. If I want the two-door experience I have my IROC. It might not be geared to the younger crowd looking for a race car but an older crowd looking for something balsey and fun but still practical and comfortable. That said I'm sure they will come out with a stripped version with the Hemi if there is demand.

now you're talking! if they are going to have a cop version, that means a more potent motor will be available (maybe not to the general public, but does anyone remember COPO?). stripped down is easy. as long as they have an order form, you can strip a car down. finding the right salesman/dealership that can get the order through will be the challenge.

I dont understand why have such a high end model like the 300C, and then sell the cars to fleet. I would think that would ruin the image.

Ford Crown Vic vs Mercury Grand Marquis, worked great for Ford, why not Dodge/Chrysler?

Yes, but they arent regarded in the same class or status. How many people pay top dollar for a Grand Mark?
300C has developed quite a rep to be a very nice car that shows off high class luxury.
Can you say the same when you sit in a Grand Mark? Or even a Towncar?
Something about being them beeing a fleet car destroys the image. Your car doesnt look so cool when there is one driving past you, painted in yellow and dinged and banged up.

how about every blue hair you see driving one? seriously.

i get your point, but the impala did well and i seem to remember it being sold over sticker. :shrug:

The Impala SS 94-96 sold actualy pretty poorly untill its last year I belive. Much like the present GTO, it was knocked for its "bland design" and massive size.
Now the Impala's hold there value very well (almost too well damn it).

All in all, neither the Caprice nor the Panther cars can hold a light to the 300's recent success. The 300 alone has pulled Chrysler out of such a deep, dark pit after the Pacifica and the Crossfire.
Just look at Chrysler's image now with that one car. Its amazing what one, high volume, very stylish car can do for a company.

Oddball Wrote:

Glad I'm not the only one who looked at the Charger that way. Now if only I could figure out how to balance that middle baby seat on the hump in the back of the GTO....

Not to go completely off topic, but did anyone else see the ASC-designed 300C 'vert? That is a car that they need to build....looks awesome! I'll post a pic I took at Detroit when I get home.

- Justin

ASC does some nice things. They made that really nice hard top for the SSR. That **** is trick!!

http://www.njfboa.org/JustinImages/300Cdroptop.jpg

- Justin

:pimp:

sweet. but the vert detracts from the higher beltline/shorter side windows that the car is known for. i dunno, i guess i like it better as a hardtop. :shrug:

a 4 door vert? havent ever seen one before but i like the vert too