By: Scott Vandekerckhove
The Chicago Auto Show is a little more than a week away and it’s our time to turn up the heat for the readers of Modern Mopar Magazine.
As most of you probably know, Ram will be debuting the new Laramie Limited version of their light and heavy duty trucks. It’ll be really cool to see those up close and personal to get some pics for you all. But we have little something else for you to sink your teeth into.
During press days in Chicago, I’ll have the distinct pleasure of interviewing two of the top CEOs in all of Chrysler. I’m referring to none other than Reid Bigland and Ralph Gilles. That’s right, a little “R and R”. (Reid and Ralph, get it?)
Bigland (shown below from the recent Dart reveal in Detroit) is President and CEO of the Dodge Brand and Chrysler Canada. He is also Head of U.S. Sales for all of Chrysler Group LLC.
Gilles (shown below) is President and CEO of the SRT Brand and Motorsports, as well as Senior Vice President of Product Design for all of Chrysler Group LLC.
I’ll probably only have 15 to 20 minutes with each of them, so we have to be pretty strategic with our line of questioning. But we want to ask them some questions that you all have.
That said, get over to the Modern Mopar Magazine Facebook or Twitter pages (linked below) and let us know what you want us to ask these guys. We’ll be sure to review every single question submitted and do all we can to integrate some of them into the conversation.
Be candid and honest with your questions. We only get so many chances in front of executives like these, so we have to go for the gusto. You won’t know if you don’t ask.
Keep in mind, however, that CEOs are often very tight-lipped about future product. So please take that into consideration when posting your questions.
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Hello, thank you for taking this time to answer some questions.
1. In 2015. Besides the Viper, will there be a 2 door, Hemi powered car. You can be as specific or as general as needed. Yes or No would suffice.
2. Given Dodge history, why are we not trouncing the competition? Dont get me wrong, the 392 is an awesome motor, but with the Challenger weighing more and underpowered, yet equally priced. What steps are being taken(supercharger, turboed) to close the gap?
Thanks again for your time. The 300, Charger, and especially the Challenger are awesome cars, thank you for taking the time to develop them and they are certainly a great platform for making world beaters!!
Ford and Chevy continue to offer high performance versions of the Mustang and Camaro, yet we seem to get nothing other than “Image Packages” with little more than decals and minor upgrades. Anything for the high performance crowd?
When will MOPAR performance enthusiasts get the same level and type of support Ford and GM provide their performance enthusiast customers i.e., warranted forced induction systems, street legal crate motors, etc.
Hello Ralph,
Very happy to see the emphasis on the SRT brand and the upcoming fix to the tuning issue.
However, I have read about the poor paint quality coming out of the Brampton factory.
Are there any immediate plans to upgrade this paint facility?
I also have a second question regarding the SRT brand. What are the chances of seeing the 426 HEMi motor on the Lx/LY platform?
I think it would make a fanstastic “swan song” for its last model year.
I would like to ask Ralph if they have changed the cruise control in the current generation of srt’s. In my 2006 Jeep SRT8, the dash light comes on when you TURN ON the cruise, as opposed to when you ENGAGE the cruise! I believe it should only indicate when it’s engaged – like Ford does it! (I don’t know what GM does.)
Sir: Why has Dodge been to reluctant to produce a Challenger Convertible? And is a plan in the works to correct this error?
Also, why has there not been a Sublime car? Saleen has produced an absolutely brilliant sublime green 570 Challenger, and I’d really like to buy one from Dodge. thank you.
Why dont you open up the codes for the 2011 challengers. I bought one just to find out I can not mod it. Thinking about selling for a gm that I can mod.
Hey guys thanks for letting me take a moment of your time.
Two quick important questions:
1. Why have you locked aftermarket tuners out of the Challenger’s boot loader/PCM?
2. Why is the sheet metal of the Dodge Challenger so thin it can’t even hold up your average super model without denting and needing body work? (Don’t say gas millage.)
1) The Vehicle Order Tracking System (VOTS) is a great idea but there seems to much frustration with lack of detail and timeliness of updates. Any plans for improvement?
2) Any plans for an official spare tire kit for our SRT8 Challengers? Driving cross country w/o a spare just seems a little dicey.
It’s too bad if Chrysler doesn’t itncodure a competitive 4/5 door sub compacts in the US. Not only would this improve their fleet average MPG, but would help them reduce their reliance on larger vehicles for sales.Regarding Fiat, well they must bring the next generation Bravo and Grande Punto to the US, as well as the refreshed Mito, Guilietta and Guila.If they really want to avoid product overlap, what was the point of retaining both Chrysler and Dodge post restructuring? The way they’re going right now, neither Dodge nor Chrysler will have a competitor in every class.Dodge will have competitors for the Focus and Edge, Chrysler will have the minivan (which doesn’t sell as well and has poorer recognition than the Grand Caravan) and a Camry competitor, as well as the rebadged Delta – it just doesn’t make sense. IMHO, it would have been much more productive for them to axe the slower selling brand and have a competitive product in every class of mainstream vehicles in the US from that brand.
I own a 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 that has been plagued with mysterious dents on the roof and quarter panels. I don’t know if these are caused by torque stress or temperature change but they are there!
Dodge keeps telling me they have never heard of this issues but if I go on Dodge Challenger Forums, other people are having this issue. The Dodge dealer is giving me a hard time so I filed a case with Dodge online. Will Dodge fix my problem and possibly do quality control on the Challenger body?
I am a proud owner of a 2011 Challenger SRT8 and am curious to why you have castrated the vehicle by design. You market a performance vehicle to the public and not being able to modify or increase performance alienates your customers. I am too aware that the bottom line is profits being a business. Being a loyal Mopar man I feel cheated when I read about modification and additional power being available to the Mustang and Camaro owners.
not? the muatsng, the gt500/gt500 super snake .they are 3904+lbs ..ANd the c6 z06 is 3000lbs .Katech got their c6 z06 down to 2800Lbs .THAT’S SICK!!! .So like I said, power to weight
There is certainly a great deal to know about this topic.
I really like all the points you have made.
This question is for Reid Bigland….Reid,do you ever miss working at Canadian Airlines and going to San Francisco with Joe Braico and Lee Rente for Breakfasts of beers and Dungeness crabs and rides on the cable cars to some questionable tourist traps?.Those were fun days….Beautiful job on the Challenger and all the trucks.The little Fiat 500 brings back great memories of Italy though and I hope to buy one some day…Reid,you were always a great co-worker and a respected boss as you started to move up and on.We are all proud of what you have achieved and we speak of you often…..Sincerely Joe Braico