DemonologyAre the Germans trying to dump the Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler? Will GM buy it? If good cars are the result, then who cares? At the Geneva auto show, Dodge showed a concept car that looked as if it would be one dang tasty machine: the Demon.
Demon is a name from Dodge's kind-of-glorious past. It was used on a version of the Plymouth Duster (essentially a fastback version of the old Dart/Valiant) in 1971 and 1972 before cowardice set in, renaming it the Dart Sport. But this new Demon is a small roadster aimed right at the heart of the Mazda MX-5/Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky class.
While Dodge has teased us with mini-Vipers before, the Demon is better finished than those previous concepts, has styling that isn't so clearly derivative of the Viper, and seems to make more production sense. Riding on a 95.6-inch wheelbase (3.9 inches longer than that of the current MX-5) and powered by a 172bhp, 2.4-liter version of the 'world' four-cylinder engine used in the Caliber that's ripe for forced induction, the styling includes the Dodge signature crosshair grille and a three-plane rear surface. The wheels are 19-inchers and the transmission is a six-speed manual.
Does the world need another small roadster? Who knows? But we know we could certainly use a Demon with the 300bhp turbo engine from the Caliber SRT-4.
Rumors&Lies* Yes, it's true, the management of Primedia has put its enthusiast magazine titles up for sale. And that includes Sport Compact Car. If you'd like to buy the group and have a spare billion or so sitting around, contact our bosses through www.primedia.com.
* Toyota has decided to build yet another North American assembly plant. The latest one will go up in Mississippi, near the glamorous and sophisticated burg of Tupelo. That's right, Toyota is coming to the birthplace of Elvis Presley. From 2010, Highlander SUVs will be built there. You can't miss it. It's down the end of Lonely Street, at Handbrake Hotel.
* The XM and Sirius satellite radio systems are in the midst of a merger. Finally, the beige homogenization we've all prayed for is at hand.
* Slowing sales have led Nissan to offer early retirement and buyout packages to some of its workers at the Smyrna, Tennessee assembly plant.
* Neither rumor nor lie, Jose Manuel Espinosa, 22, said to be a member of what police call an "illegal street racing club", died in late February while allegedly street racing his 2000 Pontiac Trans Am against a late-model Mustang in Stockton, California. Supposedly racing on a Sunday afternoon along Stockton's Wilson Way, according to the Stockton Record, Espinosa swerved to avoid traffic and crashed into an abutment. He later died after being taken to hospital. Espinosa's death was one of at least seven in February attributed to street racing by California authorities.
* A bill before the Nevada State Senate would impose a minimum fine of $400 and 50 hours of community service for anyone caught street racing in the state. Driver's license suspensions and car impoundments are also part of the proposed law.
By Brenda Priddy & Company
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