Not to start an argument either, but I would rather see them produce low numbers in the first year - demand exceeds supply, price falls, production rises in order to bring supply and demand to an equilibrium - than a surplus of cars sitting on the back lot as an unanticipated inventory investment for a company that is already hemhorraging money.
That aside, if all those people just bought (350,000) just bought Mustangs in the past two years (a) they are not looking for a car to replace that Mustang yet, and (b) the Challenger will only be able to claim a small percentage of those sales, and that will be based on the looks of the car alone. The Mustang has been around constantly, in one iteneration or another, since the 1964 1/2 model year. It has a constant history and legacy. The Challenger has a history, but it has not been ingrained in the public conciousness like the Mustang, or even the Camaro. Just remember back to that other thread... how many people call Challengers and Cudas Chargers, or even worse, Mustangs or Camaros?
The bread and butter of a car company is their 4 doors. If Chrysler wants the Challenger to be a competitor to the Mustang, they first need to feel out the market. Then, if it is succesful, they increase production and lower price. Ford did the same with the Mustang. They produced few in the first model year, and when it became a runaway hit, they boosted production bigtime. Besides, they need to take into account what they will do at the change of the model year. They might decide to can the Chally after 5 years, if only because the same purists who are pissed at them now for following basic market economics dictates will absolutely savage them for bastardizing the appearance of such a historic automobile... much like they did with the Charger.
