TriShield

Will Chrysler reload with another wagon?



July 15, 2011 - 1:17 pm ET
David Phillips is deputy managing editor of autonews.com

Is Chrysler aiming to get some of its old swagger back by dusting off a recent gem with customizers?

The Dodge Magnum wagon with its "gangsta" profile proved a sensation with tuners and urban dwellers when it arrived in showrooms in 2004. But it was quickly spiked when Chrysler hit the financial skids and restructured under bankruptcy a few years ago.

It remains a source of pride inside Chrysler.

"With the Magnum, we owned the station wagon segment," Ralph Gilles, the Chrysler design chief who helped create the wagon, told The New York Times. "It was always a pleasure to go to car shows and trade fairs and see the number of Magnums that owners had personalized with such obvious loving care."

Gilles said the Magnum "was single-handedly killed by one executive who is no longer with the company. He's retired. A lot of people in the company still like that vehicle -- a lot."

Gilles, now in charge of jump-starting Chrysler's high-performance SRT unit, in addition to leading design, may be just the insider to champion Magnum II.

"A lot of things that weren't possible back then, now are. The Dodge Viper, certainly, is a likely choice for an SRT version," Gilles told the Times. "Also, we know we need an entry-level vehicle of some kind."

But when asked whether a design for a second-generation Magnum might be found in one of his sketch pads, Gilles took a pass.

"Stay tuned," he told the Times. "Great things are coming. That's all I can say."

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2011...#ixzz1SNqRchxQ

Cheap Guy

iTrader: (3)

I never understood why they killed the Magnum. Seemed like it was a big seller in my area and I don't think it cost a lot to produce it along with the Charger and 300. I actually like the look of it better than the Charger and a 300 wagon like they have in Europe would be sweet.

It's amazing that one person can kill a good project or one person can approve a disaster. I wonder if that was the case with the Aztek, or was it a committee bungle?

D3VIL

Haha the Aztek, that belongs in the same category as the sunfire and the cavalier lol

VindicatedLS2gto

iTrader: (1)

Aztec never even came close to its projected sale numbers. It's most defintely a reason why Pontiac got **** canned....

stingrayj

iTrader: (1)

I just sold my '06 Magnum R/T for my '01 SS. The Magnums are a niche vehicle so you can't expect to sell a ton of them with the return. However, they are a very good compromise of most aspects that anyone could ask of a car. And it does most of it well. Sadly, the suspension was the achillies heel. It ate up tires and suspension parts like candy so it had to go.

Plus, the SS is much, MUCH more fun to drive!

88blackgt

To each his own, I hated those things. Unbelievably ugly, the Aztek probably looked better.

TriShield

They actually did sell a ton of these, a huge number in fact right up to the last year. It outsold many of GM's cars and trucks consistently each year.

Bob Nardelli, the hatchet CEO Cerberus put in charge of Chrysler when they took over, is believed to be the single person who killed this model. His job was to freeze all spending at Chrysler and make it look pretty enough to sell as a whole or part out for profit.

Regulator

iTrader: (7)

Put a 6 speed in it, I'd rock one. Loved their styling

stingrayj

iTrader: (1)

In the Magnum forum that I was in, one or two people swapped a Challenger 6 speed into a Magnum. It is a very expensive mod to do which is why only 1 or 2 ever did it.

But as a previous owner, I'm not sure that a stick would be the best thing for a Magnum. It was more of a touring car than a sports/muscle car. The SRT's, however, are a totally different animal...

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

The sheer fact they sold any of those ugly abortions should have blown away any expectations.

One of the top 5 ugliest pieces of **** ever made. It was King of Ugly until the Nissan Juke.

StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

The later model Aztecs that had the body colored plastic weren't that horrible. I remember lookign in one of those at the dealer when my parents were buying a new car years ago...IIRC, it actually had a cool looking interior.

It was a good idea, maybe just a bit ahead of it's time and poorly executed.

Look at how well the Honda Element did when it came out a few years later. Still ugly as sin, yet somehow managed to sell. Maybe because sheeple will buy anything with an H on the hood?

And I'll say the Scion Xb (or whatever it's called...the boxy one), Element, Nissan Juke, and especially the Nissan Cube, are worse looking than the Aztec.

That Cube...SERIOUSLY??? I can't believe people buy those...I saw THREE of those stupid things on the way home from work the other day. Who on earth would be caught dead in one of those??

AronZ28

iTrader: (2)

I still think the Azteck is by far the worst looking car produced since the factory K-car limo of the early 80's. The damn thing looks like a dumpster, and the way the tiny wheels and wheel arches are integrated just look horrendous.

Say what you want of the Juke, Cube, Scion Xb, at least those are well integrated, thought out, proportional designs. They look like they were designed by a professional design team. The Aztek look likes a 5th grader's sketch put into production, the proportions of the damn thing are so far off.





Anyways, I thought we were talking about a Dodge Magnum. I'd really like to see that model come back, even if it wasn't a huge volume seller like the Charger or 300. I think they should do away with the sloping rear roof on the new model, I think they can make it sufficiently butch and boxy with a straight line roof, which would give you a lot more cargo room. Hell I'd like to see a rear facing 3rd row seat, just for nostalgia's sake.

turbo

iTrader: (10)

I always liked the magnum--especially now that I have a family--but thought it lacked styling in the front. Bringing it back in the Charger line would probably make the most sense and cost effective route. Call it a Charger RT/L or RT/X or something...I don't know...

Or, stick with the style, but put a more aggressive front end such as the new Charger and redesign the rear for an update.

Say what you want about the Nissan Juke, i'd drive one over any one of the other smaller 4 door in the SUV market. Turbo/AWD/Direct Injection.....

AronZ28

iTrader: (2)

Didn't know the Juke was turbocharged. So I went to Nissan's page, only 188hp/177lb-ft torque though. In a 3100lb car, its not going to be that fast, peppy, maybe, but not fast. Interestingly you can get a 6 speed manual in the FWD version, otherwise its Nissan's dreadful CVT trans. I hate CVT's with a passion, and there is a reason every other manufacturer has shunned that technology in favor of convetinal torque converter automatics.



Getting back to the Magnum, I think it would look really butch with the new Charger nose and the side scallops. A side hinged rear door might be a better idea than the goofy top hinged design on the original car. If it will make that rear opening a little taller than the last version it would be worth it.

fspeedster

iTrader: (6)

That's exactly what I think of the Scion xb..

DoggyB22

iTrader: (2)

CTS-V wagon > Magnum wagon

stingrayj

iTrader: (1)

There were 2 main reasons for the hinge being located on the roof. (1) It made access to the rear cargo area a ton easier and more accessable. Esspecially with the racked roof line. (2) The hinge location meant that you could nearly back right up against a wall and still be able to open the rear hatch. The swingout distance was very little. Every have someone pull right up on your bumper in a parking lot and need to get into the cargo area?

The biggest downside to the hinge location is that it added weight because it needed additional structural support.

stingrayj

iTrader: (1)

Only in terms of performance and looks (depending on your opinion). If you actually need to hual something in the rear and/or more than 1 adult passenger then Magnum > CTS-V wagon. Oh, and don't forget the price tag!

turbo

iTrader: (10)

Don't think of it as a butch job, just imagine the whole body being reworked for a new generation vehicle.

As for the hinge, you can't do a side hinge as it's physically limited. It takes so much room to open a side hinge rear door on a vehicle. Ask H2 owners about opening the rear door (wheel mount) side hinge, have to think about where you back a vehicle up wherever you go...Possibly do a split door, half opens up and another half opens down?

mst504

iTrader: (1)

Those things are hideous, I hope they don't bring them back.