“No car in the history of the industry sold 1 million vehicles faster than Plymouth. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt even drove one, but somewhere along the way we lost our image,” Chrysler-Plymouth general manager Steve Torok said as pictures of hemi ‘Cudas, Road Runners and Super Birds raced across the screen at Chrysler’s auto show exhibit here to recall the days when Plymouth had a performance aura.
“We lost focus of who our customer was,” Torok said as pictures of Valiants and Voyager mini-vans replaced Road Runners. “We got older and less hip.”
With that, the room darkened, smoke billowed from the stage floor and out rolled the 1998 Plymouth Prowler, the long-awaited ’90s version of the ’50s hot rod that Chrysler unveiled as a concept here two years ago and will put into production for the spring of 1997 as a 1998 model.
As the two-seat, open-top roadster pulled toward the media the bodies in the seats became visible. Chrysler Chairman Bob Eaton was at the wheel and president and chief crusader to get Prowler approved Bob Lutz riding shotgun. Both sported dark Blue’s Brothers shades as well as neckties picturing a magenta Prowler driving down the road–with the Sears Tower in the background.
“You’ll see a plethora of roadsters in the next few years, converted bathtubs inspired by the Mazda Miata, but Prowler isn’t the same kind of car as those,” Lutz said. “Some people won’t get it and some won’t like it and never will, and that’s fine with us. We did it for those who do get it and want it and have to have it.”
Prowler, needless to say, was the hit of the auto show. The second most in-demand item was the necktie, which Lutz said was made by a friend in California.
“I’ve already had 50 offers to buy my tie,” he said, only a few
less than bids for a Prowler.
The aluminum-body Prowler will be offered only with the 3.5-liter, 24-valve, V-6 engine that powers the Chrysler LH sedans. As small and as light as the Prowler is, the 3.5 should be ample, Lutz said. Horsepower estimate is in excess of the 214 the engine develops in the LH sedans.
The transmission will be a 4-speed auto-stick, same as offered in the 1996 Eagle Vision. With auto-stick, you basically have an automatic you can shift like a manual by slipping the lever into a niche on the floor console and pushing or pulling.
Chrysler said auto-stick means Prowler will win over men and women buyers.
Lutz said about 3,000 to 4,000 will be built annually. Price will be around $35,000.
Lutz warned that unlike Viper, the Dodge roadster that so captivated the public that then-Chairman Lee Iacocca was inundated with requests to be the first to buy one, “we aren’t accepting any deposit checks and not making out any lists of those who want to be the first to buy Prowler.”
That’s not to say, of course, that you might not want to get to know your Chrysler-Plymouth dealer soon in case he is making out priority lists.
Most Prowler parts and components were borrowed from other Chrysler cars to keep the cost down and help get it into production only 18 months after Chrysler approved it.
Prowler represents a $75 million investment, $5 million less than the $80 million it took to bring Viper to market. By comparison, designing and developing a new engine alone is roughly a $50 million project.
“We aren’t doing this car to make a profit, we’re doing it to broaden our image,” Lutz said. “Some of the best money we ever spent was on bringing out the Viper. But this car isn’t about profit as it is about fun and excitement.”
One option planned is a mini-trailer. When Lutz popped open the Prowler trunk it was obvious why the trailer was needed. You could store a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine in the trunk, but not the picnic basket. No price on the trailer.
Other Prowler specifics: The rear-wheel-drive roadster will be built on a 113-inch wheelbase and be 165 inches long. Front tires will be 17 inches, rear tires 20 inches for better handling, and both will be the run-flat type with special low-pressure sensors.
Standard equipment will include dual air bags, power brakes and steering, AM/FM cassette with single CD player, power windows/door locks/mirrors/decklid release, manual convertible top with glass rear window with defroster, air conditioning, remote keyless entry and security alarm.
ABS will be optional to keep the price down. It will come with a soft top, but a removable hardtop is expected. Prowler will be offered only in magenta the first year just like Viper came only in red before black was added.
Head for the hills: Lincoln Mercury general manager Keith Magee is calling a Mountaineer to the rescue. Mountaineer is the name of the clone of the Ford Explorer that becomes Mercury’s first sport-utility vehicle when it goes on sale this spring. No decision on calling it a ’96 or ’97.
Mountaineer, rushed into production less than a year after corporate approval to give Mercury dealers an SUV, looks like Explorer with a different grille because that’s about all the changes the automaker had time to make.
“Without an SUV, we figure we lost 35,000 unit sales,” Magee said, justifying why Mountaineer looks so Explorer-like while hinting that at least 35,000 Mountaineers will be in showrooms in 1996.
Mountaineer will be offered only with Ford’s 5-liter, V-8 teamed with 4-speed automatic. Dual air bags and ABS will be standard as will running boards, two-tone paint, aluminum wheels and fog lights. All-wheel-drive, leather seats and integrated child safety seats will be optional.
No price, but Magee said it will start “well under $30,000.”
Bring on the king: Speaking of clones, Lexus new luxury LX 450 sport-utility vehicle looks like a Toyota Land Cruiser with a different grille–which it is in the rush to market to take advantage of the demand, though some suspect perceived, for luxury SUVs.
Lexus senior vice president and division general manager Jim Press calls the LX 450 “King Kong in a tuxedo,” which must be a reference to its size and luxury features. The vehicle sports dual air bags, four-wheel ABS, full-time all-wheel-drive, CD player and a 4.5-liter, 212-h.p., 24-valve, V-6 as standard. It is priced from $47,500, and shipments to dealers start Monday.
Press said Lexus hopes to sell 3,500 this year, at least 5,000 annually after that.
Why not clone the new Toyota 4Runner SUV into a $35,000 Lexus SUV rather than the Land Cruiser into a $50,000 SUV?
“Because we weren’t seeking sales of 30,000 to 40,000 units a year as we were 5,000 pieces a year,” he said.
