Dodge is to reveal its Demon Roadster concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
The car's described as "a compact, nimble, two-seat rear-wheel drive roadster with attitude".
The idea behind the concept is to create an affordable Dodge sports car that's fun to drive -- so it's hardly surprising that it looks like it fits right into the Mazda MX-5 mould. It doesn't look too bad either, with its muscular lines, 19 inch aluminium wheels, and signature crosshair grille that generate an aggressive look.
It'll be powered by DaimlerChrysler's 2.4-litre four-cylinder mill that transmits power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. It generates 172bhp at 6,000 rpm and 165lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm, and the car's said to weigh some 1,179Kg, only about 10Kg more than the Mazda. The Dodge's power is only 12bhp up on the iconic Japanese roadster, so expect performance to be good rather than teeth-baring. Somewhere around 7.5 seconds to 60mph is probably a good guess.
The question is how well it drives, and we don't know that yet.
Chrysler boss Peter Lambert said: “You might think that American cars always have to be big – but with the Hornet concept and now the Demon Roadster, Dodge has rewritten the rules for cool American car design. The Dodge Demon gives a taste for a potential future roadster that could sit alongside the Caliber and the Nitro and Avenger cars that we will launch later this year.”
Let's hope Dodge makes this car -- and soon...
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