Chrysler Group LLC has big for its high-performance SRT brand according to Ralph Gilles senior VP of Product Design and CEO of SRT. Gilles said the Auburn Hills-based automaker has started shipping the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8 to China and hopes to expand the brand in years to come. Ralph says “I want to keep growing the brand. We get a lot of questions from different countries, a lot of letters. People want the car, so that tells me they are paying attention."
In May, Marchionne told Automotive News that a SRT Dart is the next vehicle for the high-performance brand. Marchionne said "The only thing we're fighting over now is to determine how big an engine we stick in it." We here at the Dodge Dart Forums love the sound of that. Ralph Gilles has remained quiet on the subject of an SRT Dodge Dart, but he did say that he loves the way Marchionne thinks.
SRT, while reportedly lower in sales due to pricing, is a symbol for the company and can help its other brands. “It’s really about getting people to look at our company. We find a lot of Viper owners end up buying Rams, and buying minivans, and buying Durangos because they fall in love with what the company stands for, not just the one car” says Gilles. He also mentions that SRT customers are not traditional customers, not only because of price, but because of their desire for speed and performance. “They’re different,” says Gilles “We need a place to keep the performance nuts. And we speak to them. We have to market to them because they’re interchangeable. A 300 (SRT) guy has a lot more in common with a Charger than a normal-base 300 guy has with a Charger guy.”
The Dodge Dart dressed up in the SRT package will surely bring in a lot of new buyers to the SRT family. The Dart is already value priced and throwing on the SRT package will more than likely put the car in the sub 30K category. That is a very attractive price point for a SRT vehicle.
Via: MLive