1990s
Published on March 15th, 2021 |
by BajaBusta
1993: Dodge’s “Challenger” for the 1990’s?
The all-new Dodge Ram T300 was barely out of the starting blocks, and speculation was already swirling around the tantalizing prospect of a derivative vehicle to challenge the macho dominance of the GMC/Chevrolet Suburban. The trial balloon that floated as the moniker for the beast was “Challenger.” Fitting. The illustration of the vehicle represented a logical evolution of the new pickup.
GMC Truck and Chevrolet shared the narrow-but-robust segment of the truck market worth about 400,000 units; Ford had no entry, and neither did Chrysler. A “station wagon” version of the classic full-scale sport/utility, this heavyweight category of vehicle superseded the Blazers, Broncos, and Ramchargers of the day. The Suburban’s enduring popularity was fueled by interior room, the proportion of a serpcarrier’s hangar deck, the towing capacity of a Mississippi River tugboat, and the ride quality of a presidential limousine. A possible third player from Dodge based on the rugged good looks of the 1994 T300 had truck watchers hatching feverish what-if scenarios.
Tags: Dodge, Dodge Ram, Dodge Suburban, Dodge T300, Motorweek, newsdaytuesday, Old News, RAM, Suburban Fighter
I remember seeing this rendering and personally thought it was a no-brained at the time. From a R&D perspective, it wouldn’t have been that much of a challenge to put this onto the Ram chassis.
I think Mopar lost out on this market during the SUV craze of the late 1990’s. I don’t know what they were thinking because it wasn’t like they were tasked with developing a whole new vehicle from the ground up.
Seeing FCA now looking to make a new Grand Cherokee, although that car is geared towards the luxury segment, I think this is a market segment that they should’ve jump in.. over 25 years ago with this rendering!