Full Throttle

Anyone but me find it a bit odd, if not downright comical, the Dodge Boys would introduce the Dodge Avenger as a CORN during the 2007 then promptly change back to the Charger for 2008?

That follows the end of the ‘06 season when a couple teams did the Do-ci-do with the Charger and the then discontinued Dodge Intrepid.

Conventional wisdom - something that may be on the endangered species list - suggests Dodge having the miserable year they did in 2007 decided to go back to what worked in ‘06.

But is that the case?

The difference between an Avenger and a Charger in 2008 will be the race car wrap of the various sponsors and different light and grill decals. What does that tell you?

It tells me something else is at work (see the conventional wisdom endangered list). I see the thought to be long dead marketing ploy of Race/Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday at work.

There are two points that lead me to this conclusion:

One, the Avenger was a new model in 2008. Dodge made the decision to run it’s version of the CORN as an Avenger for purely marketing reasons. Doing so brought Dodge more ink space, it was a no brainer. Granted, the ‘07 Avenger CORN sucked hind teat on a boar hog, but that’s not the point. For 16 events Dodge received free publicity for the cost of a few headlight/taillight & grill decals. And that cost, other than Kasey Kahne’s Dodge Boys sponsorship, was borne by others.

Secondly is the latest out of Detroit. Ever hear of Project D?

Dodge has, and it’s the result of marketing surveys and customer response to the design of the Avenger interior. Apparently it resembles something taken from a 1910 Hupmobile and Dodge is doing what it calls an “emergency interior overhaul” of both the Avenger and its Sebring models. That can’t be good.

They’re even calling back some of their former senior managers and directors to head Project D. The very same ones who took the retirement early option via buyouts within the last two years..

This is point two: The Avenger gets rolled into the marketplace to great fanfare and gets installed as Dodge’s Thing in NASCAR for 16 events. The Avenger sucks for those 16 events, and the marketplace has given a large thumbs down to certain aspects of the model.

And… Presto-Changeo!

Re-enter the Charger and scale back the Avenger as a marketing tool in NASCAR for the foreseeable future. At least until the Project D managers become the Avengers and turn a sows ear into a silk purse. (Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel… call on line one!)