[size=2]Is Magnum poised to follow hot 300?
Dodge hopes to keep buzz alive with new wagon...RP
By Mary Connelly
Automotive News / June 21, 2004
The Chrysler group wants to increase production of the Dodge Magnum,
above, and the Chrysler 300.
CHELSEA, Mich. -- With the Chrysler 300 off to a hot start, Dodge is
trying to keep the buzz going with the 300's sibling, the Magnum.
Dodge staged "Premiere Night" at 2,000 dealerships last week to launch
the rear-drive wagon. And the Chrysler group is asking the Canadian Auto
Workers to shorten the summer shutdown from two weeks to one to build
more 300s and Magnums at its Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant.
"We are looking for all opportunities to add production," said Chrysler
group CEO Dieter Zetsche here last week. But he said it is too soon to
consider adding a third production shift at the plant.
More orders
Dodge held 30,000 orders for the Magnum on Thursday, June 17, the
Chrysler group says. Chrysler held 68,000 orders for the 300 last week.
For comparison, in 2003 Chrysler sold 24,910 old-generation 300Ms in the
United States.
The Chrysler group sent more than 4 million invitations for a sneak
preview of the Magnum at Premiere Night. Chrysler-brand dealers held a
similar promotion to introduce the 300.
Dodge "struggled with the dealers" to keep the limited supply of Magnums
out of customers' hands and available in the showroom for the event,
Zetsche said last week.
The base Magnum has a $22,495 sticker price, including the destination
charge. The midlevel Magnum SXT has a $25,995 sticker price; the Magnum
RT is priced at $29,995.
Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler group executive vice president of sales and
marketing, says the successful 300 will not cannibalize Magnum sales.
"I don't think people will cross-consider or cross-shop the Magnum and
the 300," Eberhardt says. The vehicles differ in function, product
attributes and brand personality, he says. For example, the Magnum is a
wagon with the muscular Dodge look, and the 300 is a more refined sedan.
The 2005 Chrysler 300 has been a strong seller.
Chrysler sold
13,694 units of the sedan in May 2004, which includes a
small number of 300Ms, in the United States. For comparison, in May 2003
Chrysler sold 2,909 units of the 300M.
In May, the new sedan captured
13.3 percent of the near-luxury car 
classification, up from 3.0 percent in May 2003. The segment includes
the Cadillac CTS, Infiniti G35, Lincoln LS and 11 other cars.
Union canvass
Meanwhile, the Chrysler group is asking the CAW to shorten the summer
break. "We are going to try to accommodate (Chrysler's request)," says
Buzz Hargrove, CAW president. "We are doing a canvass of our members."
The Brampton plant has been working overtime since it began producing
the 300 in January and Magnum in February.
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300 Sedan are HOTCAKES...
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