Chrysler will not offer a {{{Dodge Challenger}}} convertible. The car is "dead as a doornail," a source says. And the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible planned for midyear 2009 is on hold. Blame thin operating capital at Chrysler LLC and General Motors, the latter determined to fend off bankruptcy.
Chrysler designed the LX-based Challenger without planning for a convertible. That may be hard to believe, but it means re-engineering the unibody Challenger as a convertible would take the kind of money that Chrysler doesn't have.
The Camaro convertible is off the table probably for a year as GM tries to save cash and claw its way back to profitability. Analysts predict U.S. car and light truck sales in '09 will be even worse than in '08 and the Chevy Volt and Cruze will have to succeed before GM can spend on such extravagances. Whether the Camaro convertible comes back from the hiatus depends on how well GM weathers the storm. If GM's situation improves, Chevrolet could return the Camaro convertible to its product plans for the 2011 model year, just in time to add a fresh new version of the car.
This is good news for Ford, which suffered steep declines in Mustang sales in 2008. The V-6 Mustang convertible has otherwise been a strong seller in the Ford lineup.