January 5, 2002

L.A. Auto Show
Chrysler unveils production version of Neon SRT

Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard unveiled the all-new 2003 Dodge SRT-4 for media during the car's world-debut at the LA Auto Show today. Click image to enlarge.

Los Angeles, California - The Chrysler Group announced it will build a production version of its 2000 Neon SRT concept car first introduced two years ago at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2003 Dodge SRT-4 combines performance with features inspired by the street racing scene. The result is a vehicle that accelerates from 0-60 mph in 5.9-seconds straight out of the factory, making it the second quickest car in the Dodge lineup - only the Dodge Viper is quicker.

Click image to enlarge

As the quickest production car available in the United States priced under U.S.$20,000, Chrysler hopes the SRT-4 will revolutionize the compact car market.

"Direct from the factory, this car offers a smart alternative for racing enthusiasts who want to distance themselves from other vehicles and roll up to the starting line with something fresh and unique," said Chrysler's news release.

With its 2.4-liter, turbo-charged 205 horsepower engine, Viper-style racing seats and performance gauges, the Dodge SRT-4 comes packaged with many components already tuned and styled for performance. Like the Dodge Viper SRT-10, the number four in SRT-4 denotes the number of cylinders in the engine, while SRT is an acronym for Street/Road/Track.

"You have to give customers the chance to really go for the extreme," explained Larry Lyons, Vice President-Small Vehicle Product Team Engineering. "Dodge SRT-4 grants them that opportunity. It gives them the ability to earn respect and be accepted on the streets with a car that stands on its own merit."

Production of Dodge SRT-4 is scheduled to start in the spring of 2003 at the Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant, with sales to begin shortly after. The facility, which began building Neon vehicles in January of 1994, is also the manufacturing site for the 2002 Dodge Neon models (Base, SE, ES, RT and ACR).

More News from the show....