Auburn Hills, Michigan – Chrysler LLC has begun producing the new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 performance coupe at its Brampton assembly plant in Ontario. The Challenger SRT8 will be produced in limited numbers for model-year 2008, with a full line-up to follow in model-year 2009.

The Challenger is built exclusively at the Brampton assembly plant on the same assembly line as the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300.

“Even though the development time for this Dodge Challenger SRT8 is one of the shortest in Chrysler’s history, the wait for this exciting car has been too long, and as of today, the wait is finally over,” said Frank Ewasyshyn, Executive Vice President Manufacturing. “Dodge Challenger represents the best of Chrysler’s past and future. The teams that worked to bring this vehicle to market with quality and speed have done an excellent job.”

A team of Brampton employees helped to build pilot vehicles at Chrysler’s Auburn Hills Technology Center in Michigan; early pre-production models were then built on the Brampton assembly line, rather than a pilot facility, allowing engineers to more realistically test the production process.

Approximately 7,000 units of the 2008 model-year version will be built for the North American market and are already sold out; production of 2009 vehicles will begin in August. For 2009, the Challenger will be offered as the SE, R/T and SRT8.