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PTCCmike
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Posted: May 10, 2003, 11:19 AM
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Mopar's New Look
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Hooked-up, Tricked-out, Slammed, Juiced and Tuned; Mopar®'s New Look and New Vocabulary for Next Wave of Performance Enthusiasts
Auburn Hills, Mich., May 08, 2003 -Mopar® continues to build visibility for the Chrysler Group's parts brand by taking center stage, along with Dodge, at the 2003 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) International Auto Salon (IAS).
The Mopar presence, marked by dramatically new graphics and logos, reflects a revitalized mission. That mission is to renew passion among existing customers, while at the same time demonstrating a commitment to new markets and innovative ideas with parts for emerging vehicle categories, including the sport compact scene.
"Our goal at Mopar is to help fuel the passion our Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep® owners have for their vehicles," said Christine Cortez, Senior Vice President - Global Service and Parts.
"The SEMA/IAS is at the center of the sport compact automotive universe this week," added Cortez. "This is the perfect opportunity to turbo charge interest in the new Mopar. We’re showing new parts and accessories, new race cars and a new look as a way to demonstrate the sort of commitment we’ve made to sport compact performance."
"Mopar parts and accessories complete the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge ownership experience," said Jim Schroer, Executive Vice President - Global Sales, Marketing and Service. "As a performance brand, Mopar transcends any single age group. But with authentic ties to Chrysler's muscle car past, we have a new message for today's street scene. We're taking a page out of Mopar’s hot rodding roots, and turning up the passion for today's performance enthusiasts, namely sport compact owners."
Inside Mopar’s SEMA Display
Aftermarket companies specializing in speed parts have seemingly popped up overnight. Not Mopar, which lays claim to being the longest-standing OEM member of SEMA. But what was once a name synonymous with Detroit V-8 iron and muscle cars now kindles a go-fast reputation among the next wave of enthusiasts.
"We've just begun to unleash a stream of great new products," said Kevin Miller, Senior Manager - Mopar Performance and Brand Marketing. "We're dialing up the excitement for new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles such as SRT-4 and PT Turbo by creating a stock of parts and a selection of accessories to support and personalize every single one."
Mopar Performance Parts has announced plans for a complete line of Dodge SRT-4 parts including Stage I, II and III Turbo upgrade kits, coil over suspensions, anodized engine parts and performance seating.
Mopar Accessories also is showing new appearance products at the SEMA/IAS including Dodge Neon body accent kits, Neon and SRT-4 “Euro-style" tail lamps and aggressive audio upgrades.
Mopar’s NOPI Drag Racing Association partner Shaun Carlson also will visit the Mopar display area. Carlson has been building some of the fastest front-wheel drive drag racing cars in the world, including the world-record holding import driven by Stephan Papadakis. Carlson's current focus is on domestic compacts, and he sees a Mopar-sponsored Dodge Neon as the car to top the record books.
Racing Breeds Pioneering Spirit
The leading edge of four-cylinder performance has been driven by the accessibility of sanctioned quarter-mile drag strips across the nation and an explosion in grassroots shows and events. Among participants, there’s a pioneering spirit to push the performance envelope with four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive cars.
The audience for import drag races skews heavily to Millennials: 67 percent of race attendees are under age 25, and 92 percent are under 35.
“Compact drag racing is here,” said Edwin Mangune, National Hot Rod Association director of sales and marketing. “Five years ago, a lot of manufacturers thought it was a fad. But this series will be here when you and I retire. Down the line, sport compact drag racing and domestic drag racing will meet. And I think it will happen sooner than we all expect.”
But nostalgic images of 1960s hot rodding have been replaced by an icon of a new performance technology; the laptop data analyzer. Tuners gravitate to transplanted engines, body modifications, engine control module upgrades, turbos, nitrous oxide and graphics.
More and more, the illegal side of the sport has turned legit, with four officially sanctioned drag racing series for compacts. Corporate backing has followed.
There’s plenty of racing to be had between the 10-race NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series, the 13 events of the Import Drag Racing Circuit, 10-race NOPI Drag Racing Association (NDRA), and the old man of the group, the 14-year-old, eight-race Battle of the Imports.
Chrysler Group’s Mopar has chosen the NDRA and Shaun Carlson as its battleground and champion in the compact drag racing wars.
Carlson is a current FWD Pro Outlaw and Xbox Champion drag racing champion from California, who built and drives a Mopar-backed 2003 Dodge SRT-4. He expects the car to propel him to the first seven-second, 200 mph, front-wheel drive pass as he campaigns on the NOPI circuit.
“NOPI and NDRA have proven they have winning formulas, and it is extremely important for us to expose our brand and products to this growing customer segment,” said Mopar’s Kevin Miller. “We’re just thrilled that we were able to sign Shaun, and look forward to supporting him in what we think will be a record-setting year.”
Mopar also enlisted the racing support of the North Carolina-based Team Phatridz with NDRA drivers Scott Mohler and Mike Crawford. Scott “Mo Daddy” Mohler is the world’s quickest and fastest All-Motor, Dodge Neon driver. He earned the title last year at a National Hot Rod Association event in New Jersey where he completed the quarter-mile course in his 1998 Neon in 10.62 seconds at 128 mph, and won the Sport Compact Pro Stock class.
According to Mohler, the NOPI series has been attracting young drag racers. The age of competitors ranges from 16 to early 30s. And it has been drawing equally young crowds averaging more than 20,000 at every race.
Mopar Speedshops Give Dealers a Connection to the Tuner Trend
According to SEMA, three types of retail outlets ? specialty products/installation centers, new-vehicle dealerships and automotive chain stores ? garnered the lions’ share (42.6 percent) of the overall total retail market for specialty automotive products.
Yet as SEMA’s research points out, only a small percentage of those accessory sales, 16.5 percent, was captured by new-vehicle dealers.
On average, consumers spend more than $1,000, and often as much as $3,500, per vehicle, annually on accessories after the sale. So although consumers are willing to pay a premium for personalized vehicles, dealers are often missing out on a chance to either capture accessory sales at the point of purchase or generate additional bottom-line profits.
In order for dealers to maximize their profit potential, SEMA says they first have to pique the customer’s interest. The most effective way to accomplish this, and the one most frequently utilized by dealers who consistently accessorize their vehicles, is to prominently display restyled vehicles in the showroom as well as in outdoor areas visible to both walk-in and drive-by customers. An accessory boutique incorporated into some area of the dealership, be it the new-car showroom, the parts or service department or a stand-alone accessory center, is yet another way to stimulate customer interest and make accessories a focal point.
Chrysler Group came to the same conclusions and launched its own initiative to build opportunities for its dealers to reach the growing sport compact performance market. One of the ways is through the Mopar Speedshop.
Officially unveiled at the November 2002 SEMA show (held simultaneously with Chrysler Groups annual dealer meetings), the corporation has laid out plans of creating a Mopar Speedshop in every retail store as a way to give dealers an enthusiast connection with customers. The Speedshop is a store within a store. It’s a boutique and an interactive hangout for car nuts.
A SEMA Show exhibitor since 1976, Mopar has been the Chrysler Group's parts brand since 1937.
Mopar Parts is the exclusive original equipment supplier of parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles sold around the world.
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Mike Challis - PT Cruiser Club Founder
PT Cruiser Club is built around a community of people with the same interest (the Chrysler PT Cruiser), nowhere else will you find so much PT Cruiser information and as many enthusiasts.
 Join the Club Today!
Join the Club and get Member Discounts at PT Cruiser Club Store on PT Cruiser Accessories.
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Posts: 4937 | From: Long Beach, WA
| Registered: Sep 1, 1999, 12:00 AM
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Retro
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Posted: May 11, 2003, 5:44 AM
Post #2 of 3
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Re: [PTCCmike] Mopar's New Look
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What did they pick for the logo? Did any of the ideas get selected that our club members submitted?
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Posts: 3924 | From: N/A
| Registered: May 21, 2000, 12:00 AM
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PTCCmike
Cruiser Veteran
/ Moderator
PT Cruiser Club Member
Posted: May 13, 2003, 10:13 AM
Post #3 of 3
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Re: [PTCCmike] Mopar's New Look
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 This is the new Mopar Logo.
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Mike Challis - PT Cruiser Club Founder
PT Cruiser Club is built around a community of people with the same interest (the Chrysler PT Cruiser), nowhere else will you find so much PT Cruiser information and as many enthusiasts.
Join the Club Today!
Join the Club and get Member Discounts at PT Cruiser Club Store on PT Cruiser Accessories.
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Posts: 4937 | From: Long Beach, WA
| Registered: Sep 1, 1999, 12:00 AM
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