But It's A Great Product

“The burnt orange and deep-water-blue Dodge Challengers turned heads and drew finger-pointing from motorists who rolled by the Whistle Stop diner in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham on Monday.

“Inside, Dodge Brand Director Mike Accavitti shared his personal stories of people stopping him on the street to ask about the Challenger slated to start production in late July and roll into showrooms in September.

“But it will take more than just finger-pointing and stories for Chrysler LLC to pull off a major product gamble -- marketing and launching a retro-1970s muscle car at a time when gasoline is $4 a gallon and the economic outlook is murky.

“‘There is certainly going to be an impact [from high fuel prices] but we think there is a pent-up demand for this vehicle,’ said Mr. Accavitti, who also said Chrysler already has 7,000 orders for the Challenger. ‘There is a certain segment that is indifferent to fuel prices and they will help drive sales.’ …

“Chrysler could have sold about 40,000 vehicles if it was released last year, said Rebecca Lindland, a Global Insight analyst. Now the auto maker will struggle to meet that estimate, although holding it back would have cost the auto maker more since it has been in the planning for a few years.

“‘There is nothing wrong with the vehicle. It isn't lacking and it has a fun retro look that reminds you of Daisy Duke,’ Ms. Lindland said, referring to the short-shorts-wearing waitress from the 1970s ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ TV show. ‘But this isn't a miniskirt environment.’ …

“Sales of Ford Motor Co.'s Mustang, the nearest competitor for the Challenger, dropped 45% in May and were down 32% for the first five months of the year…

“Mr. Accavitti admits that the auto maker is being realistic and a ‘steep’ decline has been factored after the first year of sales. Chrysler hasn't disclosed how many Challengers it expects to sell.

“He will also attempt to soften the Dodge brand's image to ‘strong and fun’ rather than one tied solely to power that elicits image of fuel being wasted as tires squeal, and television ads of guys screaming: ‘That thing got a Hemi?’”

(“Chrysler Gambles on Muscle Car.” Jeff Bennett. The Wall Street Journal: June 11, 2008. pg. B.7-D)

STANDING OUT is one thing, but insanity ("Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Einstein) is entirely another.

Yes, we certainly do need to set ourselves apart from the competition. And yes, the competition is moving toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. But blindness in the face of a gale is not vision.