Chrysler won't build Firepower

Chrysler will not build a production version of its 2005 Firepower concept, despite a positive reaction from enthusiasts. "We're not doing Firepower," Trevor Creed, senior vice president-design, told Ward's Auto. "We just couldn't find a viable way to do it."

One obstacle to the production was the fact that the Firepower was not designed to be built on an existing architecture, but instead was made from the ground up. Many fans had hoped the Firepower would become a less expensive counterpart to the Dodge Viper. In August, the U.K.'s Car Magazine claimed the Firepower was near approval. In May, the Canadian Auto Press reported the Firepower Concept was among Chrysler's top considerations.

Ward's also asked Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda if the automaker had decided on production of the Chrysler Imperial Concept. In November, product development chief Frank Klegon said a decision would come by the end of the year. LaSorda says the company won't make that deadline, but he made it clear production was still a serious consideration. "I like it," he said.