Chrysler will unveil its own take on the new Smart Roadster at January’s Detroit motor show with this Dodge Slingshot concept.
Designed at the Chrysler Pacifica advanced design studios in Carlsbad, Southern California, this pint-sized two-door, two-seater is intended to look bolder and beefier than the Smart on which it is based.
Like the Smart Roadster, the Slingshot features dent-resistant composite body panels and comes powered by its three-cylinder, 90bhp motor mated to a five-speed clutchless transmission.
Design chief Trevor Creed described it as the ‘complete opposite’ to Dodge’s 500bhp V10-engined SRT-10 roadster but ‘just as much fun’.
The Slingshot showcar has a targa-style removable roof panel.
Chrysler says it will gauge the reaction of show-goers to the car before considering production feasibility, though insiders admit that adding a Dodge body to the Smart could be done easily, and would provide a quick response to GM’s upcoming Pontiac Solstice roadster.
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