Detroit still values a performance lineup

DETROIT, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler both said performance versions of their showroom standards were still a viable option for U.S. automakers.

"Special Vehicles Team was never gone, just because we didn't have a car coming out every year," said Ford's head of global performance vehicle strategy Jost Capito, The Detroit Times reported Tuesday.

"We never let it die or questioned SVT, even when times were bad," Capito said.

Special Vehicles Team is the division within Ford that handles its performance vehicles, like the Mustang GT500 -- the powerful select edition of the popular muscle car.

At Chrysler Group LLC, Street and Racing Technology vehicles include jazzed up Chrysler 300, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Charger and Challenger models.

"We will have five [SRT] vehicles soon. When you add them all together, it is significant volume," said Ralf Gilles, head of the SRT brand.

The News said the enhanced versions of vehicles may not be the biggest sellers, but they are profitable and they also give each model extra panache -- a buzz that keeps the vehicle in the public eye.