At the Chicago Auto Show, all eyes were on the new version of Dodge's classic Challenger muscle car. Chevy also has plans in the works to reintroduce the Camaro in 2009, and Ford's Mustang is still plugging along. The Mustang is the only remaining muscle car with no gaps in its production history, but Ford promises a complete redesign for 2010.

Chrysler has expressed a lot of optimism for the resurgence of the American muscle car. In fact Jim Press is so confident in the ability of the Challenger's traditional rear wheel drive sports coupe to reverse the struggling automakers fortunes that he called the Challenger the “DNA of the company.”

Press admitted that there as not a large market for muscle cars but maintained that the vehicles would continue to exist because be love the vehicles and will continue to buy them. Even in times of economic uncertainty, muscle car enthusiasts will always find a way to own the cars they love, he said.

Chrysler's marketing director,Mike Accavitti agreed. “What we see particularly with this performance segment is resilience to gas prices and recession.” Accavitti added that muscle car sales don't fall with rising gas prices. People continue to drive their cars and make adjustments elsewhere in their budgets. Accavitti says that people that drive muscle cars put a great deal of value on the experience of driving a muscle car.

Mileage figures have yet to be release for the new Challenger SRT8, which packs 425 hp into a 6.1 liter Hemi V8, but it shares the same drive train as the Dodge Charger. The Charger is a gas guzzler with an average fuel economy rating of 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. The similarly powered Ford Mustang also burns gas at an unbelievable rate. It gets 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.

The first Challengers to roll off the assembly line will have the Hemi V8, but later versions will have a smaller V8 and a V6, which should make for improved gas mileage and a wider customer base. Still, Chrysler doesn't expect the car to be a huge seller, even with the smaller engines. Sales expectations are somewhat low, between 20,000 and 30,000 cars a year, which is just a fraction of the 135,000 Ford Mustangs sold in 2007.

Experts don't expect the introduction of new rivals to hurt the Mustang's sales. Ford marketing manager Robert Parker sees the muscle car market growing and welcomes the entry of new rivals into the muscle car segment. He believes that the Challenger and Camaro will carve out a niche for themselves among people who feel an emotional attachment to the car, not people who chose a Challenger or Camaro as an option to a Mustang.

Tom Libby of J.D. Power and Associates agrees with Parker's assessment, but is a little more guarded in his enthusiasm. Libby believes that all three cars will sell well, but believes that while the market will expand slightly, the three automakers will find themselves competing for a limited pool of customers.