It started as a backroom project but now Chrysler's limited-edition E490 is coming late 2007

Now an appropriately styled limited-edition version of the Chrysler 300C 'E490' show car will be in showrooms by the end of the year.

Chrysler Group Australia-Pacific, managing director Gerry Jenkins, expects a more modest version of the E490 concept to slip into the range below the 6.1-litre SRT8.

The car will be built in-house at the same factory that builds the 300C in Graz, Austria.

CARSguide understands one of the biggest stumbling blocks to its development has been the car's rorty exhaust note, which does not meet drive-by noise regulations.

However, Jenkins reckons noise is not the issue, saying the company was trying to figure out the car's marketing and positioning in the line-up.

Despite this, DaimlerChrysler is pushing ahead with plans for the E490, as well as increasing the accessories available through Chrysler's Mopar performance division.

"Certainly there is customer interest in the 6.1-litre HEMI SRT8," Jenkins says.

But Jenkins reckons all 300C owners should have the option of personalising their cars.

"At the bottom end there is a customer who wants the utility and functionality of the 300C, and somewhere in-between there is a customer who wants the base vehicle but wants to dress it up and personalise it," he says.

Jenkins says that personalised 300C sedans and wagons could eventually account for 15 per cent of overall sales of the car.

Buyers of the 300C spend about $12,000 dressing up their cars. "A lot of our buyers are already taking their cars to the local car shop and dressing them up," he says.

Now Jenkins wants a slice of the action — and the 300C is not the only car in his sights.

He says there is huge scope for customised Jeeps and Dodges.

He is looking at German company Startech, which sells a range of high-end cosmetic enhancements for the three brands.

"They do a little bit of tuning but we're more interested in the cosmetics," Jenkins says.

The E490 got its name because of its power rating — 490 horsepower — in pre-metric terms, which equates to 365kW, 48kW more than the standard SRT8.

After the jet-black car appeared at the Melbourne Motor Show in March, Chrysler dealers were inundated by interested buyers.

The company took a $74,990 SRT8 Touring and added a huge cold-air intake system and modified exhaust.

A $6380 Alpine audio system was added, along with XPH 20-inch Cruise alloys, dark window tinting and E490 badging.

Parker’s Car Price Guide: July trends, best buys and great deals

One of the success stories the last 18 months or so - but selling too few to appear in the top 10 - has been the Chrysler 300C. This big American saloon (and estate) has bold styling, it’s roomy and represents good value. Nothing else on the road looks like it. For a while, used values had been very close to new prices. A limited supply into the UK combined with list prices that were just about right for six-cylinder models meant those people who wanted one had to form an orderly queue. This month, our used prices for the 300C have taken a significant dip (more than £1000) after falling more steadily since the start of this year. Could it be that the few thousand people in the UK prepared to pay upwards of £20,000 for one of these cars now have one, and demand has been satisfied? We will continue to monitor the situation but it could be that after a period of unlikely stability for a large non-premium car, prices will continue to fall until they make the car accessible for a slightly less affluent audience.


SMALL CARS:
New: Bargain time as Ford Ka begins run out
It isn’t often you see new cars advertised at less than £5000, but the Ford Ka seems to be in plentiful supply at around the £5k mark or less. The Ka, which is due for replacement late this year, has been popular with customers since its launch in 1996. The cheapest ones we’ve seen (including one with an asking price of £4000) are Studio specification, which has a list price of £7122, but isn’t terribly well equipped. The Studio models come with a driver’s airbag, a radio/cassette player, anti-lock brakes, power steering and a split/folding rear seat as standard. But expect similar discounts off higher specification cars.

Used: Up-market car with 60mpg fuel economy
Audi’s A2 was the most advanced small car when it was launched in 2000. Built from aluminium, the light-weight A2 has plenty of room for four adults and has an up-market feel. Many of them will have nice options fitted, but seek out the ones with air conditioning and a CD player. Although the 1.4-litre petrol engine is more than adequate for nipping around town and is quite fuel-efficient, the 1.4 TDI diesel promises more than 60mpg in mixed driving and had more satisfying mid-range performance.

FAMILY CARS:
New: Large Fiat good news for bargain hunters
Fiat never really expected to sell many examples of its new Croma in the UK, but it has sold even fewer than its relatively modest estimates. The Croma is a practical and comfortable large estate car, and it is now possible to buy a 55-plate diesel model for less than half its list price, caused by a lack of demand. The 1.9-litre diesel engine produces 120bhp, and is capable of close to 50mpg. The Dynamic models we found have front, side, curtain and driver’s knee airbags, alloy wheels, CD/radio and an alarm.

Used: Pre-registered Peugeot with £3000 off
Peugeot’s 307 has only a few months left on the market before it is replaced by the new 308, so dealers are beginning to offer attractive discounts on new and pre-registered models. The cheapest 1.4-litre car we found was priced at £8695, but there were a few to choose from around the country at around £9000. These cars were already registered to dealers but were effectively new cars, having covered only delivery mileage. It represents a saving of more than £3000 off the price of a new 307 and the cars come with air conditioning and electric front windows as standard.

4X4S AND PEOPLE CARRIERS:
New: More than £4000 off pre-registered Zafira
The latest Vauxhall Zafira has been on sale for two years, and despite strong sales there are plenty of examples around already redistered to dealers but with delivery miles on the clock. We found a handful of 1.6 Life models with air conditioning fitted at less than £11,000, when list price for these seven-seat vehicles is more than £15,000. The Zafira Life has driver and passenger airbags, CD/radio, electric front windows and door mirrors and remote central locking with ‘deadlocking’. The Zafira is a good car to drive despite its ability to carry seven, and the third-row seat flexibility is among the best.

Used: Lexus 4x4 ready to find a new audience
Lexus builds some of the most reliable cars on the road, and owners who use the main dealers for servicing are among the happiest with their treatment. The company’s first 4x4 was the RX300, introduced in October 2000, and it is possible to find cars from late 2001, with 80,000 miles on the clock and full service histories, for under £8000. Not a proper off-roader, but the RX comes loaded with luxuries, particularly the SE.

SPECIALIST CARS:

New: Supercharged Crossfire with £15k off
You don’t get the chance to buy a new 330bhp coupé for less than £20,000 very often. The Chrysler Crossfire has its detractors, but we found a couple high-performance SRT-6 coupes showing delivery mileage advertised at £19,995. List price is £34,487 - a 42% discount.