"Exterior design that works as well as it looks is a requirement for all SRT vehicles," said Creed.  "The hood design includes the

The large grille opening is ideal for keeping all things behind it cool. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

functionality of bringing cool air in and getting hot air out."

The large grille opening is ideal for keeping all things behind it cool.

"From the very first sketches of the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4, we wanted an aggressive, SRT-signature look," commented Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President, Design.  "For example, because the intercooler is positioned so high behind the front grille, we moved the fascia slightly forward and extended the walls of the grille.  The result is a much more aggressive look than the standard Dodge Caliber."

A deep

A deep lower valance not only sports large circular fog lamps for lighting the road ahead, but feeds air to the radiator and onto the brakes. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

lower valance not only sports large circular fog lamps for lighting the road ahead, but feeds air to the radiator and onto the brakes, while sending excess flow down either side of the car toward a new aero extension that covers the rockers. A massive rear wing, almost sixty percent larger than that on the standard Caliber, so that it can maximize downforce, is also added, but in Caliber trim it's not as ostentatious as that on the Neon-based SRT4. Rather, it appears like a natural extension of the car's sporty five-door profile, and as importantly it doesn't obstruct the view out of the rear window like the previous model's airfoil did.

From the rear, a more pronounced bumper sits atop a functional black-matte diffuser, designed to direct underbody airflow away from the car, enhancing stability at high speed, also incorporates a thick, fat, 3.5-inch chrome-tipped exhaust pipe, looking every bit as purposeful as a WRC rally car.

And

A functional black-matte diffuser, designed to direct underbody airflow away from the car, enhancing stability at high speed, also incorporates a thick, fat, 3.5-inch chrome-tipped exhaust pipe. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

wouldn't a WRC-tuned Caliber be the perfect way to show the world that Dodge is firmly planted on the global stage? While hard to believe, not everyone watches NASCAR - for the uninitiated, NASCAR is a motorsport conglomerate that oversees a few series that have plastic-bodied, remotely similar replicas of everyday entry-level sedans or pickup trucks running around on ovals, passing each other ever few seconds until one crosses the finish line, after 200 to 500 laps, before the others. Actually, outside of the U.S., as well as parts of Canada and Mexico, even Winston Cup, NASCAR's elite series only gets noticed when one of its talented drivers, such as Jeff Gordon, enters a "Series of Champions" event or tests an F1 car. Dodge, a long-time participant in Nextel Cup and NASCAR's other series, such as Busch, now entered with a facsimile of its new Charger, also fields a RAM pickup in the Craftsman Truck Series. But the brand is now going global, trying to attract European buyers as well as those from other markets

A brooding hood scoop for feeding air into the engine bay sits above the slightly more aggressive body-colour crosshair grille, flanked between twin reversed vents, designed to let air escape the engine compartment. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

outside of North America, so a new non-NASCAR motorsport presence, such as the World Rally Championship, could give what will without doubt be its most promising new model overseas, real street credibility.

Of course, some will argue that the mere mention of an affordable 300-horsepower compact model will do more to establish street cred than the hundreds of millions spent on a racing program that may or may not produce a winning car. After all, Mitsubishi's fabulous EVO has been on- and off-again over the last few years, the Japanese automaker simply not capable of fielding a competitive team during its financial crisis. But the thought of a North America brand taking it to the Europeans on their own turf, just like Ford did with its Le Mans winning Cobras and GT40s in the '60s, with Carroll Shelby at the racing division's helm, is enough to plaster a smile across this domestically grown rebel.