Dodge Demon concept sexy enough to take on Solstice and Miata?

It's hard to overestimate the thirst of the American auto market for sexy, sporty, small roadsters – while sales of the Pontiac Solstice may be slowing down, the Saturn Sky is taking off, and the Mazda Miata MX-5 is holding more or less steady as it has for nearly two decades. That's what makes the results of CNW Marketing Research's latest survey so puzzling.

According to KickingTires, the survey's focus group scored the Demon an 8.6/10 in terms of overall approval, and only 20% of respondents said they'd even consider buying one. It's not clear what sample size or selection methods were used, however.

Regardless of the survey methodology, the Demon was compared to the Carver, an enclosed, self-leaning motorcycle-car. The same respondents gave the bizarre bike an overall rating of 9.6/10 despite it's US$50,000 starting price. This provides a frame of reference for the Demon analysis, and suggests it may be ill-equipped to fight its main market segment rivals, the Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice and Mazda Miata MX-5.

American roadster enthusiasts can only hope Dodge forges ahead with the Demon design, as the expected starting price is set to be a class-leading US$15,000 despite being powered by a 2.4-liter 172hp motor in base trim. There is also potential for the Demon to share the 300hp turbo-four motor from the Dodge Caliber SRT-4, likely bringing performance in line with, or beyond, the Sky Redline and Solstice GXP. Expect the Demon to hit American showrooms sometime in 2010.