Dodge Challenger will start from $23,995?

The 2009 Challenger will go on sale starting August at a price starting $23,995. Steven Landry, Chrysler executive vice president for North American sales, said last week that prices for some versions of the new muscle car will go as high as $39,995 for the 2009 model year.

The 2008 Challenger SRT8’s base price is $37,320, and the automaker limited the number of vehicles it would make in the first batch to 6,500 — even though it had almost 10,000 orders.

In August and September, Landry said, the 2009 Dodge Challenger will come out in three versions, including a 250-horsepower V6 car.

Challenger’s biggest competitor, Ford Mustang is priced at $19,650.