There will be no more Dodge Challengers or Chargers after next year

There will be no more Dodge Challengers or Chargers after next year, Dodge will withdraw its gas-powered Challenger and Charger muscle cars at the end of next year, marking the end of an era for the brand as it starts to migrate to electric vehicles.

Since their revival in the middle the to late 2000s, the Charger and the Challenger, both of which had their heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, have remained Dodge mainstays and are among the most popular vehicles for a new generation of auto enthusiasts.

The retro-inspired style of the two-door Challenger, in particular, struck a chord of nostalgia with buyers, while the four-door Charger has managed to accomplish noteworthy sales milestones despite the trend among consumers toward moving away from sedans and toward SUVs in recent years.

The vehicles, which have starting prices ranging from the low thirties to about ninety thousand dollars for Dodge’s iconic Hellcat models that have more than seven hundred and fifty horsepower, have allowed the company to generate substantial profits.

“Dodge, with the Challenger and Charger, they really discovered a way to truly get to the muscle car root. They did this with the Challenger and the Charger. According to Stephanie Brinley, a lead analyst at S&P Global, “these automobiles really communicated it… and were able to keep that essence.” “Having that distinct DNA and unambiguous expression of what they are supposed to be is helping make the shift to electric,” said the researcher.

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has referred to the prospect that the Charger and Challenger names could be used for future electrified vehicles, including a forthcoming electric muscle car in 2024. He has stated in the past that he is of the opinion that electrification, be it in the form of hybrid vehicles with engines that are less powerful or completely electric models, will save what he has referred to as the new “Golden Age of muscle cars.”

Kuniskis has been sounding the alarm for a number of years now, stating that the emissions regulations will eventually put an end to the production of gas-powered muscle vehicles. Stellantis, the corporation that now owns Dodge but was once known as Fiat Chrysler, has the worst ranking among major manufacturers in terms of its corporate average fuel economy and carbon emissions in the United States.

Dodge introduced its Hellcat models and other high-performance automobiles at a time when many other manufacturers were shifting to engines that were smaller and more fuel efficient. These models were helpful in generating attention for the brand, but they did little to reduce the manufacturer’s carbon impact. As a result, the automaker was forced to purchase carbon credits from other automakers, such as Tesla.

In an earlier interview with CNBC, Kuniskis stated that “the days of an iron block supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 are numbered.” He was referring to the engines that are seen in the Hellcat. However, the performance that these cars generate cannot be measured in any way.

Dodge is “celebrating” the end of cars in their current form by releasing a plethora of limited-edition vehicles and other products in order to mark the occasion. In addition to other measures, Dodge’s plans include the production of seven limited-edition vehicles referred to as “buzz” models; a commemorative “Last Call” under-hood plaque to be installed on all 2023 model-year vehicles; and a new dealer allocation method.

Instead of making orders accessible at various points during the year, Dodge will use its new dealer approach to distribute all 2023 Charger and Challenger models to dealership lots simultaneously. Customers will receive Dodge a guide to assist them in locating particular models at each dealership.

Kuniskis explained that the procedure is designed to help consumers acquire the precise vehicle that best suits their needs and preferences.

During a press conference for an event that took place this week in Pontiac, Michigan, Kuniskis stated, “We wanted to make sure that we were celebrating these automobiles in the proper manner.”

Both the Charger and the Challenger are manufactured at the Brampton Assembly factory in Ontario, Canada, which is owned and operated by Stellantis. According to the corporation, the plant has produced more than 3 million Dodge vehicles, including more than 1.5 million Chargers and more than 726,000 Challengers, all of which were sold in the United States.

Stellantis made the announcement earlier this year that it planned to invest $2.8 billion in the plant as well as another facility located in Canada; however, the company has not divulged the kind of vehicles that will be manufactured at the sites

Kuniskis stated that when the Brampton plant was shut down, it would mark the end of a production run of Dodge muscle vehicles that lasted for 20 years. “It was important that we get this correctly.”