Dodge is discontinuing muscle cars Charger and Challenger
Category: Other
Via: buzz-of-the-orient • 2 years ago • 23 commentsBy: BY KHRISTOPHER J. BROOKS CBS NEWS
There is going to be one very unhappy NT member because of this.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Dodge is discontinuing muscle cars Charger and Challenger
Dodge plans to stop making its Charger and Challenger sedans in 2023, as electric vehicles supplant the fabled muscle cars.
Parent company Stellantis said Monday that it will halt production of the Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger in December 2023. To commemorate the vehicles, the company said Dodge's lineup next year will feature seven special-edition models, each of which will have a "Last Call" plaque under the hood.
Customers will be able to choose among the Demon, Hellcat, Redeye, Scat Pack, Shaker, Jailbreak and a seventh model that will be announced at an automotive industry convention in November.
Netherlands-based automaker Stellantis said it plans refocus the brand on electric-vehicle offerings.
"We are celebrating the end of an era — and the start of a bright new electrified future — by staying true to our brand," Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer at Stellantis, said in a statement.
A 1969 Dodge Charger, dubbed "The General Lee" from the TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard," is displayed during the 37th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Cars auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. GABRIEL BOUYS//GETTY IMAGES
Stellantis, which also owns Jeep and Chrysler, said earlier this month that it's investing $99 million in plants in Michigan, Indiana and Toronto so workers there can start producing hybrid-electric engines. The company is also partnering with Samsung to build a $2.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Kokomo, Indiana.
Dodge plans to announce details about its electric lineup this week, a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.
Dodge introduced the Charger in 1965 and the Challenger in 1969. The Charger received nationwide exposure as the orange-painted General Lee in the television series Dukes of Hazzard. Dodge stopped making the car in the 1970s, brought it back briefly in the 1980s then discontinued it again. The Challenger has also appearanced in TV shows and movies.
Today's version of the Charger launched in 2005, and Dodge has built 3 million of them since then, the company said.
The 2023 Charger and Challenger models will be available in 14 colors, including "sublime green" and "plum purple." The vehicles will be sold at specific Dodge dealerships. Dodge hasn't disclosed a price for the cars yet.
A 2014 Dodge Challenger DODGE
Muscle cars like the Charger and Challenger represent a unique style of high-performance vehicles popularized by U.S. automakers in the 1950s and marketed for their powerful engines and sporty design .
Muscle cars are typically two-door vehicles with lightweight bodies designed to help the car go fast. Americans' interest with muscle cars surged in the 1960s with the popularity of drag racing and as more customers purchased cars like the Pontiac GTO, Ford Mustang and Plymouth Road Runner.
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The Dodge Charger has been used in countless movies and TV series - mentioning just a few of those movies - Grand Theft Auto (1977), Live and Let Die (1973), Cannonball (1976), Big Fish (2003), Blue Velvet (1968).
I guess I wasn't particularly aware of the mystique and charisma of that car until I saw the 1970 Canadian movie Goin' Down the Road, wherein two very rural Maritimers get in a car to drive to Toronto where they think they're going to get rich and famous, and on the way one of them is fantasizing about what he is going to do and says "Maybe I can buy a Charger..." Although I saw that movie a half a century ago, I will always remember that line.
I am not happy about this
I can't imagine why, LOL!
Damn near the end of the line for all muscle cars, the Mustang is the last of a breed still being produced and a big seller. I sure hope that it hold on since it is an icon.
My hubby's first car was a Cuda. He was a bit bummed today.
I had a Cuda, wish i had kept it
The only "muscle" type car I ever owned was just a "pretender" to being a muscle car - a 1973 Pontiac Grand Am - it was pretty fast - it was identical to the one in this internet photo.
If I were you I'd keep any Charger you've got now in good shape - I'm sure it will be worth a lot of money down the road.
No pun intended ? lol
So was mine. A 72.
We had a car kinda like that. I still don't remember what it was, I have a guess. Loved that thing, it was like driving a space ship. Sorry, old pic.
I also kinda lied about the Barracuda being my first car. A Plymouth Duster would have been. Although my Dad never put it in my name and it never left the driveway...
You can sort of see it here.
Old pics. The thing was A beast. My 72 Plymouth Barracuda. Sadly the last I hear I think it went for parts.
I ogled one just like that at our local dealer in 1973. It was about $4,200 compared with the plainer Lemans for only $3,200...
Years ago, I had a 70 Cuda, 440 4 speed but it was worn out when I got it, I paid $400 for it, I traded it for a 68 Roadrunner. I wish I had them both. A friend that owns a body shop has the Roadrunner and it looks new
That's a beauty.
Car prices sure have changed. Of course for the same price one could still buy that little bug in China shown in another article here.
Last of the breed?? When did the Camaro stop being produced and sold? Not to mention the Corvette
I put the Corvette in a different league, not a muscle car but a pure sports car.
As for the Camaro, I thought I saw something that Chevy was going to stop producing them, not sure will have to research that one.
This is what I found.
The sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro is nearing the end of its production run with the 2023 model year being the last refresh of the American icon before being discontinued in 2024
Your welcome.
I don't think the Camaro is any more of a muscle car than my Grand Am was, and it wasn't.
I saw a video of an electric powered Charger that made Hemi sounds, Fast and Loud but it just ain't the same.
Fake sounds?