Dodge Just Killed the Charger
It’s official: Dodge is canceling the current Charger. Dodge will produce this long-running muscle car for the next 24 months. But by 2024, the automaker will end the current reincarnation of the Dodge Charger forever. Whatever replaces it will look and drive very differently.
Dodge is canceling the Charger, effective 2024
The Dodge Charger is a living legend. In 1966, Dodge introduced the first Dodge Charger as a midsize, two-door muscle car. Available big-block HEMI engines and a distinctive “coke bottle” restyling made the Charger an American icon. The classic Charger even starred in The Dukes of Hazzard and The Fast and the Furious.
For the 2006 model year, Dodge revived the Charger nameplate. The retro-styled four-door sedan was a runaway success. Dodge sold 114,201 Chargers in 2006 alone. What’s more, sales stayed strong for over a decade. Today, the Charger is one of the last available full-size V8 sports sedans.
But all good things must come to an end. After Dodge killed the Durango SUV, Charger fans began to worry about their favorite muscle car. Then Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis sat down with MotorTrend and confirmed the rumors. Kuniskis says Dodge will continue to build the car for the next two years. But the current, internal combustion V8 Dodge Charger chassis will end production by 2024.
The Dodge Charger’s deafening swan song: the return of Direct Connection
The Dodge Charger will not go quietly. Kuniskis said, “For 24 months, we are feeding the beast.” As a result, you can expect many historic special edition Dodge Chargers for 2022 and 2023.
Dodge has already begun to build unique Chargers with this year’s SRT Hellcat widebody “jailbreak,” which unlocked unprecedented option combinations. In addition, we would not be surprised to see one more level of the record-shattering, pavement-punishing supercharged SRT supercar before the Hellcat badge retires in 2023.
Dodge expanded the arsenal of performance parts available at its dealers. To this end, the manufacturer increased the number of Dodge Power Broker-designated dealerships licensed to install Direct Connection speed equipment.
The electric future of Dodge: EVs and hybrids outlined in the ‘Never Lift’ plan
Kuniskis shook up the industry when he announced he was canceling all three Dodge’s models. But the truth is that the brand must adapt or die. Dodge’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automotive, recently merged with Peugeot to create the world’s fourth-largest auto manufacturer: Stellantis. New management has given each individual brand a decade to prove it can build cars for the 21st century. With Stellantis’ 14 brands, some companies will likely get axed.
Dodge teased a battery-electric muscle car, saying, “performance made us do it.” Then the manufacturer finally unveiled a segment-leading eMuscle prototype.
Next, find out how much horsepower Dodge’s new EV coupe will make, or learn all about the Charger’s history in the video below:
