The Dodge Challenger Nameplate Is Dead, For Now
Dodge has no plans to use the Challenger nameplate for any of its current product plans, according to brand CEO Tim Kuniskis. That means the end of a 15-year run for the muscle machine par excellence, which was re-introduced for the 2008 model year after last appearing in 1983.
“We own the Challenger nameplate. We own a whole bunch of nameplates we’ve got in the drawer,” said Kuniskis, speaking to the media at the preview for the just-revealed 2024 Dodge Charger. “So I don’t know what we’ll do with it, if we ever do anything with it, but [we’re] not using it on this car.”
The first Dodge Charger was a two-door that landed in the middle of the 1966 model year. Based on the B-body, the Charger had much in common with the Dodge Coronet which was available as a two- or four-door. Before the LX-based car revived the name for the 2006 model year, enduring until just recently, the prior Dodge Charger was the front-wheel-drive, fifth-generation car that bowed out after 1987.
The Challenger’s hiatus gives way for the new Charger to appear as both a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan. Production will begin this summer on the Daytona (pure-electric) version of the Charger coupe, with deliveries expected by the end of 2024. Early 2025 will mark the arrival of the four-door Charger, appearing in both electric Daytona and combustion-engine Sixpack form—the latter using the same Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six we’ve seen in Wagoneer and Ram models.
The decision to go with one name, according to Kuniskis, stems from a desire for maximum commonality between two- and four-door versions of this new Charger. The project’s chief engineer, Audrey Moore, told us that this was her team’s biggest challenge but also its most rewarding. According to Stellantis chief engineer Ralph Gilles, the new coupe and sedan share the same length, floor, and roof in a bid for manufacturing efficiency.
Our guess is that the Charger name was appealing for its obvious connection to electric propulsion. Imagine a salesperson explaining how a Challenger must be plugged into a charger when a Charger is sitting next to it on the showroom floor.
Dodge has never been shy about special editions, however, and we wouldn’t be shocked to see the Challenger name appear on a hardcore variant down the road. If Kuniskis was clear about one thing during the reveal event, it’s that he and his team are constantly innovating and iterating and that most plans are in a constant state of flux.
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Can we say Dodge is not longer a Challenger?