Dodge Challenger And Charger Fans Can Breathe Easy

Aug. 16, 2019 4:05 PM ET by Ian Wright Muscle Cars / 5 Comments

Retro design is alive and well in Auburn Hills.

Today's Dodge Challenger is an automotive curiosity, standing resolutely against the ravages of modernization – not just mechanically, but stylistically as well. And that's not about to change any time soon.

Mark Trostle, the current head of Dodge, Chrysler, and SRT design, is the man who helped spearhead the styling renaissance and is charged (no pun intended) with keeping those retro designs alive in both the Challenger and its four-door counterpart, the Charger. In an interview with Muscle Cars & Trucks, Trostle revealed he's committed to keep the retro theme moving forward.

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It's undoubtedly a creative challenge to be in charge of the Challenger and Charger, and one that Trostle embraces. "The regulations that continue to evolve on a vehicle from one year to the next; like fuel economy standards… aerodynamics is such a huge part of any type of car," he told MC&T, "I don't look at them as things that upset me, I look at as: 'how can I keep the soul of these types of cars that give people goosebumps, but still incorporate all of those things?' If you're creative in that way, you can do something different."

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Trostle is clearly committed to keeping those retro lines and the overall style as part of the modern muscle car formula. The Challenger manages to be as retro-looking in 2019 as it did upon its debut in 2008, it's just gotten meaner-looking as it goes into its second decade.

The Charger has evolved, but the design team clearly has its eye on the history of the name, and today even announced the limited-run 2020 Dodge Charger Daytona that calls back to the epic 1969 Charger Daytona edition that was built to win races.

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Dodge Challenger And Charger Fans Can Breathe Easy

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Dodge Challenger And Charger Fans Can Breathe Easy

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