The current Dodge Challenger might exist alongside an all-new model, according to reports.
The current third-generation Dodge Challenger is decidedly quite long in the tooth, yet continues to stay relevant in the market. Introduced for the 2008 model year, the two-door muscle car has soldiered on pretty much unchanged through three U.S. presidential inaugurations, save for a 2015 platform update and the introduction of high-powered special models like the SRT Hellcat and Demon.
And now, it seems the ever-popular third-gen Challenger might stick around to see at least one more presidential inauguration. According to Mopar Insiders, the aging coupe might sustain production into the 2023 calendar year, possibly overlapping the start of production for its replacement. If true, the current Challenger will have been around for a good 15 years by the time it finally exits the market - nearly twice as long as the typical automotive product life cycle.
That revelation comes courtesy of some unnamed sources working at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Mopar Insiders says, who claim that Dodge is looking at continuing production of the third-generation Challenger at Brampton Assembly for some months after an all-new fourth-generation model has entered production there in 2023.
Such a move would certainly fit FCA's style. The automaker already did something similar with the Jeep Wrangler, with the old JK model ending production several months into 2018 even though the new JL started rolling off the line in late-2017. Similarly, FCA's Ram Trucks division has no current plans to stop building the Ram 1500 Classic alongside the all-new fifth-generation pickup.
These are sound business decisions, so long as sales continue to be strong enough to justify keeping the products around. The tooling used to produce these models have long been paid off, and FCA has more than made back its upfront engineering and development investments.
Next-gen versions of the Dodge Challenger and four-door Charger are expected to launch for the 2023 model year - two years later than previously anticipated - after a suspected "2023" Easter Egg was discovered in a Challenger press photo last October. While it had been expected that both models would ride on Alfa Romeo's lightweight Giorgio platform, it is now believed that FCA will simply evolve the LA and LD platforms used by the current Challenger and Charger, respectively.
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