PONTIAC, Mich. — Dodge announced the end of an era at the M1 Concourse Monday night as they revealed that its Charger and Challenger production would end in 2023.
The announcement was also streamed on Dodge's YouTube channel.
The Stellantis subsidiary is holding Dodge Speed Week at the Pontiac facility, with three days of announcements ahead of this weekend's Woodward Dream Cruise.
The company says the current production of the two muscle cars will end at the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, in December of next year.
“We are celebrating the end of an era — and the start of a bright new electrified future — by staying true to our brand,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis, in a news release. “At Dodge, we never lift, and the brand will mark the last of our iconic Charger and Challenger nameplates in their current form in the same way that got us here, with a passion both for our products and our enthusiasts that drives us to create as much uniqueness in the muscle car community and marketplace as possible.”
Dodge is sending the Charger and Challenger out in style, 7 special-edition models, each of which will have a special "Last Call" plaque under the hood. Six of the new models will pay homage to the heritage of Dodge muscle cars and the Demon, Hellcat, Redeye, Scat Pack, Shaker, and Jailbreak models. Details and specific information on six of the vehicles will be released later this year.
The seventh is being touted as the last of its kind. It will be unveiled at the Las Vegas Specialty Equipment Market Association show.
That show is scheduled for Nov. 1-4.
The new models will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis at top-selling Dodge dealerships. The allocation of all 2023 Charger and Challenger models will take place at one time, allowing customers to decide which dealer to go to.
The list of dealerships will be shared on DodgeGarage.com, which will include information on all 2023 Charger and Challenger inventory at each Dodge dealership.
While Dodge hasn't announced what will be taking the place of the Charger and Challenger in the automaker's lineup, they did tease ahead to Tuesday's announcement, which they said would be about the "first new electrified Dodge." They also teased ahead to Wednesday, when they would announce "something totally new."
Ordering and pricing information for the 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger will be announced closer to the on-sale date, which is expected to be in October.
Many industry news outlets say Dodge is ready to announce an electric muscle car soon. Motortrend posted an article on the possible car in July.
