After nearly two decades and more than 2 million units, on December 22, 2023, the final Dodge Challenger rolled off the production line.
With hundreds in attendance at its debut, the event will go down in history as a sad day for many car enthusiasts.
This moment marked the end of the V8-powered era that started in the 1950s and has included historic engines like the Hemi motors. The gas-powered Dodge Challenger and Charger are discontinued, in lieu of the car models going electric in 2024 with the electric Charger Daytona SRT next year.
The final Dodge Challenger went out in its SRT Demon 170 form and finished in Pitch Black. It is the nameplate’s most potent version, capable of generating 1,025 horsepower from a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 – a significant improvement from 425 horses in the first 2008 model year. It can run a 9.39-second quarter-mile pass on a drag strip.
The final Charger was also produced earlier in the day. That example was a destroyer gray Scat Pack Widebody, capping off a run of nearly 2 million LD-generation Chargers. Dodge is said to have produced around 2 million units of the Charger and Challenger, with the former making up around 1.8 million of them, including the Hellcat version.
As for the Dodge muscle cars, the automaker will continue advancing the category, albeit via electrification, previewed by the Charger Daytona SRT concept.
The Daytona SRT will feature a Hellcat soundtrack and a shiftable transmission. According to Dodge, this EV will “drive like a Dodge, look like a Dodge and feel like Dodge.” It is said to be based on 400-volt architecture, with the top-spec version putting out 885 horsepower, courtesy of an 800-volt architecture.
Many mixed reviews surround the proposed concept car, with many car-enthusiasts devastated at the removal of the gas-powered V8 engine.
We’ll see what the future holds for Dodge.
