Automaker Dodge unveiled its latest, and last, version of the iconic Challenger in a video tweeted Tuesday, moving away from gas-powered behemoths in order to complete a long-announced transition into the electric vehicle space.
While there is plenty of room for critique about the decision, ranging from whether it’s a smart business move to go all-in on EVs or to discontinue one of the most successful muscle cars of all time, Dodge made sure to produce a final showstopper.
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, priced around $100,000, will feature a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 with 1,205 of horsepower and 945 foot-pounds of torque, according to the manufacturer. The car is able to achieve 60 miles per hour in just 1.66 seconds, earning the honor of being the fastest production car in the world, according to Dodge.
Those jaw-dropping figures leave many people asking: Why are they stopping this? While the market for $100,000 cars is undoubtedly limited, there will always be a desire for men to drive fast cars in order to compete against other men and to gain the attention of women. As sleek as a Tesla is, does anyone really think it holds water – or gasoline, in this case – to the roar of eight cylinders firing?
Plus it looks awesome as all heck.
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 reveal pic.twitter.com/DQWuJOiABE
— Autoblog (@therealautoblog) March 21, 2023
Back in 2022, Dodge leadership first announced that it would be using the following year to produce and introduce the final installment of certain legacy vehicles.
“We are celebrating the end of an era — and the start of a bright new electrified future — by staying true to our brand,” Dodge brand CEO of Stellantis Tim Kuniskis said in the August statement. Stellantis is the parent company of Dodge and formerly known as Fiat Chrysler.
“At Dodge,” Kuniskis continued, “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.”
The Daily Wire noted that the Challenger, along with the Charger, were both introduced in the 1960s as the American muscle car rose to peak fame and prominence, writing:
The Charger was first introduced at a car show in 1964 and has caught the attention of car enthusiasts ever since, while the Dodge Challenger caused envy on the streets soon after in 1969. Both models were revised in the mid-to-late 2000s, and buyers continue to flock to the muscle cars as the Challenger outsold the Ford Mustang last year, and the Charger beat out the Mustang in the second quarter of 2022.
In the statement from last summer, CEO Kuniskis also made sure to pay homage to the vehicles that paved the way for this final iteration of the iconic cars. He said that markings and designs would harken back to previous versions and that the company has appropriately titled the 2023 rollouts as their “Last Call.”
“Day one is all our current cars, all about how much more we can jam into and get out of our current cars before they go out of production,” Kuniskis said in a previous interview. “We want to make sure we’re celebrating these cars properly.”
An automotive analyst for S&P Global Mobility spoke about how rare it was that a car manufacturer would cease production of a popular vehicle on its own. “When a vehicle goes out of production, it’s usually because it’s no longer popular. It’s something you don’t want to celebrate,” Stephanie Brinley commented. “In this case, change is happening, and the brand is going in a different direction. You have a storied muscle car that has enthusiasts, people passionate about it.”
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