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Will there be a Fourth Generation Challenger after 2014?

  • No, Dodge will stop the Challenger

    Votes: 126 61.8%
  • Yes, Dodge will redesign the Challenger

    Votes: 78 38.2%

Will there be a Next Generation Dodge Challenger?

26K views 146 replies 69 participants last post by  elie 
#1 ·
Just want to do a poll and see what everyone thinks.

First Generation went from 1970-1974.
The Challenger then discontinued and resurfaced in 1978 until 1983.
It came back in 2008 and is only scheduled to be in production till 2014.

What do you think the faith of the Challenger is?
Do you think Dodge will discontinue it and bring in another coupe?
 
#79 ·
I dont want it to die...I havent even gotten a challenger yet and wont be for like a year or two. D: I love the car...and i have an issue if "used" so i dont want it dead.
But i am interested by a 'Cuda. Never actually seen an original but a lot of people here like it so i want to find a good picture of one.
 
#81 ·
I dont want it to die...I havent even gotten a challenger yet and wont be for like a year or two. D: I love the car...and i have an issue if "used" so i dont want it dead.
But i am interested by a 'Cuda. Never actually seen an original but a lot of people here like it so i want to find a good picture of one.
You never saw one of these...


or this...



Poor boy...



Well now you have :bigthumb:
 
#82 · (Edited)
Great thread, y'all. I'm not sure if there's anything more that I can add here except that I think several of you are a little too fixated on the year 2014. Don't be worrying about 2014, we need to be concerned with 2016. That's the year all the Govt imposed CAFE requirements will kick in. Those are the all encompassing corporate average fuel economy requirements. Which means for every mopar muscle car (Challenger, Charger, etc) sold Chrysler (Dodge) will have to sell lots more fuel economy econonobox cars in order to make up the difference. So where 's the performance future you ask well, as long as the mopar muscle cars have 400+ HP engines and can get on average 35 mpg we're good to go.
As for a restyle I envision the Challenger getting fully functional side extractors like the 72-74 Challengers did. Morphing into a Cuda is also a distinct possibility as well. As long as the car maintains its original, "classic" Challenger/Cuda shape I think the car has a bright future. In fact the only redesign I can even remotely imagine would be a modern interpretation of the 1979 Chrysler 300 that was based on the late 80's Chrysler Cordoba. I hear a 8 speed auto transmission, paddle shifters, & upgraded stereo DVD/NAV system are also in the works as well. You guys who want a strip down version of the Challenger just need to wake up, it just ain't happening. Why, because hardly anyone sells stripped down cars & even less of the public buy them. Face it, like it or not & for better or worse, "fully loaded" optioned cars are here to stay. Some of y'all say you want Dodge to offer production superchargers & the like while others say the SRT8 is over priced as equipped so which is it? For example, look at the Hurst Challengers, are you willing to pay another $25K on top for a new SRT8, didn't think so. Yes the car is heavier, that's the point exactly, its a muscle car not a pony car.
For those who say a turbo V6 would be a cop out I submit to you the 1984-1987 Buick Grand National & GNX. They helped rewrite the book on performance way back when.
As for me I absolutely love my 10 SRT8 however if Dodge indeed does add all the above to the last year production car> I'll very seriously consider trading up for the final Challenger incarnation. After all I did that same thing when it came to my Buick Grand National!
 
#85 ·
As long as the fleet average is 35.4 by 2016, you can build whatever you want. I think Chrysler's fleet average is around 32mpg right now, give or take a little.
 
#88 ·
I hope Dodge keeps the Challenger. A redesign and a diet would go a long way to bring this car back to being king of the hill! Look at the Mustang redesigns have worked on it and its stronger now than a few years ago. Dodge also needs the convertible version, from the factory. A freshening of the interior needs to be done, not just a new steering wheel and new gauge faces, the hard plastics dash is out. Dodge knows it, look at the Charger the dash is miles ahead of the old one.
 
#89 ·
Politics aside, if it were not for a bailout, how many MORE people would be without a job due to over half the automotive manufacturing sector of the domestic nameplates closing shop? and how ruinous to our economy would that be.

Face facts, we just didn't bail out GM and Chrysler alone. We bailed out a whole sector to avoid an even greater collapse in the economy. It may be one of the few parts of TARP that actually were worth the money. Chrysler is 1/3 the size it was in 2005, and seems to be getting better every quarter, qualitatively, quantitatively, or both. People are starting to talk about Mopars again, lack of Challenger-specific advertising notwithstanding. If Dodge sells 30,000 units every year of Challengers, and doesn't do well in the mass market with consumer cars, especially the Charger and Chrysler's 300C, it's all for naught.
 
#90 ·
Guys if you insist on keeping up this futile discussion, take it to sending pm's. You guys are making me sick with all this ****. Seriously, this thread is about the survival of the challenger, many people have stated that they don't care about your opinions politically. Stow it and stop ****ting in the thread.


Now, I don't know what will happen to the challenger. I like the idea of the cuda. I also think that when dodge does redesign or "freshen" the challenger, they should remove the orange indicators from the grill and put all white light up there. Perhaps relocate the indicators to the fogs.
If dodge does go cuda though, I would suggest going 70 or 72-74. I am afraid I don't like the 71
 
#93 · (Edited)
The answer to that question is based on several factors that somewhat play into each other.

1. Is it making them more money than not having the Challenger?

2. Is it adding to or taking away from their production capacity for other E-class cars (300C, Charger, future Alpha Romeo, etc.) built on the same line?

3. Is it good for the overall brand marketing effort.

The answer to the first seems to be yes, because some folks would be less likely to buy a Charger than the Challenger, partly for retro purity reasons (look, 4 doors, etc), and also for some the lack of a manual trans in the Charger.

The second is currently not an issue, since Brampton isn't anywhere near capacity. On the other hand, if it was an issue, Chrysler would be in much better financial shape and this could possibly be handwaved as not an issue needing dealt with.

The biggest question I have on three is not if it's good for the brand. It's OUTSTANDING. The question I think most if not all of us here have is WHY THE (pick your favorite 4 letter word) hasn't Chrysler capitalized on it??? (Aside from economic restrictions resulting from TARP.)
 
#96 ·
Would be a cool idea, a fantastic idea in fact, but tpms and traction control are now government mandated. Sorry, but that's the new game. I got nothing but a base model with the 3.92 rear end, 5.7 and the auto, cloth and all. The fastest factory R/T.
 
#97 ·
General question for anyone that may know:

Did Chrysler marketing EVER intend for the Challenger to compete with Mustang and Camaro on a sales basis? I don't think so...

Especially not Mustang, which tends to sell simply because it's a Mustang. Camaro sales? I'd like to see them. Last I read, Challenger was projected to sell 30K/year, and I think that they are selling that many, so no worries. So what if we don't sell as many Challengers as Mustangs...we never did, and may never EVER, but so what?? :)

JS
 
#98 ·
These are the annual sales numbers for the Challenger:

2008: 17,423
2009: 25,852
2010: 36,791
2011: 40,000 Projected
 
#99 ·
I rather they discontinue the Challenger in 2014 then completely redesign it!! I much rather Chrysler get the fans of the new Challenger plus new fans/customers really EXCITED about a new MOPAR car like a Cuda! Something lighter obviously with the same retro + modern feel/appeal. Heck the current LX platform for the Challenger will be retired in 2013-2014 anyway so something big will happen.... Guess we'll wait and see.
 
#107 ·
Why is it Obvious that A New Redesigned Retro car should be lighter. Isn't that the point. A 4000 pound car that can do 0 - 60 in 5 seconds has a much different feel than a 3000 car that can do the same thing. Also I don't want to loose the back seat and trunk. I want a fun car that I can use everyday. Dodge know we are a niche market and that mustang and camero are not really the competition. I hope they redeign the interior, but dont want it to change much. Also, why do you think that a Cuda would be any better than the Challenger. Its perfect just the way it is, Classic on the outside and modern on the inside and under the hood
 
#111 ·
Here is the Wiki page for Challengers. The sales numbers are listed in a small box to the left, down about half way. Sales through June 2011 are nearly 3000 ahead of last year to the same point. I am willing to bet, if the Challenger reaches 40K, that proves the car can sale above expectations and is worth extending it's life. They do not have to redesign it, just add more power in the R/T, supercharge the 392, maybe a twin turbo 3.0 (mentioned in the 5 year plan) and less mass, ACR version etc. There are many things they could do to keep it relevant and more competitive with the Mustang and Camaro. It's too cheap to build to just get rid of it after it exceeded sales projections - does not make sense to get rid of a car that exceeds sales projections.
 
#112 ·
The 3k ahead in sales numbers is after almost a full model year of production, with 2012MY soon to come, and a completely new/improved engine with new features, so that numbers not likely to return much of their investment in bringing that new power plant to market. Not on this model anyway...
 
#113 ·
Not sure what you are trying to say, sorry? Calender year 2011 is going to be the best year yet. I would look to take that momentum into 2012 calender year (MY2013), with more colors, special Challengers etc (another Mopar Challenger). Detroit might be a good time to show something special for the Challenger.
 
#114 ·
If I was Mopar, I would release a model now that has a performance package. The Mopar 10 was just some stickers and a glue on scoop, now give us a package that's available like gm did with the slp cars. I know we had the option with hurst but I have a feeling that the whole gold accent thing was repellant to some customers. The stage 1 turbo upgrade on the SRT 4s was massively popular so I say do it, give us what we want! Give me mods or give me death!
 
#116 ·
I can't answer: no, dodge will stop the Challenger, and I wish I could say with confidence: yes.

But even with reasonable sales, the issues with cost for performance and dealer support have to be addressed first to get potential owners and current owners to invest in a new model (word-of-mouth is so crucial).

Chrysler has made some major advances with Gilles in charge and those who are part of the new management team, but the confidence level and thus profits are not IMHO at the point where they can justify a re-design.
 
#117 ·
Just curious, I'm looking to trade in my Charger R/T for an 09-10 Challenger SRT next year. I may hold off if there's a redesign in the near future. Seeing how most cars have a 5-6 year cycle, that would make 2013 the year for a redesign. Has anyone heard if Chryco is going to redesign the Challenger or cancel it?
 
#118 · (Edited)
FWIW, I don't see a major body redesign in the Challenger's future because it may not around all that much longer. Some speculate that 2014 is the last year but I'm a bit more optimistic in that I think the Challenger might be around till 2015. I personally think the Challenger will be gone by 2016 unless Chrysler can somehow convince the many multitudes of masses to buy lots of Fiat 500's & other small almond shaped commuter cars in droves. 2016 is when the national C.A.F.E., corporate average fuel economy requirements will kick in. That means for every performance loving R/T or SRT they sell to enthusiasts, they have to sell "X" number of small, fuel efficient cars to off set the #ers gas guzzler they have sold. Now Chrysler could come up with a Hybrid version of the Challenger but I'm not sure how all the Challenger faithful will take to that? Still anything that keeps a good thing going is a okay in my book!
 
#120 ·
not sure when.

I will trade my 2011 SRT if:

they come out with a 392 supercharged with 8 speed auto.

if they redesign without making a super charged version I will keep my 392.

If they redesign I would like to see minor changes.

lighter weight
more HP of course
a 392 stripped down that would be street legal
6 speed auto or 8 speed for better gas milage. I am getting 22mpg with my A5. with an extra gear I am sure I could get about 25 on the highway.

I would rather see the challenger stop and make a new cuda. then I would keep my challenger and get a cuda.
 
#135 ·
I have to say I'm in DADSTOY's corner - If Ralph & Co make a CUDA in 2014 or beyond, I will keep my R/T (will have 60K miles on by then anyway) and buy the new CUDA ! :redblob:
 
#122 ·
"Turning a Challenger into a Cordoba, really? Huh?"

Well it happened in 1975 to the Plymouth Roadrunner. Does anybody remember the 1975 version of the aforementioned Plymouth Roadrunner? As a "refresher" this was a 1 year only body style & very Cordoba like in its body shape. In 1976 the Plymouth Roadrunner became a decal & stripe package option on the Voltaire (Dodge Aspen). I remember an old Fraternity brother of mine back then actually had a 77-78 Dodge Aspen R/T, fire engine red with yellow & orange stripes galore plus a front & rear body colored spoilers. Even back then I remember thinking to myself; "my how the mighty have fallen", with regards to the hemi's & 440's that could've been had several years ago!
 
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