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Dodge Challenger, Charger: Electrified replacements coming “in the next decade”

Good news: Dodge is planning replacements for its ancient sedan and coupe. Bad news: The current range of engines won't be carried over, as emissions regulations strangle the fire-breathing Hellcat.


The current Dodge Challenger and Charger are old. The chassis on which they're based is 13 years old, to be precise, meaning they're proper dinosaurs in the fast-moving automotive world.

They won't stay that way forever, though. Mike Manley, successor to Sergio Marchionne at the helm of Fiat Chrysler, has confirmed they'll be replaced with electrified vehicles "in the next decade".

Speaking with The Detroit Newsthe executive said the cars won't be able to carry into the mid-2020s in their current form.

"The reality is those platforms and that technology we used does need to move on," he said.

"New technology is going to drive a load of weight out, so we can think of the powertrains in a different way. And we can use electrification to really supplement those vehicles."

At the moment, the Charger and Challenger are powered by a range of engines running from a 3.6L V6 to a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 making 524kW. None of them feature any form of electrification, but that hasn't held them back in the sales charts.

Last year, the Challenger was second only to the Ford Mustang on the two-door sales charts in America, while the Charger topped its numbers from 2009 and 2011. Unfortunately, no amount of sales success will save the current Hellcat and its variants.

"I think that electrification will certainly be part of the formula that says what is American muscle in the future," Manley said, before ruling out a like-for-like Hellcat replacement.

"What it isn’t going to be is a V8, supercharged, 700-horsepower engine."

Exactly what form that electrification will take hasn't been outlined, but Fiat Chrysler has already dipped its toe in the water. The latest Jeep Wrangler will be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain from 2020, while American analysts have suggested a twin-turbo V6 hybrid could also be in the works.

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