This is a big week for Dodge.
After welcoming more than 40,000 people — a one-day record — for Saturday’s Roadkill Nights legal street drag racing event in Pontiac, Dodge was set to launch three nights of vehicle unveilings beginning Monday.
Past executive comments and the hints supplied in the names assigned to the three nightly categories — current, gateway and future, in order from Monday through Wednesday — telegraph that this “Speed Week” array would highlight a brand in transition, the “start of a bright new electrified future,” as Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis said in a statement.
The Free Press has previously reported that the long-awaited Dodge Hornet and a Dodge electric concept vehicle were expected to be part of this week’s lineup.
But Monday’s “current muscle” announcement came with a heavy focus on the two vehicles that have helped Dodge maintain its status as a relevant car brand, the Charger and Challenger, which the company said had “closed 2021 as the No. 1 muscle car” in the United States.
Seven special editions (details to be released later), resurrected heritage colors (B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green) as well as a streamlined process through Drop Top Customs in High Springs, Florida, to turn certain 2022 and 2023 Challenger (R/T, R/T Scat Pack, and SRT) models into a convertible were some of the goodies announced that Charger and Challenger fans would appreciate. The company noted that the option to make the Challenger a convertible, retailing for $25,999, would be sold by a third party, rather than Stellantis, and would not be covered by a Stellantis warranty.
Kuniskis, during a news media briefing last week in Auburn Hills, referenced the coming end of production late next year for current versions of the Charger and Challenger at the Brampton Assembly Plant, near Toronto, and the need to celebrate what has been accomplished since the “modern-day” Charger launched there in 2005.
“We are going to make sure that we celebrate that. Remember, 3 million cars, a billion horsepower and a lot of really happy customers that helped build our brand. We’re going to make sure that we do that right,” Kuniskis said.
That includes a “Last Call” under hood plaque for 2023 Charger and Challenger models.
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The changes at Brampton will also signal the end of production there for the Chrysler 300. The company isn’t, however, shutting down its Brampton plant. Rather, the plant will produce a new “flexible architecture to support the company’s electrification plans,” according to the announcement in June on the changes.
No additional details have been released about Brampton’s future.
In addition to the Charger and Challenger news, the company had a few other announcements, including plans for a 2023 Dodge Durango Hellcat, promising 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque (orders open in September, and it’ll be in dealerships early next year).
And for the more mechanically inclined, Direct Connection, Dodge’s performance parts portfolio, will also offer a Drag Pak Rolling Chassis for $89,999 and a Challenger body-in-white kit for $7,995.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.