Next Dodge Charger and Challenger to be EVs

Dodge has confirmed the next-generation Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger muscle cars will be all-electric, meaning we can expect to see some properly savage iterations of the iconic outgoing V8 sedan and coupe before they are retired for good.

The revelation was made by US website Motor1 after a rival media outlet suggested the raucous HEMI V8 currently powering the muscle car twins would return in the future.

According to Motor1, a Dodge spokesperson was quick to point out “the Hemi in that [LX] platform, as well as that platform, are going away”.

“The next generation will be BEV,” the spokesperson said.

This correction may have inadvertently spoiled the third of three looming reveals set to take place at Dodge’s annual Speed Week event next fortnight, when the US car-maker will reveal the immediate, near- and mid-term futures for its muscle car portfolio.

So with the Charger and Challenger both now confirmed to be going electric, the power of deduction suggests the first Speed Week announcement will revolve around some final or limited-edition internal combustion monsters.

The ‘gate-way’ announcement, meanwhile, will likely be either the concept reveal of Dodge’s first battery-electric muscle car or a new high-performance application of Stellantis’ plug-in hybrid tech.

With the Charger and Challenger twins still in production but now confirmed for an all-electric future, attention has now turned to what nameplate the EV will wear.

Trapesing through Dodge’s back catalogue reveals two possible contenders beyond Charger and Challenger: the Dodge Dart or Dodge Coronet.

Both nameplates are as rich in history as the Charger and Challenger names and both have served as the basis for some formidable performance variants over the years, especially the Coronet that spawned R/T and Superbee halos.

For those scratching their heads about the hierarchy of the Coronet, Charger and Challenger, the early Chargers were essentially fastback versions of the two-door Coronets while the Challenger emerged later as a smaller rival for the Ford Mustang.

If you need any more convincing, a purple Coronet R/T is the first classic model shown in Dodge’s recent EV muscle car hype video…

There’s no timeline yet on exactly when the current Charger and Challenger will be retired, but that information will likely be made public at Speed Week.

Muscle Cars and Trucks shed some light on the situation last year, however, when it quoted Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis as saying there’s still some time left for the internal combustion offerings.

“The new car comes in 2024. We didn’t say that the current cars are going to die in 2024,” he told the American outlet.

“There might be a little overlap, but you’re not going to have years and years and years of the classic and the new one at the same time.”

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