The Dodge Challenger Is Officially Dead... For Now

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has confirmed the official demise of the Challenger nameplate, suggesting there are no plans to reinvent it anytime soon. Speaking at the launch preview of the new Dodge Charger and Charger Daytona, a duo of electric and combustion-powered muscle cars, Kuniskis told the media, «We own the Challenger nameplate. We own a whole bunch of nameplates we got in the drawer. So I don't know what we'll do with it if we ever do anything with it, but we're not using it in this car.»

But while the name may have been placed on ice, the philosophy of the car still exists.

The new Charger and Charger Daytona (Daytona indicates the electric version) are available in both two- and four-door forms, combining both body styles under a single nameplate. So, while the Challenger may be dead in name, there is still a two-door muscle car to take its place.

Those who know the history of the Charger and Challenger nameplates may appreciate the two-door now being called the Charger once more. From its initial release in 1966 to its fifth generation went out of production in 1987, the Charger was always a two-door muscle coupe. It was only when the nameplate was revived in 2005 on the LX platform that it became a sedan. The Challenger, meanwhile, was always a two-door coupe.

But the confusion may not go away completely. That's because the new Charger effectively encompasses four models in one. The ICE and EV variants are differentiated by the Daytona designation and some subtly different styling — which we delve into in greater detail here — but now both the two- and four-door variants will be named Charger, which could lead to confusion among buyers.

We've already seen it in the comments on the reveal articles and our social media platforms, where fans of the Dodge brand are unaware of the two body styles being harnessed under one moniker in some cases, and in others, being unaware of the ICE-powered Charger, despite it being one of the worst kept secrets of the automotive world in the last 12 months.

Whether Dodge changes its naming structure will likely come down to how well these cars are received, which only time will tell. The coupe versions of the Charger