2023 Dodge Charger, Challenger Lean on Nostalgia for Final Production Year
Seven new special-edition models are coming, in addition to heritage paint colors and a shiny new "Last Call" plaque.
We've known for some time now that 2023 would be the final model year for the Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle-car twins. Now, we've got a better idea of what buyers can expect, and boy, there's a lot to unpack.
Dodge on Monday unveiled its plans for the 2023 Challenger coupe and Charger sedan. The underlying principles of each vehicle -- a big-body bruiser available in a number of variants, most of which have V8 engines -- remains the same, but there are a few special aces up Dodge's sleeve for what will become both models' last trip 'round the sun.
To commemorate the pair's influence on muscle cars both vintage and modern, Dodge will unveil seven different special editions over the course of this year, with the final one debuting at the SEMA conference in Las Vegas in November. These cars will be "offered on a first-come, first-served basis at top-selling Dodge dealerships," which means you may have to put in some serious legwork to scoop one up. Dodge will share the dealers on its Dodge Garage website as these new models get introduced.
Dodge is also reviving a number of discontinued paint colors for 2023. B5 Blue, Plum Crazy Purple and Sublime Green will all return to the fold one last time, in addition to the modern Destroyer Grey. In total, both Charger and Challenger can be purchased in 14 different exterior colors. Dodge is also expanding its popular Jailbreak program to nonwidebody Charger and Challenger Hellcat variants, allowing buyers to customize a number of components in unique ways.
Finally, there's some new-badge news. R/T models get a new "345" fender badge, pointing to its V8 engine's displacement in cubic inches. Every single 2023 Challenger and Charger will also get a "Last Call" plaque under the hood. The plaque shows the car's name and its silhouette, in addition to saying where it was designed (Auburn Hills, Michigan) and built (Brampton, Ontario).
Ordering one of the final Dodge Challenger and Charger models will be a little different, too. Dodge will be handing out the entire model year's allocation to dealerships all at once. Using Dodge Garage, interested buyers will be able to peruse the full inventory of 2023 models at each and every dealership. Additional information, including pricing, will be made available closer to the cars' on-sale dates.