2011 Dodge Challenger

What's next for the 2011 Dodge Challenger

Go retro and you grab the nostalgia crowd, but what do you do for an encore? How does an automaker advance a design that depends on heritage styling?

One way is to follow the Mustang example. Ford went retro with the all-new 2005 Mustang, which used the 1969-1970 Mustang as a styling blueprint. When Ford updated the look of the 2010 Mustang, it applied a logical evolution that preserved the car’s heritage feel. Dodge would almost certainly be compelled to do the same with any Challenger facelift. It must be sensitive to the basic premise that this is a modern take on a 1970s classic.

Interestingly, Chevy took a different approach when it revived the Camaro for model-year 2010. It used the 1969 Camaro as inspiration for numerous styling details but not as a styling template. The result is a thoroughly up-to-date look less anchored to the past than the Challenger.

The Challenger team may find itself confronting such issues in the very near future as Dodge prepares to introduce the redesigned 2011 Charger in late 2010. The sedan’s underskin engineering has been the donor design for the Challenger, and the coupe will eventually need to adopt this next-generation Charger’s significantly updated architecture. The styling, size, and weight changes that brings about will be fascinating to see.

2011 Dodge Challenger Release Date

The 2011 Dodge Challenger should be in showrooms by autumn 2010.