2015 Challenger Refresh

This Challenger rumor was recently posted on allpar:

Word from Canada is that Chrysler will be staggering its large-car refreshes next year, when the 2015s make their debut (around a year past their original schedule, possibly to accommodate slower than expected ramp-up at the Indiana transmission plants, coupled with higher-than-expected sales).

The first car will be the 2015 Dodge Challenger, on the new LA platform; originally, this was to be a shortened version to cut weight, but it’s quite possible that Challenger will end up at around its current size, perhaps two or three inches shorter. The main benefit to buyers will be the eight-speed automatic, expected to be standard on all Challengers, as it is on Grand Cherokees and Durangos. The current Challenger cannot use that transmission, resulting in a muscle car which is oddly much slower (with V6) than the larger, lower-horsepower 300C V6. A comprehensive interior upgrade is also expected, since Challenger’s trim currently lags behind the entire Chrysler product line in many critics’ eyes. The basic Challenger look should remain, but the dual front headlights (one headlight, one parking light disguised as a second headlight) may disappear.

All the refreshed and new large cars are expected to have the seven-inch reconfigurable dashboards, UConnect 2 (as upgraded by that time), standard eight-speed automatics, paddle shifters on select models, the full panoply of safety gizmos (some of which will be new to Challenger but are already available on Charger and 300C), the 6.2 supercharged Hemi option on SRT models, and possibly the more economical 3.2 liter Pentastar replacing the current 3.6 as the base engine to improve city-cycle gas mileage. (oh2o contributed substantially to this story.)

 

Ralph Gilles, at the recent Chrysler Carlsile event, stated that Challenger sales are great (factory running at peak production) and that it will remain in production for several more years.

 

Ralph Gilles

Here's a photo of Ralph Gilles checking out a Petty "Killer Bee" Challenger at Carlisle. Note that he signed the driver's side of the hood. The passenger's side was signed by Richard Petty.