Dodge introduced the latest and final version of its Challenger on Monday as the carmaker shifts from wowing drivers with its iconic gas-powered muscle cars to producing electric vehicles.
The 2023 Challenger SRT Demon will be the last V8 car that Stellantis, which owns Dodge, will produce, and it will also be its most powerful, CNBC reported. The new Challenger boasts a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 with 1,025 horsepower and 945 foot-pounds of torque, ripping to 60 mph in 1.66 seconds, making it the fastest production car in the world, according to Dodge.
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 reveal pic.twitter.com/DQWuJOiABE
— Autoblog (@therealautoblog) March 21, 2023
Dodge announced last summer that it would begin to transition away from gas-powered vehicles and toward EVs by the end of this year due to strict government emissions regulations. CNBC reported that Dodge’s parent company Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, ranks at the bottom among U.S. car manufacturers for fuel economy and carbon emissions.
Dodge said goodbye to the muscle cars that helped give the company a name by selling seven special-edition Dodge models, the last of which is the 2023 Challenger SRT Demon. The SRT Demon will hit the market at $96,666 but could cost up to $120,000 once fees and options and accessories are factored in.
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis was brutally honest about the car’s fuel economy, calling it “horrible,” but he later said the SRT Demon would be “eco-friendly” because it will run on E85 ethanol blend fuel. Because of the immense power the SRT Demon produces in its rear wheels, the car will be capable of popping wheelies, CNBC reported.
Kuniskis said that while making the car, engineers were “blowing up” engines as they tried to get the best possible performance, resulting in the SRT Demon’s reveal being pushed back.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
“You have to celebrate this end,” the carmaker’s CEO told CNBC.
Car enthusiasts or those who want to get in on the end of the Dodge muscle car era can order the Challenger SRT Demon on March 27. Potential buyers will have to move fast as Stellantis only plans on building 3,000 vehicles for the U.S. and another 300 for Canada.