Dodge Challenger and Charger, Chrysler 300 Defy Trends, Post Big Sales In 2018

BY Dan Mihalascu | Posted on

With all the noise about the American sedan becoming an endangered species in the wake of Ford’s and GM’s controversial passenger car cuts, some models still carry on with business as usual.

Not only that; they even sell better now than they did when they launched more than ten years ago. We’re talking about the mechanically-related Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans as well as the Dodge Challenger coupe.

The Charger sold better last year than in 2011 and 2009, while its Chrysler-badged sibling convinced more buyers in 2018 than in 2009, 2010, or 2011. Remarkably, Dodge and Chrysler sold a total of 178,663 Chargers, Challengers and 300s during the last model year. About 115,000 of that total is made up of Charger and 300 sales combined, according to Road & Track.

This is a big surprise, as all three of them are old cars by the auto industry’s current standards – and the fact that two of them are big sedans goes against the tide as well. After all, weren’t sedans (especially big ones) supposed to be dead by now in the U.S. market? As for the Challenger, it shows the middle finger as well to industry experts, who find that today big coupes are even more irrelevant than sedans.

It looks like some Dodge and Chrysler buyers didn’t get the memo from U.S. automakers (including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) to shift from sedans to crossovers in order to help carmakers make more money in the process.

The big question is, obviously, how much longer the Charger, Challenger and Chrysler 300 will stick around. FCA would be crazy to stop making them as long as they are still popular. Rumor has it a major refresh is being planned, which would extend the platform’s life for at least another five years. Apparently, car experts can’t get everything right, and sometimes it pays off to swim against the current.

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