Dodge Charger Concept Debuts This Weekend
Rampant speculation surrounds the Dodge Charger and the possibility it might eventually receive the same wide-body treatment applied to the Challenger SRT Hellcat and R/T Scat Pack. Last month, Mopar enthusiasts, claiming insider knowledge, said Dodge would have sedan versions ready for the 2020 model year.
It wasn’t much to go on, but the automaker recently confirmed there will be a concept Charger on display at California’s Spring Fest this weekend, following the appearance of an online video showing a camouflaged SRT sedan cruising around Southfield, Michigan.
The video, shared by multiple outlets, shows a Challenger playing host to panels that appear to contain room for a wide-body kit. MoparInsiders previously claimed such a vehicle was rumored to debut at California’s Spring Fest this weekend, and CarBuzz confirmed it after asking the manufacturer for clarification about the mystery model in the brief clip.
“We are taking a Charger design concept to Spring Fest (this upcoming weekend) to gauge feedback from the huge Dodge Charger, Challenger and Chrysler 300 enthusiast base that attends the California event each year. Other than that, we don’t have anything to announce,” explained a company spokesperson.
From MoparInsiders:
Here is what we know thus far about the upcoming 2020 Dodge Charger Widebody models. First is they will feature drastically different looking front and rear fascias. The new dual-snorkel grille for 2019, will be redesigned just for the widebody cars and will feature smaller intakes lower in the corners of the upper grille. Both front and rear fascias had to be radically redesigned to incorporate the Charger body lines with the new widebody fender flares.
While the fender flares are there, we never get a great look at the front of the vehicle. The rear also doesn’t look quite so “drastically different” as we would have expected. But the fact that Dodge is telling us to just wait and see what comes to Spring Fest makes us believe the car’s a legitimate prototype for whatever Dodge is sending to the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, CA this weekend.
[Image: FCA]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Milk that cash cow, FCA. Milk it!
Allpar has some better pictures. https://www.allpar.com/news/2019/03/widebody-charger-pictures-and-information-leaks-online-44087