Dodge Lost a Ton of Ground for Stellantis in 2023
Dodge is one of the most influential car brands in American history. It has produced some of the best sports cars, but things have changed considerably over the years. For starters, the Dodge lineup of vehicles is pretty sparse and focuses on muscle. Now, it has been revealed that Dodge popular models like the Charger and Challenger lost ground in 2023. So, what does this mean moving forward, and can the Dodge Charger EV help?
Here’s a look into Dodge’s sales for 2023.
Sales for some of Dodge’s most popular vehicles were down
Dodge still makes great cars, even if its current lineup isn’t as diverse as it once was. However, Dodge was one of the worst Stellantis brands for 2023. Despite this, overall U.S. sales for the automaker were up from the previous year. There were 199,458 units sold in 2023, whereas 190,795 people bought Dodge cars in 2022.
The best-selling Dodge vehicle for 2023 was the iconic Charger, which moved 75,920 units. According to MotorTrend, this is down by about 5% from the previous year. Likewise, the Dodge Challenger sold 44,960, which is a decrease of 18%. However, the Dodge Durango happened to be up in 2023 as it increased by 25 percent, selling 69,196 units.
Unfortunately, Dodge narrowly missed being in the red for the year. Experts agree that it was the Durango that helped keep the automaker afloat. Hopefully, the Dodge Charger EV help boost sales this year, but this doesn’t seem certain.
Dodge sold some of its ‘zombie cars’ in 2023
Of course, the bulk of any automaker’s cars sold in a year will be brand new. However, a few interesting models finally made it off the lot in 2023. For example, Dodge sold two Viper models last year despite being discontinued in 2017. Of course, this is no surprise, as gearheads regard the Viper as one of the best sports cars.
Dodge also sold some less exciting older cars as new last year. According to reports, there were three 2016 Dodge Dart models sold last year. It’s easy to see why these were still on the lot, as the rebooted Dodge Dart was a failure. There were also 36 2020 Dodge Journey models and 27 Dodge Grand Caravans sold last year.
Stellantis owns several car brands. Besides Dodge, these include Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Ram. Fiat happened to be the best seller for 2023. Of course, sales go up and down, but an iconic brand like Dodge should perform better. However, perhaps this shows that Dodge doesn’t appeal to as many buyers as it should. Luckily, Stellantis was in the green last year.
