Dodge's "Pony Car" in the 1970s

The Dodge Challenger made its debut in the fall of 1969 as a 1970 model. While it shared the "E-body" platform with the Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger's wheelbase was two inches longer, creating more interior space.

The Dodge Challenger was originally offered as either a two-door hardtop or convertible. And, befitting the brand's performance heritage, the Dodge Challenger also went racing in its first year, competing most notably in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock class.

Although it was produced only from 1970 to 1974, the Dodge Challenger earned a reputation as one of the most desirable of the original "pony cars," with meticulously restored or rare examples today selling for six-figure prices.

In its first year, Dodge Challenger was offered in a limited-edition T/A (for Trans-Am) model to meet homologation requirements for SCCA Trans-Am racing. In 1971, a Dodge Challenger paced the Indianapolis 500 race. New front-end styling in 1972 featured a larger, "egg-crate" grille. In April 1974, Challenger production ceased. Over a five-year span, approximately 188,600 Dodge Challengers were sold.

The Dodge Challenger is another chapter in Chrysler Group's long history of bringing concepts to production, with vehicles such as the Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Jeep® Compass.

"Our product development system allows us to quickly turn concepts into high-quality production vehicles," said Eric Ridenour. "We're justifiably proud of our speed to market, and Dodge Challenger is the latest example of our focus on getting gotta-have-it vehicles to our customers."

Dodge Brand

With 1.4 million vehicles sold globally in 2005, Dodge is the No. 5 nameplate in the U.S. automotive market. Overall, Dodge has a 7 percent market share in the United States. In the minivan market, Dodge has a 22 percent market share; in the truck market, 16 percent; and 5 percent of the car market.

This year, Dodge Caliber paved the way for international expansion of the brand. Hot on the heels of Caliber are the all-new 2007 Dodge Nitro, Caliber SRT4 and a D-segment vehicle.