Is This the Next Dodge Challenger/Charger, Yellow Spoiler Guards and All?

The Dodge Challenger coupe and Charger sedan are due for full redesigns, and we can only imagine what their replacements might look like. Let's hope that this sketch offers some much-needed direction for our imaginations and actually previews the next muscle cars from Dodge.

The sketch was released by none other than FCA design boss Ralph Gilles on Instagram. Gilles described the sleek orange car in the rendering as an "experimental design of a Dodge of the future." While he says he never reveals future product on social media, he made an exception to show off the designer's use of yellow spoiler guards. "We had a really good laugh about it," he wrote about the odd detail, which is a nod toward the protective yellow front spoiler guards used on real-life Challengers and Chargers during shipment from the factory to dealerships. Many owners, for reasons unclear, leave these yellow strips on their cars' front ends as a kind of style statement after taking delivery.

Although the yellow spoiler accents are a bit overkill—and we hope don't eventually become "built-in" Charger or Challenger features—we like the orange car's narrow headlights, hood vents, and low-slung stance. We're assuming the design will have at least some influence on the future of Challenger and Charger, even if Mr. Gilles claims it doesn't preview any specific future product.

Excitingly, the car in the sketch ditches the current Dodge muscle cars' retro charm while drawing a clear familial resemblance to them with its squared-off, blunt front end. If this sketch really does preview the new Dodge Challenger and Charger, even tangentially, expect the futuristic look to inevitably be toned down for production. You also can expect, based on rumors from last year, that the next Challenger and Charger could go hybrid. Even if the duo receives electrification, we expect them to remain the powerful straight-line performance kings we know and love.

The current muscle cars are getting a bit long in the tooth, even with ever-increasing Hellcat horsepower, so we can't wait to see what Dodge has cooked up for the next generation. At least we know they might keep their yellow spoiler guards—whether for shipping or as a permanent feature. Whether or not that's a positive is up to you . . .