Nevermind the run-of-the-mill vehicles that are meant to be sold in mass numbers, look directly at the Dodge Challenger and it’s two rivals, the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. The Challenger is larger, heavier, more powerful, and can fit more than two slim and short adults in comfort. The Challenger is also on a platform that has elements that date back to 2005 and some parts that date back to the mid-1990s, and has not one, but two of the most batshit-mental engines unleashed. When the second-tier model is only making do with 717 horsepower, life is good. When you can buy a 797-horsepower version, life is great.

Except it isn’t. Despite the fact that Challenger has sold more now than it has since it’s reintroduction, FCA boss Mike Manley knows very well that something has to change in order for the Challenger to continue on. At the Detroit Auto Show, Manley was very clear on that subject. Quoted from the Detroit Press:

“The reality is those platforms and that technology we used does need to move on. They can’t exist as you get into the middle-2020s. New technology is going to drive a load of weight out, so we can think of the powertrains in a different way. And we can use electrification to really supplement those vehicles.”

Don’t start to panic yet and let’s look at this in pieces. First, he’s addressed weight, a subject that’s been a punchline of the Challenger and it’s LX platform mates, the 300 and Charger. It’s true that the cars are heftier than the competition and it’s good to see that will be addressed. That different way of thinking about the powertrains, just on speculation alone, will probably mean that the 3.6L Pentastar unit is either going to be wicked up to adopt to the role of the 5.7L, which many believe is on it’s way out, or will be accentuated with an electric drive system. And the chances are good that same kind of system will transfer over to the V8s that remain as well. Manley even said it himself: “I think that electrification will certainly be part of the formula that says what is American muscle in the future. What it isn’t going to be is a V8, supercharged, 700 horsepower engine.”

So, what’s going to happen in FCA’s world? Whatever they choose to do, FCA needs to be wise enough to realize that they are riding a wave of fandom that is fed by people who don’t want to deal with EV technology. If FCA is going to make this happen, they have to do it right, and that means not forsaking the V8 noise and the hairy, anti-social attitudes of the Challenger in the name of keeping Greenpeace activists quiet. Lose the weight, kick the V6 in the ass, and keep the Challenger’s place as the last, greatest all-purpose muscle car safe, and the program should be a winner. Here’s hoping it is…