Dodge

During the early 1960s, automakers were exploring new ideas in the personal luxury and specialty car segments. Chrysler, slow to enter the specialty car market, selected their Dodge Division to enter the marketplace with a mid-size sporty car to fit between the "pony car" Ford Mustang and "personal luxury" Ford Thunderbird. The intention was to create a fastback look while sharing as much existing company hardware as possible. The Coronet-based Charger that resulted, was introduced in mid-season of the 1966 model year in response to the Rambler Marlin, Ford Mustang, and Plymouth Barracuda. The second-generation Charger, introduced for the 1968 model year, was made famous by the popular television series The Dukes of Hazzard.

The 1975 model year Charger picked up on the sales increase seen in 1974's move towards positioning it as a personal luxury car. That didn't last long though, in 1978 the Charger was taken out of production and it was succeeded by the Dodge Magnum. The Charger nameplate returned in 1982 and is currently in its eighth' generation.