The American muscle car wars might soon turn into a family affair. A family car affair, that is.
Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge have all show an interest in using their classic pony car model names on four-door cars.
For Ford and Chevrolet, it would be a first.
They each have different ideas on how to approach the concept, however, so here’s a look at where things stand:
CHEVROLET CAMARO
The Chevrolet Camaro went out of production last December and there is no successor in sight. The Corvette is currently flying the performance flag for the brand and selling well, so it doesn’t seem to be in a rush to bring back the Camaro.
However, GM President Mark Reuss recently told Motor Trend that he thinks it could return as a four-door electric car with coupe-like styling and a relatively affordable price in the ballpark of the $34,995 Chevrolet Equinox EV. That would help bring it back to its roots as an everyman’s sports car while broadening its appeal.
Reuss cautioned that battery production would need to increase to bring prices down to make it work and that no decisions on such a vehicle have been made.
FORD MUSTANG
Ford is in the middle of a Mustang frenzy. The automaker is about to add the $325,000 Mustang GTD supercar to the lineup, which already includes a range of factory race cars to go along with its bread and butter EcoBoost, GT and Dark Horse trims.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has made it clear he wants to leverage the Mustang to the hilt and told Autocar in May that, while the brand will never do an electric Mustang sports car — beyond the Mustang Mach-E SUV, that is — a four-door might work for the brand. “I believe we could, as long as these models have all the performance and attitude of the original,” Farley said.
He reportedly followed this up during a Ford dealer meeting in August where ideas for a four-door Mustang and an off-road Mustang were floated, both presumably powered by internal combustion engines.
For now, the world awaits the reveal of a mystery Mustang model coming in 2025 that was teased during the Mustang’s 60th Anniversary celebration with an image of the car hidden under a sheet.
DODGE CHARGER
The Dodge Charger Daytona and Charger will both be offered in two-door and four-door body styles.
Dodge is already winning this race and is ready for whatever Chevrolet and Ford throw at it. The electric Charger Daytona is set to go on sale as a four-door liftback early next year with the choice of either a 496 hp or 670 hp all-wheel-drive electric powertrain.
Read Also: THE ELECTRIC DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA IS THE CHEAPEST TWO-DOOR SPORTS CAR WITH 496 HP AND 670 HP
Late in 2025 it will be followed by a Charger model that uses the same body, but replaces the batteries and electric motors with a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six-cylinder engine. It will be offered initially in 420 hp and 550 hp versions and all-wheel-drive.
Younger muscle car fans are already more familiar with the Charger as a four-door, of course, the name having been used on a sedan since 2006 despite its origins as a two-door in the 1960s.
As they say, the more things change …