It might have a big V8 under the hood, but this popular American muscle car rolled off the line in Ontario.
Building a car nowadays is something of a global effort. Even if the final assembly is right here in the good ol’ US-of-A, American cars source major and minor components from all over the world. However, one distinctly popular American muscle car rolled off the line north of the border. That’s right, the star-spangled Dodge Challenger has its origins in Ontario, Canada, the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Dodge Challenger is one of the most unapologetically American cars ever– aside from its Canadian origins
For years, Dodge billed the Challenger as one of the last words in American muscle cars. Hell, the brand used George Washington and the American Revolution in a commercial for its pre-facelift LC-platform Challenger.
However, even with screeching eagles and professional wrestler Bill Goldberg promoting the brand, the Challenger isn’t quite as American as baseball. Right up until the last one rolled off the line in December 2023, the Dodge Challenger was a product of the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada.
Even the limited-production halo versions of the American muscle cars, the SRT Demon and SRT Demon 170, rolled off the line at Stellantis’ Brampton plant. However, the lack of an American final assembly didn’t make the Challenger any less of a traditional star-spangled formula. While competitors got tauter, the Challenger pursued four-figure horsepower outputs and insisted on being bigger than the competition. What’s more American than that?
I can hear the moans and groans already. Well, Canada is a principal trade partner of the United States. What’s more, Canadians have a proud history of contributing to the US auto industry. In fact, the Challenger isn’t even the only Mopar muscle car of recent years with Ontario origins.
The Challenger isn’t the only one with a ‘Made in Canada’ stamp
It’s true. Dodge assembled its quintessential American muscle car in Canada. However, the Challenger wasn’t alone. In addition to the Challenger, the four-door LD-platform Dodge Charger was a product of the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario.
However, like the Challenger, Dodge discontinued the gas-powered LD Charger before the 2024 model year. That said, Dodge revived the Charger nameplate for a next-generation model. The new Charger’s final assembly is still in Ontario. Instead of Brampton, Dodge will build the new Charger Daytona at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
