--- title: "Dodge Almost Put the 2015 Challenger on the Alfa Romeo Giulia Platform: CEO" description: "Back in 2013, Dodge had plans to build a new generation of Challenger on the Alfa Romeo Giulia platform but scrapped them." date: "2022-10-03" modified: "2022-10-03" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/we-were-robbed-of-an-alfa-romeo-based-dodge-challenger-sports-car" categories: - "Dodge News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Stellantis News" tags: - "Challenger" - "Coupe" - "dodge" - "sports car" --- # Dodge Almost Put the 2015 Challenger on the Alfa Romeo Giulia Platform: CEO ![]() *\Stellantis\* The current [Dodge Challeng]()[er](), despite still being sold as a brand-new car, has a chassis that dates back to the Obama Administration. It was mildly updated in 2015 but its bones are still based on the same old Chrysler LC platform from 2008. However, a few years prior to that, under the eye of the late Sergio Marchionne, FCA and Dodge were planning on giving the United States an all-new Challenger sports car built on the [Alfa Romeo Giulia's]() brilliant rear-wheel drive Giorgio chassis. Yet, such incredible plans sadly never came to be. During a recent episode of the *[Autoline Network Podcast]()*, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis spoke about plans that then-FCA (now Stellantis) had for an all-new Challenger based on Alfa's Giorgio platform. In 2013, the brass at FCA had a decision to make: switch the Challenger over to a new platform or just update the existing one. Ultimately, they chose the latter, but think about how amazing the former would have been. You can listen to the podcast below. Kuniskis starts talking about the Challenger and Alfa possibility at around the 43-minute mark. https://youtu.be/cNcrHw9pOyk?t=2581 "On the Giorgio platform, we would have had a car that, quite frankly, would have been lighter, would have handled better," Kuniskis said. However, he said that the main reason they scrapped plans for the Giorgio platform was that it would have put the Challenger squarely in competition with the [Ford Mustang]() and [Chevy Camaro](). "Those are great cars, those are fantastic cars, why would we want to go fight with them, in their sandbox?" he reasoned. "Let's stay in our sandbox, and be totally different from them, go left when they're goin' right, and try to own this space." As delicious as it sounds to have had an Alfa Romeo-based Challenger coupe for our market, Dodge probably made the right move. The ancient chassis that underpins the Challenger has been paid for tenfold and the existing car continues to [sell well](). Dodge is practically printing money with the Challenger at this point. As car enthusiasts, we can bitch all we want about how archaic its underpinnings are, but customers keep paying for it, so why change? Don't fix what ain't broken, I guess. *Got tips? Send them to nico.demattia@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()