The Dodge Charger Ute Pickup is What the World Needs in 2023

As time marches on, the automotive industry seems to have its focus trained on a hodgepodge of bland crossover-type vehicles and EVs. We can’t help but wonder what the next big splash will be when an automaker decides to think way outside of the box to try something revolutionary.

If you ask us, perhaps an appropriate place to look for inspiration to make such a move is in the history books. Back in the 1960s, the idea of attaching a pickup truck bed to a car really gained some steam. Over the years, America was treated to some pretty neat cars like the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero, both of which took the idea of a car and a pickup truck and fused them together.

The cars had a great run over the decades. Eventually, though people lost interest in these models, and they went out of production. Consumer interests tend to change over time and no idea is safe no matter how successful it might be in its prime. However, these half-car, half-pickup contraptions hold a sweet spot in our hearts and the hearts of many. In fact, people go out of their way to take cars that they love and transform them into something that might resemble the modern-day variation of something like an El Camino.

This time, we check in with a machine that started off as a typical Dodge Charger. With the help of a Ford Ranger bed, complete with a custom aluminum bed liner, the machine was transformed into something entirely new. Slap some taillights from a Dodge Caravan in the rear with a little bit of custom work, and you have yourself something that looks like it could have come from the factory this way.

Below, we check out a video from YouTube Creator, Smyth Performance, which explains exactly how a vehicle like this comes to be and how much work is involved in making it all happen.