The US Sports Car Market Is Heating Up From an Unexpected JDM-Style Direction

We have known for a while now that Stellantis has ordained its Dodge subsidiary to eliminate the nasty ICE-powered pony and muscle car habits. The corner office head honchos allowed some reprieve time, with the 2023 model year being the final installment of the V8-toting Dodge Charger and Challenger to the tune of seven 'Last Call' special editions. And, of course, one of them is also the 1,025-hp (on E85) 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, a quarter-mile-focused limited series that will probably duke it out with the Tesla Model S Plaid for ET glory on every given occasion.

After that, we have to wait and see if Stellantis delivers on the Banshee EV promise with nine levels of zero-emissions power for the upcoming production version of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept. Moving on to General Motors, the largest US automaker, it kept everyone in the dark about the fate of the slow-selling sixth-gen Chevy Camaro until quite recently. Now, though, we know that the 2024 model year production will end next January after people have had their fair share of 2024 Collector's Edition (for all trims) and only 56 units of the Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 hero. After that, it's not the end of the road for the nameplate, but also, there's no successor announced just yet, either.

And that brings us to the Ford Motor Company and the seventh generation of its iconic Mustang pony and muscle car. The Blue Oval's head honchos eagerly thank Dodge and Chevy for their dearly departed ICE-powered Charger, Challenger, and Camaro because they probably thought the entire US sports car market belonged to them. Well, even if the EcoBoost, GT, and Dark Horse models are great on their own, that doesn't mean they will be left without direct and indirect competition. And we are not talking about exotic supercars here, but rather about stuff like the BMW M2 (G87), the Toyota GR Supra (45th Anniversary), or the upcoming 2024 Nissan Z Nismo.

Indeed, when automakers bow out of a particular space or niche, there are bound to appear some eager substitutes. And this past week, we have had our fill of potential US market novelties for the 2024 model year and beyond. For example, the rumor mill has caught wind that the second generation 2025 BMW M2 set to enter into production in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, next August will feature subtle aesthetic enhancements (like a new color called Skyscraper Gray) and, above all, even more power – to the tune of 475 horsepower. Well, that's dangerously close to what the 2024 Ford Mustang GT offers (up to 486 hp), right?

Next came a trio of potential alternatives from Toyota's Gazoo Racing unit. First, the 2024 GR Corolla Circuit Edition was announced to return with a new splash of color - Blue Flame, forged aluminum 18-inch wheels, a forged carbon fiber roof, plus blue accents on the inside along with various "chassis and duct" enhancements across the GR Corolla range. Secondly, TGR gave Initial D fans a lot more reasons to rejoice with the introduction of the 2024 GR86 Trueno Edition that mixed a "throwback spirit (with) modern performance." The GR86 Sports Coupe also celebrated four decades since the original AE86 was launched with a two-tone hood and side graphics, a Performance Package featuring Sachs dampers, Brembo brakes, and a standard Active Safety Suite on models with manual transmission.

Speaking of stick shifts, both the manual and automatic 2024 Toyota GR Supras are also offered as a 45th Anniversary edition. It naturally pays homage to the original Celica Supra from 1979 but also nods to the orange-tasty Supra Mk4 that appeared alongside Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner in the original 'The Fast and the Furious blockbuster from 2001. Unfortunately, this special edition doesn't change the technical credentials of the 3.0 Premium grade, which continues to use the same B58 inline six-cylinder 3.0-liter turbocharged engine as any other 3.0 Supra with 'just' 382 hp on tap, despite being offered in merely 900 collector's units. Well, that could prove a mistake further down the line because Nissan quickly surprised everyone with its initial teaser announcement regarding the impending arrival of the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo performance sports car sometime later this summer.

Seen without any camouflage in signature gray-and-crimson attire during a drifting session with three-time Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg, the upcoming sports car is a subtle yet impactful enhancement of the already more powerful 400-hp 2023 Nissan Z. And maybe, just maybe, the restrained visual approach hides a massive Nismo surprise under the hood where we have very high hopes that the 3.0-liter VR30DDTT twin-turbo V6 has been tuned to Mustang GT or even Dark Horse-competing levels. Wouldn't that be a lovely change of expectations regarding the relationship between Japanese sports cars and American muscle cars?