[Motor]

Dodge's boss mulls reviving Barracuda

Chrysler's design chief, who also happens to be boss of the Dodge brand, delivered a big surprise yesterday: He says he's seriously thinking of how to revive the Plymouth Barracuda.

"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles to the crowd that came to see the latest Mopar doings at the SEMA aftermarket parts show. In an interview with Drive On, he said, "The customers have been stomping their feet for it."

Never mind that the brand already has revived the Challenger, 'Cuda's corporate cousin. And it has the four-door performance-oriented Dodge Charger model, redone for 2011 and revealed at SEMA yesterday for the first time. But one problem with Barracuda is that its parent brand, Plymouth, doesn't exist anymore. The Barracuda name would have to be co-opted by Dodge or Chrysler, just as the Plymouth PT Cruiser became a Chrysler after the brand was killed.

But don't underestimate the power of the 'Cuda.

:thumbup:

 

[many]

Coolest 70's car!

 

[Blue Bomber]

I swear to god it better be a 2 door... :furious:

 

[GSBoek]

Coolest 70's car!

And it should remain that way.

 

[Pulsar1]

Maybe focus on decent bread and butter cars that actually make them money.....

 

[Motor]

Update!

Chrysler registers Cuda trademark

Chrysler has registered the word “Cuda” as a trademark. The purpose is currently unknown, and the company could simply be licensing a set of scale reproduction models to commemorate the Plymouth ‘Cuda, a high performance version of the Barracuda.

Ralph Gilles has publicly stated that, due to high demand, Chrysler was looking into ways to bring the ‘Cuda back, but there could be backlash from the remaining Plymouth loyalists if it arrives as a Chrysler or a sub-model of the Challenger. The Plymouth brand was phased out for many years, culminating with its final end nearly ten years ago.

.

 

[Dasher17]

As someone who's tax dollars went to saving these fvckers, I would be pissed if they tried reviving a 30 year old car that they know will barely sell.

You guys just went bankrupt, and your plan is to bring back a car that no one is actually going to buy....brilliant.

 

[Motor]

Update!

3 SRT's for the Road

Last January, we broke news that a new pony-musclecar would join the SRT Viper in the lineup. The SRT Barracuda won't necessitate revival of the Plymouth brand and will eventually replace the Dodge Challenger. The SRT Barracuda should appear by the 2015 model year, same as for the next-generation Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, while the Challenger may live on into the 2017 model year.

The Barracuda will be based on Chrysler's new LA rear-drive platform, which is downsized from the full-size LY platform (Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger), or the Challenger's previous-generation, LX RWD platform. Fiat also will use the LA platform to underpin several of its cars, most notably the replacement for the front-drive Alfa Romeo 159 and likely a successor to the larger, BMW 5 Series-size FWD Alfa 166 produced from 1998 to 2007.

As for the sports car, Chrysler has teased us with a number of four-cylinder two-seat concepts over the years, most recently with the 2007 Dodge Demon concept. It was designed to be a Mazda Miata competitor, and that's where this idea runs into trouble.

Mazda and Fiat earlier this year announced plans to build a new, RWD Alfa Romeo Duetto Spyder-style sports car on the same line as the next MX-5 Miata in Hiroshima, Japan. The next Miata, due in 2014, and the Alfa, to launch about a year after the Mazda, won't directly compete because Fiat is attempting to make Alfa more of a BMW competitor. The Miata's platform would be convenient for an SRT sports car, but the Chrysler product would compete in price and positioning with the Mazda, to avoid competing with the Alfa.

While Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has indicated he plans further strategic alliances with Mazda, the SRT sports car doesn't seem so strategic. While Mazda used to share its midsize platform the Ford Fusion, there's not enough room in the global small sports car market to share the MX-5 platform with two other models.

 

[HardtopGTS]

^ Easy fix. Don't make a small 2 seater coupe. Make a realistic 4 seater, 2 door coupe. Light and room are not exclusive. A small Cuda is a oxymoron.

 

[Motor]

Update!

Chrysler Readying SRT Barracuda to Succeed Challenger

The Pentastar's performance brand will get a second model.

Branding it not a Dodge but an SRT, however, has raised eyebrows. Giving that new brand heft is a *second model: the 2015 SRT Barracuda, the Dodge Challenger’s replacement.

Unlike the Viper, it will be a dramatic departure. Chrysler’s LX platform (Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Charger) benefited from front and rear *suspension setups derived from the Mercedes-Benz S- and E-class, respectively, but it’s huge for a pony car. Since the Challenger’s inception, the LX has evolved into the LY and gained weight in the process. Now that it’s part of Fiat, Dodge would like to export Challengers, but their mass and zaftig proportions limit overseas sales potential. With fuel economy a growing *priority—not to mention four-cylinder versions of both the Mustang and Camaro on the horizon—Chrysler needed to slim down its offering. Fortunately, Fiat has been on the prowl for a rear-drive platform for use by Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and possibly Maserati. These factors motivated Chrysler to develop a new platform, and the Barracuda will be its first fruit.

Similar in size to the current Mustang, the Barracuda is expected to lose more than six inches from the Challenger’s wheelbase and close to eight in overall length. Rear track and overall width are forecast to shrink by a bit more than two inches. Weight will drop by between 250 and 300 pounds. The front suspension may move from control arms to a strut setup; the rear suspension will remain multilink, with new geometry.

Mindful of tightening CAFE requirements, power*train offerings will expand to include at least one *variant of the new 2.4-liter Tigershark inline-four, possibly force-fed. While the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is expected to get direct injection at about the time the ’Cuda arrives, CAFE more than market demand will determine whether a V-6 is offered. Expect the Hemi V-8 to carry on, with direct injection increasing power and efficiency. We hear it’s unlikely that both the 5.7- and 6.4-liter versions will be offered but hope Chrysler reverses its thinking there. Two Hemis would go a long way toward cementing the SRT brand’s authenticity.

 

[Akita]

nice looking car
it's the worst interpretation of a barracuda i've ever seen, but..

 

[Soo__Fuego]

nice looking car
it's the worst interpretation of a barracuda i've ever seen, but..

What are you talking about bro? That looks just like the original.

 

[DANZZT231]

Is strange.

Now is not really the best of economic conditions, but plenty of awesome cars are emerging.

 

[Dimaoala]

I don't like the rendering, looks horrible. They just PS a Camaro's body.