Photo: Plymouth
It was July 2015 when Fiat Chrysler filed the Barracuda name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The August came, and FCA presented the all-new Barracuda at the 2015 dealers meeting in Las Vegas.
No pictures have surfaced, nor did the spy photographers caught any test mule or prototype in the wild. Therefore, the revival of the Barracuda is still a sensitive subject in the automotive world. While some people call BS, others add fuel to the fire by bringing Alfa Romeo into the question.
With Sergio Marchionne confirming that the Giorgio platform is go “well beyond Alfa [Romeo],” it became apparent that Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. division will make use of the vehicle architecture. At the present moment, the Giorgio platform serves as the basis for the Giulia compact executive sedan and the higher-riding Stelvio compact luxury sport utility vehicle.
But dumping $2.7 billion in relaunching Alfa Romeo doesn’t make sense from a financial standpoint, not as long as the Italian automaker can’t get its mojo back as far as sales are concerned. Therefore, Dodge is one of the FCA brands that’s expected to soften the financial blow by adopting a low-cost variant of the Giorgio for its next-generation Challenger and Charger.
If I may turn the focus back on the Barracuda, the consensus is that Dodge will position it as the convertible alternative to the 2019 Challenger. Expected to make its public debut sometime in 2018, the Barracuda for the 21st century is also reported to be that little bit smaller than the Challenger.
The hype is getting real, though, for FCA US LLC has recently applied for a second trademark. Discovered by Allpar, the application for “Cuda” has a filing date of June 16, 2017. FCA, for its part, intends to use the trademark for “motor vehicles, namely passenger automobiles.” Given these circumstances, it looks like Dodge is pretty serious about the Cuda.
Whatever the future holds for Mopar enthusiasts, one thing is certain. And that is, the current Challenger and Charger are in dire need of replacement. The latter, for example, dates back to 2005 and rides on a platform inspired by the underpinnigs of Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class and W220 S-Class.
With Sergio Marchionne confirming that the Giorgio platform is go “well beyond Alfa [Romeo],” it became apparent that Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. division will make use of the vehicle architecture. At the present moment, the Giorgio platform serves as the basis for the Giulia compact executive sedan and the higher-riding Stelvio compact luxury sport utility vehicle.
But dumping $2.7 billion in relaunching Alfa Romeo doesn’t make sense from a financial standpoint, not as long as the Italian automaker can’t get its mojo back as far as sales are concerned. Therefore, Dodge is one of the FCA brands that’s expected to soften the financial blow by adopting a low-cost variant of the Giorgio for its next-generation Challenger and Charger.
If I may turn the focus back on the Barracuda, the consensus is that Dodge will position it as the convertible alternative to the 2019 Challenger. Expected to make its public debut sometime in 2018, the Barracuda for the 21st century is also reported to be that little bit smaller than the Challenger.
The hype is getting real, though, for FCA US LLC has recently applied for a second trademark. Discovered by Allpar, the application for “Cuda” has a filing date of June 16, 2017. FCA, for its part, intends to use the trademark for “motor vehicles, namely passenger automobiles.” Given these circumstances, it looks like Dodge is pretty serious about the Cuda.
Whatever the future holds for Mopar enthusiasts, one thing is certain. And that is, the current Challenger and Charger are in dire need of replacement. The latter, for example, dates back to 2005 and rides on a platform inspired by the underpinnigs of Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class and W220 S-Class.
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