Joined
·
3,232 Posts
Lol! Maybe then Ford will also bring back the Cougar and Chevy the Firebird and Trans Am. I also read a while back that the new Viper will also be a Chrysler, but can't find the article now.matt167 said:Oh great a CHRYSLER Barracuda![]()
Chrysler needs to build the Challenger as what it can be...the Mustang GT is proof of what can be done. Changing the name will not make the pig any more attractive.lt1silverhawk said:Lol! Maybe then Ford will also bring back the Cougar and Chevy the Firebird and Trans Am. I also read a while back that the new Viper will also be a Chrysler, but can't find the article now.
If there is any truth to these two rumors, then obviously it is some sort of marketing strategy. But what? My guess would be that the folks at Chrysler may feel that the 'Cuda has more historical attraction than the Challenger name plate?
I would suggest that the company keep the Challenger and, if they just have to have it, add the Barracuda variant under Chrysler. But I doubt they want the two cars competing against each other when the Challenger's sales are already struggling.
That's an interesting take. I can see that happening in the foreign markets for the purpose of streamlining, but I can't see GM dropping Chevy in the US, or North America in general.matt167 said:Dodge has arleady dropped all badging from the Ram trucks, and the Dodge logo is getting smaller on others.. Also appears that Chevy is dropping the bowtie logo off of some of there vehicles also.. I think GM is going to drop Chevrolet and Buick and become GM and Cadillac and incorporate Buick as a trim line into GM vehicles
100% agreed. I still for the life of me can't figure out what the Chrysler folk had in mind when building this Challenger. It is an over-weight car that has tons of amenities. And while its output/performance numbers aren't exactly bad, they aren't strong enough to give it a lead in any specific category. For a while there, I thought the car was simply meant to serve a particular niche of customers: those who remember the glory days of the muscle car era, do prefer/can use the comforts of the modern-day features, and have the moola to pay for it. Basically cashing in on the nostalgia.1ownerT said:Chrysler needs to build the Challenger as what it can be...the Mustang GT is proof of what can be done. Changing the name will not make the pig any more attractive.
2015...three years to change their mind.Well, its official: a Barracuda will be replacing the Challenger as a SRT instead of a Plymouth, because SRT is now apparently a brand within Chrysler. Good bye, Challenger.
"3 SRTs For The Road - Motor Trend"
That is it in a nutshell, I agree with all of this. Nostalgia and nameplates, along with older folks with too much money, are driving the market. Mustangs, Challengers and Camaros are everywhere, good looking cars, but would they sell like hot cakes to the older generation if they didn't look similar to the cars of the sixties and had another name? Would a Mustang be as popular as it is today if it were called a Cyclone or a Maverick, maybe a Falcon?That's an interesting take. I can see that happening in the foreign markets for the purpose of streamlining, but I can't see GM dropping Chevy in the US, or North America in general.
100% agreed. I still for the life of me can't figure out what the Chrysler folk had in mind when building this Challenger. It is an over-weight car that has tons of amenities. And while its output/performance numbers aren't exactly bad, they aren't strong enough to give it a lead in any specific category. For a while there, I thought the car was simply meant to serve a particular niche of customers: those who remember the glory days of the muscle car era, do prefer/can use the comforts of the modern-day features, and have the moola to pay for it. Basically cashing in on the nostalgia.
With the Chrysler group now bringing back the Dark moniker, it seems some people who are high up are focusing on bringing back/cycling through the legendary nameplates from the 60's. I wonder if they are fooling themselves into thinking that it is the reason why the Chargers are selling well, because I am willing to bet that 95% + of the people who buy Chargers aren't buying it because its called a Charger.
"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."
Read more: 3 SRTs For The Road - Motor Trend