William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

September 7, 2012

For the past few months, we’ve been reporting on the possible death of the Dodge Challenger to make way for new model called the Barrcuda for SRT. It could be we’re reporting the death of the Challenger too soon.

According to Automotive News, both the Challenger and Barrcuda will co-exist in the 2015 model year. So how will two models exist with each other? The Challenger will stick with the base model and a R/T while the Barrcuda takes the SRT.

For 2015, the new Challenger will ride on an updated platform that should see about two or three inches cut off the wheelbase.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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I hope they keep both! Position the Challenger as a slitely larger Muscle Car and the Barrcuda as a smaller and lighter Pony Car!

Cool...more RWD 2drs is a Good Thing.

Very cool, this is good for those of us that do not fit into smaller pony cars. Gotta keep something bigger for the large guys.

Maybe it's the GM fan in me, but I can't think of many nameplates less cool than Barracuda.

I think the name 'Challenger' has more overall brand cachet. Seems silly to give the SRT moniker and 'halo-car' status to a less recognizable name.

That depends.

Are we talking Barracuda, or 'Cuda?

'Cuda fans are legion.

Challenger was a largely forgotten nameplate prior to the new one, while certain 'Cudas went beyond a million dollars at collector auctions.

No, 'Cuda is a nameplate Chrysler would be foolish not to use.

I expect to see "Hemicuda" in traditional chrome font on some fresh fenders before too long.

That depends.

Are we talking Barracuda, or 'Cuda?

'Cuda fans are legion.

Challenger was a largely forgotten nameplate prior to the new one, while certain 'Cudas went beyond a million dollars at collector auctions.

No, 'Cuda is a nameplate Chrysler would be foolish not to use.

I expect to see "Hemicuda" in traditional chrome font on some fresh fenders before too long.

Yes... iconic names and badging... 'Barracuda' makes me think of the Valiant based fastbacks and 6cyl/318 base models...'Cuda was the name for performance models, so it makes sense the SRT cars should be 'Cudas...

Edited September 8, 201212 yr by Cubical-aka-Moltar

Can they keep both?

Very cool, this is good for those of us that do not fit into smaller pony cars. Gotta keep something bigger for the large guys.

...and or those of us a little smaller who want a smaller, lighter car....Cuda would be the way to go.

I'm liking the new Chryco more and more each day

So this is the unofficial story now. Interesting. It seems ChryCo is really in a dilemma about what to do with their next muscle coupe.

Here's what I had posted about what I heard back in March. Again, interesting ...

There are also rumors that the revival of the Barracuda doesn't signal the end of the Challenger, either. The Belvedere plant is rumored to shut down for a period of time at the beginning of next year while a new car is also rumored to show up at the Brampton plant.

Maybe it's the GM fan in me, but I can't think of many nameplates less cool than Barracuda.

Aztek, Cavalier, Citation, come to mind. I would have preferred just ......Cuda'

any American-car enthusiast worth their weight in motor oil knows what a Barracuda or a Hemi 'Cuda is. and you know exactly which cars they're going to remember:

and when you hear the name Challenger--excepting the new ones--true, most people are going to think of these:

but keep in mind that some people remember these abominations:

With less weight and the new 8 speed transmissions this will be a have your cake and eat it too car. Hopefully they don't screw up the styling.

Keep the Cuda a Hot SRT8 with the right mix of luxury and performance and you have a winner.

I"m just happy that the largest American made coupe will remain in production.

It is still the one I'd buy if I were buying today.

Going to be interesting to see how they evolve the Challenger, stylistically...

I really wouldn't mind if they didn't.

I find this path of duality by Chrysler to be interesting considering that GM ixnayed the idea of side by side Camaro and Firebird. Chrysler thinks they are leaving money on the table.

It worked for many years back in the day, and everyone was pretty much doing it. I see no reason for it to be any different today, the key is to offer unique styling and features for each model. Simple badge engineering may not work today, but giving the consumer variety that's actually worth a damn is always at the very least a sign that you mean business, that you want to give people a reason to look at your products. With the amount of good buzz going around Chrysler right now, now is the time to cash in.

I personally love the Challenger as it is, and really see no need for a major stylistic change, except on the interior. The interior has always been the one setback with the current Challenger, they stayed so close to the concept on the exterior and totally cheapened out of the interior they don't even seem to belong together in the least. The current dashboard looks like it came out of an '80's econobox. If they design a dash more like what the original Challenger had, with their current crop of higher grade materials and fit and finish, the rest of the Challenger could remain basically unchanged IMO.

Agreed.

One cool detail mentioned about the new 'Cuda is that it will have a wheelbase shorter than Challenger - just like the originals did.

To me, this shows that someone really gets it, really understands the heritage of both cars.