Jump to content
Create New...
  • Blake Noble
    Blake Noble

    Is This the 2014 Barracuda Hiding Out in the Weeds?

    G. Noble

    Editor/Reporter

    CheersandGears.com

    March 28, 2012

    Recently, CBS’s staid block of news programming 60 Minutes sat down with Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and chatted about the roll coaster ride the company has been on for the last few years. Some of the topics discussed ranged from negotiating the controlled bankruptcy of Chrysler with the US government back in 2009, the horrible bureaucracy that plagued the company, to the recent introduction of the Dodge Dart. It’s all very interesting to listen to and, whether or not you care about Chrysler, you do gain a certain respect for Marchionne who, as it turns out, is one of the biggest workaholics in the automotive industry.

    As we’ve seen in the past, though, when 60 Minutes sits down with a notable auto exec and takes their cameras inside the halls and rooms around company headquarters, what’s usually out of focus in the background of certain shots can sometimes be more interesting than the story that’s being reported on. And it seems members of the Chrysler-centric website Allpar may have locked in on something.

    At around the 10 minute mark in the video, 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft takes a break from chatting with Marchionne to talk to Chrysler’s SRT Division CEO and head of design Ralph Gilles. In the background of the footage of the talking Gilles, there appears to be a design for a coupe of some sort painted in red paint. Okay, so it isn’t hiding out in the weeds, but whatever it could be is hiding out behind Ralph Gilles. Chrysler has reportedly been working on the revival of Plymouth’s old Barracuda muscle car to be sold either as a Dodge or underneath the Viper as another SRT-branded model. Could this be it? What do you think?

    When Automotive News picked up on Allpar’s findings, they contacted Chrysler where a representative responded and said the design was “just one of the many concepts and projects in our studios. That one [was] a student model.” While I have no reason to doubt any of that, the rep also didn’t say it wasn't a student design for a new Barracuda.

    The 60 Minutes segment can be viewed here. Again, the car comes in around the 10 minute mark. It’s also worth watching, if you haven’t already.

    Sources: Automotive News (Sub. Req.), Allpar

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    I'm with fullmoon here. If the Barracuda comes out, I think its going to either look very similar in shape to the Challenger or else the rear of the car will have a first/second gen roof/deckline... and the car pictured in the video is not striking me as either.

    I'll also go out on a limb and say the car in the video looks too small to be LX... perhaps a study for a possible Avenger-sized coupe?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I'm with fullmoon here. If the Barracuda comes out, I think its going to either look very similar in shape to the Challenger or else the rear of the car will have a first/second gen roof/deckline... and the car pictured in the video is not striking me as either.

    I'll also go out on a limb and say the car in the video looks too small to be LX... perhaps a study for a possible Avenger-sized coupe?

    The rumored new Barracuda is supposed to be a blend of contemporary styling and a few retro cues pulled from each generation of Barracuda. It won't just be a revival of the old E-Body Barracuda like the LC Challenger was a revival of the old E-Body Challenger. It's also hard to say if the roofline would be like a '68 or something completely different, too.

    It's interesting you mention the apparent size of the design study. There are rumors the new Barracuda may turn out to be Avenger-based, since the next Avenger may turn out to be rear-wheel drive and have a lot in common with a new rear-drive Alfa sedan. Chrysler is supposed to be working heavily in tandem with Fiat on a new "CUSW compliant" rear-drive architecture for a host of new mid-sized vehicles.

    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.

    If this new rear-drive architecture is supposed to be "CUSW compliant," then it makes sense Belvedere shuts down to tool up for two new models (the 'Cuda and new Alfa). Also the plant shutting down in early 2013 to tool up for a new vehicle or two could also mean it would've been shown to the public in the fall, which is when it's rumored Chrysler will show some sort of confirmation for the new Barracuda. If the 'Cuda is produced at Belvedere, then what will be the new car at the Brampton plant? It only makes sense the Challenger would be that car, since a larger Challenger would fill a different niche than the Barracuda. Also, if the Barracuda is branded as an SRT vehicle and not a Dodge, then it's completely logical to assume Dodge would want their sole coupe to continue on.

    The waters are certainly murky.

    Edited by black-knight
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The rumored new Barracuda is supposed to be a blend of contemporary styling and a few retro cues pulled from each generation of Barracuda. It won't just be a revival of the old E-Body Barracuda like the LC Challenger was a revival of the old E-Body Challenger. It's also hard to say if the roofline would be like a '68 or something completely different, too.

    Yes, I've read that as well... what styling cues made the 1st/2nd gen Barracuda special?... the front end and the roofline/deck and taillights. The roofline in the video is clearly nothing like any previous 'Cuda roof/deck. Also, depending on how you look at the image in the video, there might be wraparound taillights (ala Altima Coupe)... which would also be not much like a 'Cuda. Hence, I do not feel this is the new Barracuda. After all, if the new Barracuda is nothing like the old one then, sure, the image in the video could be it... or it could just as likely be Jeep's not-so-upcoming new passenger coupe.

    To be honest, I don't like the car image in the video. I hope that any modern 'Cuda will have a healthy set of historic styling cues... at least something of a wraparound rear window... something that has been missing from the car industry for a decade.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Posts

    • I was upgraded in a rental contract and, while going up by one category is not a big deal, getting to try out the new hybrid Camry was somewhat of a big deal.  The latest and current Camry only features hybrid powertrains.  The base 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, which was previously naturally aspirated, continues forward, but is assisted by an electric motor.  To make the powering on and off work, a CVT is now the standard transmission, when Camry had an excellent 8-speed automatic transmission for many years.  This vehicle had front wheel drive, but AWD is also available.  The V6 engine and ICEs are no longer available. Getting used to this car doesn’t take much time.  Having already driven another rented hybrid – a Honda Accord – all I needed to know is that turning the key does not fire up an engine, but makes the car ready to move in EV mode, at least initially. With 2.5 liters, the Camry pulls away nimbly and with agility, even with a minimally feathered pedal.  It doesn’t take much.  It’s fun to watch the centered power display setting move between eco and power modes.  If stomped on, the engine responds very quickly.  Surprisingly, stomping on it produces a more notable than expected engine hum.  The cabin remains mostly quiet and handling is predictable, neither firm nor vague, with some rougher pavement making it less quiet.  The transmission feels very much like a CVT, but a well behaved one.  Still, drivers with old school tastes can lament the absence of the very last slick shifting 8-speed automatic that came standard in the Camry.  I know I do.  However, the current CVT behaves well because it doesn’t have that “stuck” feeling when pushed, but the spool is more of an exhaust node than the winding out and high rpm droning caused by the variable gearing. The Camry’s exterior was freshened up and they worked off the last model.  It’s a compendium of small changes that, together, amount to a lot.  The front lights are narrower and cleaner.  The “appliance” grille is more understated than it once was.  (Sadly, it’s the more expensive versions where the grille is more flared, and even overworked.)  The rear lights are thinned out, complete with a boomerang effect, as they wrap around the rear fender edge and add to the horizontal look of the rear lip and the monolithic bumper panel.  Also, the almost retro, and not too effective, sweep of the rear pillar (think ‘72 Caprice coupe) is gone and the side profile of the windows is cleaner, perhaps a larger rendition of what was done with the Corolla.  Most of the vantage points look better than those of the previous Camry. Inside, the Camry is also much improved.  The dashboard is organized in cleaner volumes.  The dash has a simple main instrument pod.  In its center is a round dial, whereby the upper part displays the speed and eco/power, and the lower part, through toggling, provides other information – direction, tire pressure, trip information and mileage, or even graphics of the flow of energy involving the engine and the battery.  There is no dedicated tachometer; however, the temperature and fuel gauges remain.  Around the main circle are small digital readouts for the exterior temperature, the time, the odometer, and the remaining range.  Filling up this hybrid showed close to 500 miles of range.  Not only that, the fuel cap is on the driver’s side and, like the trunk, they can be remotely opened by buttons in the interior. That said, there is none of that capless fuel filler stuff! Being a Camry LE meant the lower grade fixtures inside.  Sadly, this meant a urethane steering wheel.  Sometimes, a mere leather steering wheel imparts the feeling of better handling and a smoother ride.  It’s that equipment choices and groupings seem to work together to give a vehicle its feel. The LE seats are nicely upholstered in a tougher, durable fabric with slightly contrasting parts.  The front headrests can scoot all the way down and they actually point forward so the driver and passenger can use them without having to lean their heads all the way back.  Headrests for rear seat passengers are integrated into the seating and do not have features to adjust them. The infotainment system is on its screen which is engaged to the dash, but moved slightly forward, and creates a cleaner look because it does not go up over the top of the cowl.  Fortunately, it remains a touch screen.  The functions are easy to work with, but I had a little bit of finicky interactions with Bluetooth and Android Auto.  Climate control has toggles instead of dials and they are easy to work with.  I will only say that the center vents of the climate control system do not work that quickly and powerfully.  Beneath this small panel are the cubby, a charging pod for a phone, and the flat console surface for the shift lever.  I found the console a little high for my taste.  Possibly to accommodate the new mechanical set-up, there is no storage cubby underneath the console as one sees on larger GM products, for example – both SUVs and even the last-gen Buick LaCrosse.  However, the console box is amply sized. In addition to being able to look over the hood, visibility is commendable all the way around.  Except for being a little shoehorned into the Camry’s cockpit, the front of the cabin feels spacious and the legroom is also good.  (I had to push the lever to get the seats to move upward, which provided a view over the top of the hood, as evidenced by seeing the paint color, and which I prefer.)  They have retained good cabin space in the rear of the cabin.  Also, the trunk has a decent amount of usable capacity for this genre and for having kept this sweeping roofline.  I again want to state how pleasing it was to control the trunk, in addition to the fuel door, from a bar of buttons on a panel at the lower left part of the dashboard rather than on the floor near the door.  There are 5 functions and they were thoughtful about putting the (auto) lights control onto this bar, and all the way to the left, such that it can easily be noticed from behind the steering wheel.  The new Camry shows a lot of thought as to how the driver connects to the car through its controls and functions, and this is one of the areas where this Camry shines. While I didn’t calculate fuel mileage, I know that I added only 3.5 gallons of regular unleaded fuel to cover one jaunt of about 160 miles of mixed driving.  This seems close to the EPA estimate. The little green EV icon shone quite a bit. I imagine that this is a very easy car to live with over the long haul.  For Camry, this powertrain is obviously a new combination, but it’s technology that Toyota and other Asian marques have worked with for quite a while.  I mostly took note that, apart from the major powertrain change, there is the evident synergy of the many small changes that make this a more nicely packaged vehicle than the last Camry. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING
    • The BYD Han interior does look really good.  Shame the outside looks like a 2-generations-ago Civic.
    • No one cares about that amount of horsepower in this class. These are chauffeur driven vehicles. Up until electrics came around, most were trundling around with 2.0T 4-cylinders or diesels.  While Genesis is still relatively new to us in the the U.S., they've made such strides on interior quality that I'd put them up against MB dollar for dollar. The nicest of the Chinese EVs sedans, the NIO ET7 is a pretty good looking car though I kinda think it looks like a Model-3 had it's way with a Buick Envista. It would do really well in the US up against the Teslas, but it is still not playing in the luxury ballpark with Genesis (or Benz or Audi) when it comes to design and materials.  Low end EQE Sedan rival? Sure. G90 rival? No.
    • Well 25% tariff added to it, which makes a G90 like $125,000, and probably dead in the water in the US.  The Chinese have luxury cars with over 1,000 hp for less than the price of a G90.  I don't know that they are really going to compete there either.  Unless they come up with some  next gen EV tech and have full self driving and impeccable build quality or something.
    • The thing is that Panera offers a better laptop and hot drink environment than does Starbucks and they cash in on that.  It's "space rental." The tab for a HALF chicken avocado chipotle sandwich and a small CUP of baked potato soup (both good, not great) was absurd.  Coffee, tea, and lemonade are roughly the same. I go there because it's near a friend's condo and it's better for having a discussion than a fairly nice Starbucks nearby.  A Starbucks has to have an excellent interior for me to go there and pay their now crazy prices for coffee and tea.
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search