Past rumors of a Barracuda revival were rekindled this week when fan site Allpar discovered that FCA re-trademarked the legendary muscle car name for “Motor vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles, their structural parts, trim and badges.” The trademark was filed by FCA on June 23, 2015.
Although the door is certainly open for a modern interpretation of the classic ‘Cuda, enthusiasts should temper their expectations. It’s fairly routine for automakers to re-up there trademarks in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of competitors. Moreover, we’ve seen Chrysler trademark the Barracuda name before without any actual results.
However, if FCA ultimately does decided to use the Barracuda name again, there are two leading possibilities. The first would see the Barracuda replace the Dodge Challenger after it’s scheduled to go out of production in 2018. The second would place the Barracuda as a smaller alternative to the Challenger, possibly along the lines of the Scion FR-S.
A sticking point for either option would be branding as the Barracuda was originally sold through Chrysler’s defunct Plymouth division. However, Chrysler has shifted nameplates between brands before — as with the Plymouth and then Chrysler Prowler — so such a move wouldn’t be unprecedented.
Both scenarios are little more than mere speculation at this point, however, so we’ll probably have to wait a few more years to see just what FCA has up its sleeve.
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