Don’t hold your breath on Plymouth returning.
The ‘Cuda namehas been recently renewed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Before you get too excited, know that automakers do these sorts of things all the time and don’t always use the names. After all, Ford still holds the trademark for the Model E name, blocking Tesla from using it, but there is no current Ford Model E. It’s a good way to keep competitors guessing and keep options open for the future.
Some automotive sites we shall not name are reporting that Fiat Chrysler has registered the Barracuda name as well. A recent search of the database proves otherwise, unless the automaker has done so through a shell corporation, which seems unnecessarily complex.
One possibility is that Dodge will add a third muscle car to its lineup, calling it the ‘Cuda. That’s not likely since it already has one muscle coupe and a muscle sedan, plus for a little bit of a muscle crossover, but some people are really getting their hopes up over that super remote possibility. Dodge did tease everyone with a Barracuda SEMA concept back in 2007, but we think that idea died back then.
More likely is Dodge using the ‘Cuda name as a trim level for the Challenger and/or Charger. Yeah, that sounds hilarious, but you just never know. Maybe those will come with a real shaker hood and ‘Cuda graphics package.
FCA might be sitting on the ‘Cuda name just to keep others from using it. Also, it might be a move to keep launching ‘Cuda merchandise. Yeah, that’s not as exciting as a modern ‘Cuda car.
There could be a lot of reasons for FCA squatting on the ‘Cuda name, and they don’t all have to do with bringing the nameplate back in any form. Yes, that’s disappointing to some, but it would be even worse to slap the legendary name on a ho-hum modern muscle car.
There’s a lot of confusion out there between the Plymouth Barracuda and ‘Cuda, with some thinking incorrectly they’re the same car. We can see how someone might mistakenly think ‘Cuda is a nickname for Barracuda, like how ‘Vette is short for Corvette, but they were two different muscle cars.
For reasons we can only speculate about (and we’re sure people will be more than happy to shout out loud in the comments) FCA doesn’t seem keen on retaining the rights to the Barracuda name. Go figure.
