Within the last 24 hours, the Internet exploded with all of the rumors it could possibly handle regarding FCA’s future lineup, all of which are coming from a dealer conference in Las Vegas. (Note to FCA: Contrary to the advertisements, not one damn thing that happens in Vegas ever stays there.) Autoblog compiled a list of the snips and quotes that have appeared on numerous blogs, including Jalopnik’s OppositeLock and Allpar.com, and we are lifting the vehicles and taking a look at them through the gearhead’s eyes. We don’t know what is legit, what is speculation, and what is the biggest load of BS to ever come out of a manufacturer, but if even a quarter of this is legit, we could be in for one hell of a ride. Before we say anything, we will say again that NOTHING here is confirmed for sure, and that EVERYTHING here should be read with cautious optimism. That being said, there is a lot to be optimistic about, so let’s take a look at what we’ve got coming:
CHRYSLER:
- A Durango-sized SUV. If this is done in the similar vein as the Chrysler Aspen was (a Durango in leather), this won’t end well, but SUVs and crossovers are too hot of a market to ignore right now. This might also be a lesser version of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
- A plug-in hybrid Town and Country minivan. Gotta work on those CAFE numbers, we guess.
- Absolutely no other news regarding the 100 (small car), 200 or 300. The 300 worries us, because they have been decontenting the 300 series lately. Notice: no SRT, hard to find V8, press assurances that the V6 “is enough” for most people. Considering that the Chrysler 300C has been popular for years, this doesn’t work for us. C’mon, Chrysler. Give us the SRT-8 back.
JEEP:
- Hello, Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. This rumor has been strong for a while now, but the latest is that the Hellcat Hemi won’t be downrated to keep the all-wheel-drive system alive. Either FCA has one hell of a drive system ready or this might be the first Jeep to come with a waiver. Given how violent SRT-8 Grand Cherokees can be, we’re salivating.
- Jeep pickup? This idea has had some merit for a while now, but it was “only mentioned, not shown”. No matter what way you spin it, this could be good: Wrangler-based, Grand Cherokee based, all-new…
- The upcoming Wrangler, claimed to be able to hit 30 MPG, and the Grand Wagoneer luxury SUV were shown. The Wrangler might (finally) get a diesel in the US market, and the Grand Wagoneer has been on the drawing board for a while now.
DODGE:
- Charger will get a serious redesign. It will finally move off of the LX platform onto the one that currently underpins the Alfa Romeo Guilia, and is said to have design inspirations from the 1999 Dodge Charger R/T concept car (pictured). As long as FCA stays true to the engines currently offered, this could become seriously interesting, especially since this concept was crowed about when the Charger reappeared in 2005.
- Challenger is set to get two new models: ADR (American Drag Racer), which is supposed to trump even the Hellcat (!), and T/A, a track-attack package that will take aim at the Camaro Z/28 and the new Shelby GT350. Don’t screw with us, guys…we can’t take this kind of teasing. Our only request: do the T/A like last year’s SEMA concept and re-open the High Impact Color catalog.
- Durango SRT. For when the kids are late to school? Hey, whatever works. 6.4 Hemi, was shown in B5 blue.
- Dart gets a turbocharged, 300-horse motor, but everything else is up in the air regarding the car. AWD? R/T? SRT? Nobody seems to know yet, but if FCA wants to play with the Ford Focus RS and the Subaru STI, they had better pull a rabbit out of the hat here. This is another hot market and Dodge has been without a serious player since the SRT-4 Neon.
- And in the “not this again” department, it’s being claimed that the Barracuda nameplate is on again, as a Dodge, on a coupe and convertible smaller than the current Challenger. This thing had better be a fire-breather, because honestly the convertible part scares us. The only drop-top Mopar has done in the last thirty-odd years have been rental-car worthy front-drivers. If done right, this could be really, really good. If not, “Barracuda” will follow “Sebring” down the hole of once-vaunted, now destroyed model names.
Ram:
- New Ram, new Power Wagon. No word yet on whether the new grille or the big-ass “RAM” letters in the tailgate will go away.
Alfa Romeo and Fiat:
- Mazda MX-5-based Fiat 124 and 124 Abarth will appear (Mazda pictured.)
- Alfa Romeo will get an SUV to go along with the new Giulia
I hear that the SRT Dart is going to be AWD, while there will be an FWD version that revives the GLH nameplate. And glad to hear that the Grand Wagoneer is coming back, although they better not dishonor the name.
A lot of Mazda people are interested in the Abarth 124. Mazda has sworn they won’t offer a turbo Mazdaspeed trim of the new ND Miata, saying it has enough power already, so people are hoping Abarth doesn’t feel the same way. That way you could put the turbo Abarth engine in the Miata and get the Mazdaspeed they won’t build.
Very very late reply here and I’m expecting no reply in return, but I honestly can’t hope strongly enough that a Wagoneer revival doesn’t happen. At least until someone in the car design world remembers that a crossover doesn’t have to look like a Blobfish on wheels.
Fix It Again Tony
Wow, a Chrysler on an Alfa chassis built by Fiat, the big three of automotive quality and reliability
What could go wrong?
Well, they could end up dead by the side of the interstate like all of the X1/9s did. But that’s not just a Fiat problem because that’s where most Chevy Vegas went to die…
Beg to differ regarding Mopar droptops in the last 30 years. 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 roadster — supercharged 3.2l AMG engine at 1hp per 10 lb. of curb weight. Any questions?
Bring on the Barracuda and let it breathe fire!
Only two questions,where are all of these ten year old Crossfires? And why did they need to be Merc powered?
And why do neither Chrysler nor Mercedes people talk fondly of them? They were absolute garbage
928 made, approximately two-thirds sold in the US. Almost all still on the road.
Why do they badmouth them? Assuming they do, which is debatable, the only reason I can think of is they never drove one.
c’mon dude, the crossfire was a pile. it would’ve been a GREAT car had it come out earlier – you know, because it’s a rebodied previous gen Mercedes SLK. the platform underpinning the car was first released in *1996*(!!!)! IT HAS A *STEERING BOX* instead of rack & pinion! stop trying to convince everyone it was a great car – it was competing against a newer, redesigned, BETTER version of the car it was based on.
about half of this is good news, a quarter is nothing to care about, and the last quarter is garbage.
c’mon, they’re STILL not going to release a wrangler pickup, even though the market would absolutely EAT IT UP. the only thing more stupid than not producing a wrangler pickup is NOT PUTTING A V8 IN THE WRANGLER
*bang.head.against.wall*
throw the barracuda and performance dart in this category too – nothing but RUMORS, RUMORS, RUMORS, RUMORS, RUMO…
and the fat ass challenger STILL isn’t going on a diet, while its sedan counterpart moves onto a FAR better, lighter weight chassis? do they even care about competing with the Mustang and Camaro? sorry, no matter how great the hellcat is, it’s a niche car, plain and simple.
and a Z28/GT350 competitor? L-O-L. sure, they may throw an NA 6.4l(500HP?) in there and put 345 series DOT slicks(factory hoosier A7s – lmao) on all 4 corners just so they can throw up some big numbers and MAYBE post a faster *single* lap time, but that big ass car will NEVER make a quality track car. at minimum, for the simple fact that you’ll be replacing tires, pads, rotors, and fluids after every track day.
but the trackhawk of course sounds AWESOME, the powerwagon never fails to live up to expectations(they better not put that ugly shit on there…), i’m looking forward to the aluminum intensive wrangler, and the sportier charger and miatABARTH all sound great! you can keep everything else.