I've been mulling over in my head what car I was going to get after college for the last 5 years. I am the proud owner of a 2004 dodge neon which was bought brand new and was a extremely sucessful car for dodge because it fit the category of young car owners 15-25.

The thing is I have looked and looked and looked again at a car that is a bit higher in build/features and is still sport and tuner/car enthusist oriented. At this point the only viable car on the market that fits that is an Nissan 370z (amazing car reguardless) or possibly and M3 (too expensive xD).

My point is the market for the young car generation especially after the huge import tuner phase of the last 20 years really does not esist. There use to be the stratus which was good but I think failed because it was not really sporty. It was just a coupe made from a standardized sedan=boring. Same reason the accord coupe is a great car but makes me yawn. Dodge has jumped into the what I call adult market 45-60 with the charger and challenger, two great cars that have been reived but if you do the math you relize there is a big gap.

Young professional 25-40 do not have a fierce car which to buy. So as I was watching a TV show last night (Desert Junkyard Kings) or something like that they had a barracuda. They said it was a small version that tried to compete with the mustang and failed. Well that got me thinking. It was small but not as pricy but closer to the style of the mustang than smaller cars. Well I feel like the problem was not that it was a bad car but it went after the wrong market. The charger and challenger are big boys. So maybe, just maybe there is a huge untapped market.

I know if there was a more performance, edgey and street/track oriented midsize coupe that would come on the market and not look like a sedan turned coupe I would buy it in a heartbeat from an American company especially dodge whos cars I love. Maybe a price range from 30-40k would be very competitive I think for that age group of 25-35.

I'm not asking that dodge make a car just for me, even though I would take it xD, but that maybe there is a great market for a car company to start making good cars again and not just eco machines that fit number and take all the fun out of "driving".

So, what do you guys think? Is this something Dodge should explore even if its not named the Barracuda I still think that kind of aggressive car would be a great thing for consumers and Dodge.

 

The Barracuda was a Plymouth and in the 3rd gen Dodge had it's version called the Challenger. The Avenger coupe was supposed to be (more or less) the new midsize "sporty" car. Since it was a warmed-over Mitsujunki, it never caught on. With the new CAFE standards that will be in place by 2013, I believe, it makes the odds slim to none. Probably the only thing we'll be lucky to see is some version of the Demon concept car. I read in Autoweek in January Gilles said the idea was still kicking around Auburn Hills.

 

Here's a link, in case you never saw it a few years ago:
http://www.techfresh.net/dodges-demon-concept-car/

 

mantisman51

I feel like the concept car you linked has a lot of similar taits to what the crossfire took. I understand people are trying to meet all these new standards etc etc. Trust me I know that there is sustainable talk everywhere today but that really has nothing to do with people who find cars to be a hobby and not just a transportation. Also the avenger is just sad, again like I said the car can't be a sedan just modified a bit. Avenger is also way to cheap in its build like i said before, its a 20k car when it should be a 35k car and a complete redesign.

I know things "appear" to not test well but that going to happen when you are not actually catering to a market group. Minivans are gross but mom's LOVE them because they fit their needs. Well there is not young adult/business professional car out there besides the ones I mentioned. Its sad that will 1000's of new car lines there are like 2 in the category that are even attractive. Anway there cant just be a cookie cutter design, the avenger = cookie cutter.

 

If they brought the neon back it'd take the cake in my opinion.

 

I wouldn't dispute any of what you wrote. The reality of the regulations will make sporty cars with anything larger than a 4 cylinder highly unlikely. Cars like the Challenger will be the closest we see and in very limited #'s.

 

Yeah I agree there will be less sporty cars made but there will always be a market for them. I guess I will just end up buying a nismo 370z, like thats a bad thing xD. I would love it just sad to not see any real competitors out there.

 

I think the look of the avenger is great. But I can't comment on the build or design quality at all. But I know I don't like the front wheel drive. I think an avenger-styled body, with rwd and all the flavors of n/a and turbo pentastar engines would be great. And maybe stuff a 4.7 with MDS in it. They could even call it the dart instead of reviving the plymouth brand for just one car.

 

I still think Chrysler (Dodge) needs an AWD, turbo'd sport compact and a midsize powerful V6 coupe.

 

^ Bring back the stealth...even tho it was a DSM.