MX-5 Miata

Make
Mazda
Segment
Compact

After years of tweaking Dodge products, the Chrysler Group has recently spun off its performance-minded model line into the stand-alone Street & Racing Technology brand. SRT's first stand-alone project is the 2013 Viper, a model which has received plaudits from all the corners of the industry since its debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show in April. The first Viper off the line was auctioned off for charity by Barrett-Jackson in Orange County earlier this week.

With the new Viper bound for eagerly awaiting buyers, the brand is reportedly readying two new models to join the Viper in bearing the SRT name. According to MotorTrend, the next model SRT plans on rolling out will be a new Barracuda to replace the Dodge Challenger. The Challenger itself could stick around until 2017, but be joined by the Barracuda as early as 2015 to compete with upcoming new generations of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. The third model in the SRT, however, bears a bigger question mark.

One possibility is a new SRT Ram pickup to go after Ford's highly desirable F-150 SVT Raptor, an extreme performance-oriented off-roader. The second possibility could take advantage of a new deal brokered between Chrysler's Italian cousins at the Fiat group and Japanese automaker Mazda. Alfa Romeo is to base a new roadster on the Mazda MX-5 Miata but take it up-market to avoid directly competing with its platform donor, but if SRT were to join in on the action it could end up targeting the MX-5 too directly. We'll have to wait under after the new Miata debuts in 2014 to see which way SRT goes for its third model.