Chrysler tried that with the PT Cruiser. Yeah, they were eye candy, inside and out, but they were garbage under the skin. I owned one. An '09, I believe. Less than a year old, low mileage, fleet rental. Still smelled new. I loved that retro roadster body style, and for a while there was a whole cottage industry in aftermarket custom parts (yes, I threw a lot of chrome into mine, came close to adding running boards), but the drivetrain wasn't fit for a lawn mower. Mine had a bad cam and timing module, and the engine seized before it could get diagnosed and fixed properly. That's when I bought the Rogue.
yeah the cruisers weren’t tat great- like you say, styling was fine- but not a great car- If they came out with like a 60’s Mustang, or SS, or roadrunner look or goat or something- with a decent engine- doesn’t have to be quite as fast as the old powerhouses- i bet they’d sell- as long aS they aren’t seriously underpowered-