Reports have Chrysler planning to bring back the 300 name on a new all-electric vehicle by 2026.
There are some models that just won't die. The Chrysler 300 is certainly one of them. Since its debut in 1955, it has gone through all kinds of changes, trials and tribulations, so much so that on more than one occasion, it was thought to be doomed for good.
It has taken several breaks over the years, but always to return. Its iterations have included models with just the number and with letters added on (300C, 300D, etc.).
The latest edition that we know today launched in 2005 with a new design and structure then shared with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The 300 received a redesign in 2011 and it is more or less this version that’s found at dealerships today. Its maker has called time on the model, however, confirming that it will be gone form the lineup before mid-decade.
And with that, it was generally thought that this time, the jig was truly and definitively up for the 300. And yet, like Rasputin, the model seems unwilling to die. According to the Drive website, which cites knowledgeable sources, a successor to the departing 300 will arrive in electric form in 2026.
We already know that Chrysler plans to launch its first EV in 2025 and that it will be a mid-size SUV inspired by the Airflow concept presented earlier this year.
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It’s believed the future electric Chrysler 300 could offer a range of about 800 km, with the assumption being it will be designed using the STLA, largest of the four EV platforms being developed by Stellantis. A version of the model could also be produced under the Dodge banner in 2024. And as it happens, we know that a first electric muscle car is to be launched at that time to replace the Charger and the Challenger.
Concerning the large STLA platform, it will offer an 800-volt system, which allows for very fast charging of the battery, which would in turn get a maximum size of 118 kWh. The electric motors that can be grafted to this structure could offer outputs ranging between 201 and 442 hp.
According to Drive, Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell said that the brand will continue to be present in the full-size sedan segment, but electrically – which indicates pretty strongly that an electric replacement for the 300 is in the works.
The models in the pipeline at Chrysler are obviously of life-and-death importance for the nearly century-old brand (its first car appeared in 1924, while the company as such was founded in 1926). Indeed, with only two models in the catalog, Chrysler was, in the view of many, on the verge of disappearing. However, after the merger with Peugeot, new Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares said that all the brands would remain and receive investments over a period of 10 years so that they could prove their worth and viability.
So the ball is in Chrysler's court. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
