The Chrysler brand isn't dead, but it's pulse is not strong. With the demise of the 300 sedan at the end of this year, only minivans are left in the lineup, the Pacifica and the Grand Caravan. Sales of the latter are languishing badly.
The future for Chrysler lies in electrification.
Chrysler CEO Christine Fuell confirmed today that the brand's next new model will be a two-row electric crossover, and that it will see the light of day in 2025.
She also said that Chrysler planned to offer the Pacifica plug-in hybrid “until the end of the decade”. The company has previously talked about an electric SUV in 2025, and a plan to have the range be fully electric by 2028. That timeline is being pushed back a little, as it has at several addresses in the automotive industry in recent weeks and month, as demand for EVs shows signs of stagnating a little.
CEO Fuell was speaking at the Reuters Events Automotive USA 2023 conference in Detroit. The executive also took the opportunity to confirm that the design of the new SUV will be inspired by the Chrysler Airflow concept that had been unveiled at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, first in 2020 and then in 2022, in a more refined form.
Since then, the company has said however that its next electric vehicle won’t be the Airflow. The mixed reaction to the concept’s design and to its use of the name used for a Chrysler car back in the 1930s might have led to the change of heart.
Let's see what the company has in store for us. The concept as we’ve seen it so far isn’t hideous, and it wouldn't need much improvement to turn into a beautiful swan, so to speak.
Chrysler is also said to be preparing other major changes, including to the customer experience, such as shifting from selling buying products online or at the dealership and improving the after-sales service experience.
Fuell has said she envisions Chrysler becoming Stellantis' “startup brand”, which for her means offering affordable prices, yes, but also “clean mobility” and “seamless technology”.
The expected electric SUV will share the STLA Large platform with other Stellantis models. This structure could offer 400- and 800-volt electric architectures, as well as batteries with a range in excess of 600 km.