Chrysler? Remember that name? You’d be forgiven if it’s off your radar, even as it’s celebrating its 100th anniversary. What was once a major automaker is today just one of the weakest of 14 brands comprising Stellantis.
And that’s raising questions about whether it will survive as a new CEO takes over the Euro-American automaker. If Chrysler does have a role entering its second century will depend on a wave of new products about to pop out of the pipeline.
When I spoke with senior Chrysler executives gathered in Detroit this past week to celebrate the automaker’s 100th birthday, there was a lot of talk about Chrysler’s halcyon days. Indeed, the brand has a long and storied history. In this case, though, the conversation was focused as much on the future as on the past.
Not Electric
Halcyon, here, was a reference to the concept vehicle of that name. It’s going to be the foundation of a new product assault set to begin next year when the aging Chrysler Pacifica minivan gets a complete makeover.
Don’t expect to see a production version of the edgy and admittedly polarizing Halcyon show car we first saw back in February 2024. Firstly, the brand has abandoned plans to go 100% electric. But the basic design theme will carry over in various forms, including the new minivan, a crossover, and at least one other product that won’t readily fall into any traditional category, both Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell and Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles told me.
Embracing Risk
Until recently, Chrysler seemed ready to put its future on another show car, the Airflow, first seen at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas back in 2022. It honored a legendary Chrysler production model from the 1930s that was one of the first automobiles to actively embrace aerodynamic design. It was also expected to become the first Chrysler to shift down the all-electric path.
But despite what Feuell described as a “very favorable response” from the public, something didn’t sit right with Chrysler management. One concern: would the design seem dated by the time it got into production? Ultimately, they realized “we were not being innovative and creative enough,” recalled Feuell. “We felt we needed to take more risks.”
With the backing of former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, Gilles and his design team were sent back to their digital drawing boards. What they came back with was a shocker.
Halcyon Days
Chrysler has had a long history of rolling out cutting-edge designs — though it’s got little to show for that at the moment. Since the big 300 sedan went out of production in December 2023, it’s been left with just one product line, the Pacifica, offered in both gas and plug-in hybrid form.
The Halcyon concept lives up to some of the most exotic Chrysler concepts of the past, with features like the “air blade” front end making it look like it rolled off the set of the latest Blade Runner movie. The design isn’t easy to categorize, “and that’s intentional,” Feuell said. “We wanted it to be a vast departure from the sea of sameness” that has become the norm with today’s EVs and crossovers.
The interior has a futuristic look, with big digital displays and a yoke, rather than a conventional steering wheel. But the concept doesn’t dismiss the practical, Halcyon picking up on the stow-and-go seats that are one of the most popular features of the Pacifica minivan. When automatically folded down, the back seats vanish into the rear cargo area.
Waiting for Stella
Walking away from Airflow did have a downside, pushing back by at least 2 years the launch of some much-needed new product.
“We had time,” Gilles told me, as corporate management had decided to back away from plans to go all-electric. That meant major changes to the new “architectures” the company was getting ready to roll out, including STLA Large — pronounced “Stella Large” internally. Instead of being EV-only, it would allow for a “multi-energy” approach.
STLA Large recently debuted underpinning the all-electric Jeep Wagoneer S. But, going forward, Stellantis will have six different drivetrain technologies in its toolbox: internal combustion, mild, conventional and plug-in hybrids, range-extenders, and battery-electric. Each new model will eventually be offered with as many as three of these different configurations, I was told last year by Antonio Filosa, the man who was appointed the new Stellantis CEO late last month.
The Pipeline Opens
After a seemingly endless wait, Chrysler will finally begin its product rollout for 2026, starting with the completely redesigned Pacifica minivan, which Feuell described as “inspired by Halcyon.” Considering the functional limitations of a family move, it will be the most conservative of the new products — though the Chrysler CEO insisted the carryover design cues will be obvious, especially on the front end.
Expect to see the next-generation Pacifica continue to offer both gas and PHEV options, Feuell nodding yes when I suggested it will need provide better fuel efficiency and greater range in all-electric mode than the current PHEV’s 32 miles per charge.
Roughly a year after Pacifica’s debut, we can expect Chrysler to “launch our first all-new model in more than 10 years,” the CEO revealed. Expect it to be a D-segment crossover, putting it up against such mainstays as the Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe among mainstream offerings and the BMW X5 and Genesis G80 for luxury buyers.
Just the Beginning
There’ll be more coming. “We need to be in at least three segments to continue to grow and thrive,” added Feuell. Add to that “variants” of upcoming products like the Pacifica to further extend the brand’s reach.
Chrysler officials were far more circumspect when it came to details about that next wave of product, which will arrive late in the decade. For his part, Gilles suggested there is “a lot of white space (Chrysler) can serve” that the sibling Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands “can’t.” The bottom line is that plans are still being formalized because Chrysler is “looking for the gaps” between traditional product segments.
One thing to note is that Chrysler will follow the guidelines that the new CEO, Filosa, outlined. With each new model, it will offer three different powertrains. In the case of the D-segment crossover, that will start with a conventional hybrid, with an internal combustion engine to follow. It will wrap up the roll-out with an all-electric option.
Read the full article here