Chrysler to Double Its Model Count with a New EV

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

This is a marque which will celebrate its centenary next year with only a single model on sale in its showrooms, showing up as the Pacifica and its numerous variants. Suits in corner offices seek to right this detail with an electric vehicle they will unveil early next week.

And, no, it’s not likely to be the Airflow – at least not the concept car which was looking all but production-ready over two years ago. It is alleged by some in the industry that certain company leaders wanted a do-over with that model, meaning the vehicle set to drop next Tuesday may not look anything like the handsome show car. There’s every chance in the world it will likely carry a fresh name, as well.


The hero shot at the top of this post doesn’t give us much to go on, though two more photos are promised before the car itself shows up next week. Yes, that means there will be a trio of teasers for a concept car which, by definition, is itself a teaser. Few companies play that particular game like Stellantis, it must be said. Hedging its own bets, Chrysler is calling the concept reveal an “advance look at one potential path” to the brand’s all-electric future.


That’s a heckuva lot of wiggle room for what’s actually in the pipeline. Saul Goodman would be proud. Nevertheless, one of the STLA platforms will surely underpin the forthcoming concept car, though we’d be pleasantly surprised if Chrysler engineers spill any beans about battery size or total driving range at this stage in the car’s development. One can hope. Same goes for the likes of horsepower stats and the like.


After sunsetting the burly 300 sedan, Chrysler showrooms could use an infusion of new product, though it has been some spell since there were any more than three different things on sale at at any one time (200, 300, and minivan variants).


Reaching back a bit further to just the late 2000s in the waning days of Cerberus, we find a variety of products including the Crossfire and PT Cruiser plus the Pacifica when it was a crossover and a Durango-based Aspen SUV. Buyers with families could choose the 300 or Sebring, not to mention the (then) ubiquitous minivans.


[Image: Stellantis]


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Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Geozinger Geozinger on Feb 11, 2024

    "The 3rd option would be a more upscale Outback fighter but cautious because of the failure of the Buick Regal TourX. But that wasn't a bad car it was just priced and promoted wrong."


    What? When was the TourX ever promoted? I live in GM Country and if they ever promoted the TourX, it was very, very, very subtle. Maybe they moved one out of the way to get a better shot of an Enclave for a TV commercial.


    We have all kinds of oddball GM rolling stock around here, but I don't think I have ever seen more than two TourX in the last several years.

  • CanadaCraig CanadaCraig on Feb 15, 2024

    I won't buy an EV Chrysler sedan. But I might if that all-new Chrysler sedan had one of the Hurricane Straight 6 engines under the hood. It's silly of Chrysler to declare itself an EV-ONLY brand. Why box themselves in like that?

  • 3SpeedAutomatic It's not that they had bad sales practices. The issue is that they got caught because they became too greedy!!I'm sure Kia turned a blind eye when it made overall sales look good.Yet, someone dropped a dime, HQ redundantly got involved, and to cover their arse, HQ is suing the franchise and claiming victim status!!Reminds me of FARGO when the Executive Sales Manager (William Macy) obtained financing from GMAC for non-existing cars. 🚗🚗🚗
  • Jor65756038 Another boring SUV. What for? Buick needs a sedan or a sports coupe. Where is the brand that once produced the GNX, the Regal, the Riviera, the Fiero, the Century, etc.? Today Buick is nothing but a brand with an uncomplete lineup that produces boring unimteresting vehicles.
  • Tassos IF Automakers want to MAKE PROFITS AND PROSPERThey need to LISTEN TO THE ALMIGHTY CONSUMERAND SATISFY THE CONSUMER PREFERENCES, WHATEVER IN THE HELL THEY MAY BE.Thus SPAKE THE REAL TASSOS and NOT the pitiful PHONY (aka Analoggrotto and his Telluride)
  • Ajla I think there is too much political momentum behind EVs for them to fail. The question is really about the adoption timeline. If I was a dedicated performance brand I'd be ride-or-die on ICE. If I had a credible hybrid program then I'd get some mileage out of that the rest of the decade. But otherwise I'd lean into EVs pretty hard. So I guess close to what Nissan is doing.
  • Lou_BC What's the best trunk strut for a teenager?
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