Chrysler is one of the biggest names in the American automotive industry. It was one of the “Big Three” car manufacturers, and the name survived on the marquee through mergers with Daimler and Fiat. But the Chrysler brand itself has languished in recent years; the only current vehicles are the (admittedly excellent) Pacifica minivan and the ancient 300 sedan. Many have speculated the new Stellantis conglomerate that merged Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group would terminate the Chrysler brand.
Instead, Stellantis plans to do the precise opposite.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares announced on Tuesday that the Chrysler brand will be relaunched soon. He described the brand as one of the “emotional pillars” for Stellantis, and confirmed that Chrysler would have “a future and an opportunity to rebound.” Tavares also noted Stellantis had no plans to import European brands like Peugeot, Citroën and Opel to the Unites States. No decision has been made on whether Fiat will stay on in America.
We don’t have a lot of specifics about what form Chrysler’s relaunch will take. However, a production version of the Airflow EV concept will almost certainly be critical to that revival. The Airflow Ev concept teased a crossover rival to the Ford Mustang Mach E and Tesla Model Y. Chrysler hinted at revolutionary features for it, like a 440-mile max range — more than any current EV except the Lucid Air — and Level 3 autonomous driving technology.
Broadly, reviving Chrysler should make a lot of sense. Ram, Jeep and Dodge are very specialized brands. None of those three provide a natural home for the mass-market EV tech coming from Europe. Bringing an entirely new brand into America can be a challenge; Fiat and Alfa Romeo’s attempts didn’t go well. Reviving Chrysler, an American name brand that still has a little old-school caché, should be a much better option.
