Chrysler

Matt has a post today detailing how Chrysler has apparent plans to revive itself -- and to use some SRT-badged models to do it.

Chrysler is allegedly about to enjoy a major renaissance. Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell has made overt promises that things are about to change. She has issued statements that the brand will not only start seeing new models, with assurances that some of those will see performance-focused SRT variants, but also a renewed focus on building affordable luxury cars.

Stellantis has a major investment in U.S. manufacturing planned, and the company also says it has five new-model launches planned.

We have a recall involving the Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

Many people view minivans as the “I’ve given up” family vehicle, and while that might be true for some, this new Chrysler Pacifica concept is at least trying to liven things up a bit. The Grizzly Peak Concept features a lift kit, beefy all-terrain tires, and unique styling that give it a bit more curb appeal than the standard family hauler.

A very interesting historical automotive moment came to light the other day on Twitter, and it’s right up the alley of Abandoned History. It was a short post that described a branding venture your author had never heard of. Specific to the Austrian market, the brand was called Sauber. It marketed an amalgam of domestic Nineties vehicles familiar to us all from across the Big Three. Let us venture into the Austrian importation mindset circa 1993.

It's TTAC podcast time!

We have one more sales report to bring you before going on break for the holiday. That would be Stellantis/FCA US.

SRT is back. So, which Stellantis models will soon be sporting an SRT trim? Which ones should?

Hey, remember the SRT performance subbrand of Stellantis that sort of quietly faded away not too long ago? Well, it's back!

Oh, and Tim Kuniskis, the boss of the Ram brand, is adding a new role to his responsibilities.

In this week's podcast, I laid out my plan for how to fix Stellantis.

Chrysler needs saving. Again.

No, I don't mean the company -- it's Stellantis now, as most of y'all know. No, despite the fact that the company that once was Chrysler needed bailouts in the past, today I am talking about Chrysler, the brand/make.

Despite being one of the most historic car brands around, Chrysler has been going through it lately. The storied American automaker currently only sells two minivan models, but parent company Stellantis hasn’t given up on the Chrysler name just yet. Design boss Ralph Gilles said Chrysler is “ripe for a new chapter,” noting that it will be revamped to draw in “brand-new conquest customers.”

As our Rare Rides series on the Cadillac Eldorado continues through the Seventies, we’re on a collision course with a poignant moment in time: the death of the American convertible. The Eldorado convertible ended up the last man standing amongst domestic-branded vehicles when it bowed out in 1976. American-made convertibles would return years later, the first of which were the 1982 Dodge 400 and Chrysler LeBaron. But who was to blame for those years where there were no domestic convertibles at all, and other manufacturers offered far fewer true convertibles? The commonly held belief is that it was intense safety regulation from the US government that caused their demise, but that’s not the case. 

Few people likely view a minivan as a solid birthday gift, but Chrysler is celebrating its 100th anniversary with one. The automaker is commemorating the milestone with the 2026 Chrysler Pacifica 100th Anniversary Edition, which features exclusive styling elements and unique color options.

It has been over three years in the making, but the documentary The Last Independent Automaker chronicling the life and times of the American Motors Corporation debuts today on PBS. The team behind the documentary secured over 100 hours of footage from the AMC vaults, scoured hundreds of historical photographs, and interviewed more than 35 people from the AMC sphere.

Stellantis is allegedly shifting gears to better cater to the needs of the American market following the departure of Carlos Tavares as its executive officer. The company is signaling it might pull back on all-electric vehicles and may even begin to offer V8 engines again. But there is some conflicting information being presented as the company does what it can to improve public relations.

When the Australian government debuted its Motor Industry Development Plan in mid-1984, it believed the solution for the nation's automotive industry woes was at hand. Through streamlining and becoming more cost effective, the plan intended to cut the number of domestically produced vehicles in half, close down underutilized production facilities, and reduce import caps and tariffs on foreign vehicles. The plan also forced domestic Australian and Japanese automakers to work together to create badge engineered vehicles. Ford, Holden, Nissan, and Toyota were all victims of the plan as the manufacturers with the largest footprint on Australian soil. The very same year, Nissan and Holden were the first pairing to debut an exciting new badge engineered vehicle!

Picture it, 1984. The world is filled with Malaise era automobiles, neon colors, and a hot new TV show called Miami Vice just debuted on NBC. The Australian automotive market is in turmoil, suffering from inefficiency, oversupply, import restrictions, and tariffs of around 60 percent. What’s a government to do? Force every manufacturer’s hand, that’s what!

Stellantis has reportedly informed suppliers that it has suspended the C6X development program. The codenamed project was assumed to yield a production version of the Chrysler Airflow concept. While Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell recently confirmed that the brand would be launching several new vehicles in the near future, expanding its modest lineup, learning that one of them may have been cancelled is somewhat disconcerting.

An incoming senator has pushed for Stellantis to sell off Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram and for those brands to be acquired by an owner based in the U.S.

The Chrysler Voyager is returning to the retail market for the 2025 model year as the value variant of the Pacifica. While it lacks the looks and some of the features of its more luxurious sibling, it’s priced $2,500 lower and seems to be arriving at a point where shoppers might be more willing to re-engage with minivans due to their relative affordability. If you have a family and can only afford one new automobile, having something as versatile as a van might not be the worst idea.

Posting a Chrysler 200S as the UCOTD today got my memory working. While I am sure there are still many on the road, I haven't thought about that model in a long time.

No, it's not an April Fool's Day joke in July. Nor am I trolling you. I am featuring this 2015 Chrysler 200S as UCOTD because we rarely see 200s in the database I pull from, and because the 200S was the closest Chrysler got to being able to sniff competitiveness with the Honda Accord and Camry.

It wasn't a bad car, and it was worlds better than the godawful Sebring. But it wasn't nearly what it needed to be.

I'll admit, I struggled for a headline for this one. Press releases are, across the board, buzzword-heavy, and that's never more true than when it comes to concept cars.

It makes sense -- concept cars have less in the way of concrete specs to discuss than production cars do. And it certainly applies to the Chrysler Halcyon Concept.

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.

News broke earlier this week that Stellantis would pull out of auto shows, including the upcoming Chicago Auto Show, for the foreseeable future.

We've slowly been saying goodbye to the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, and Dodge Challenger -- now we can officially wave goodbye to the platform, including the Hemi.

Chrysler’s vehicle lineup has dwindled to the point that the automaker is left with a single horse in its stable: The Pacifica minivan. However, despite the contraction in its product offerings, the automaker isn’t going away, and neither is its van. The minivan pioneer has big plans for its family hauler, and company CEO Christine Feuell recently told journalists that it would roll out a mid-cycle update for the vehicle soon.

The Chrysler 300 is joining its corporate siblings in being discontinued after the 2023 model year, and the automaker recently announced that the last car has left the production line. Workers at the Brampton Ontario Assembly Plant recently gathered to commemorate the end of the line for the car, giving it a sendoff before the automaker moves further toward electrification.

We've had a run of European machinery in this series lately, with six of the last ten Junkyard Finds coming from across the Atlantic ( one from Sweden, one from Italy, two from West Germany and two from France), so today it's the turn of that most Michigandic of machinery: A Chrysler minivan.

The annual SEMA show in Las Vegas is rapidly approaching, meaning car companies will surely be dangling umpteen teaser images of what they’ve in store for this soirée in the desert. Stellantis is usually good for an outrageous reveal or three, and they’ve started off this year with an electrified bang.

While the majority of Americans have long since decamped in favor of crossovers and SUVs, there remains a dedicated cadre of buyers committed to the family minivan. For 2024, Chrysler is rewarding them with a smattering of updates to its Pacifica.

With the exception of the Jeep 4xes that have hit the market in recent years, Stellantis has seemed behind the curve when it comes to electrification. Sure, the Dodge Hornet offers a PHEV powertrain, as does the Alfa Romeo Tonale. And the Dodge Daytona concept previews an EV shift.

On the other hand, Chrysler is hitting the reset button on its EV plans. The Airflow concept won't be the company's first EV.

With the Chrysler Airflow debuting during the CES expo in 2022, practically everyone assumed it would be the brand’s first all-electric model. The concept looked more like a prototype than some fantastical model intended for production decades down the road and even came with a limited spec sheet offering figures that seemed to exist within the confines of reality.

But it’s not the vehicle the brand intends to lead with. Stellantis’ chief design officer, Ralph Gilles, has confirmed that Chrysler’s new CEO, Chris Feuell, wanted something completely different that would differentiate the brand from everything else on the market.

It's time to party like it's 1985.

If you have $2,500 you're willing to part with and the time to spend on a project car.

Chrysler's big news at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show was -- a concept interior.

Not a car. Just an interior. We'd hoped to see more related to the Airflow, though we do note that perhaps this interior previews the Airflow's cabin.

If you were hoping that Chrysler would show off a new model at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, well we've got disappointing news for you.

The Takata airbag problem was one of the most publicized automotive catastrophes ever. Major automakers issued massive recalls to replace the dangerous airbag units, which could rupture and send shrapnel into the passenger cabin. Anyone alive in 2015 would’ve been unable to ignore the constant drumbeat of press around the recalls, so it’s surprising to hear that we’re still trying to round up owners of affected vehicles.

The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, has long been an opportunity for people to discover new video games, computers, and more, but it’s increasingly becoming a significant platform for automaker product announcements. We already knew Stellantis was bringing concepts from Ram and Peugeot, but the automaker recently announced that it would also showcase its other brands. We could even see a new or updated EV from Chrysler.

The Chrysler 300 was the first production car to use the LX platform and was arguably the most important as well. We discussed the debut and styling of the exciting new 300 in our last LX platform installment. When it debuted in 2005 with retro-inspired muscle car styling and a good deal of Mercedes-Benz componentry, it garnered an immediate and positive impression from the buying public with its looks. But did it fare as well on its interior? Let’s find out.

Thus far in our Chrysler LX platform coverage, we’ve discussed two designs that never made it past the working concept stage. The first of those was the Airflite, a Crossfire-styled hardtop hatchback, while the second was the larger Nassau which was also a hardtop hatchback. Neither of them had pillars, and both focused on the future of car design. 

Journalists made incorrect predictions at the debut of both concepts and stated that the Airflite (in 2003) previewed the upcoming 300’s styling, while the Nassau (in 2007) was a sneak peek at a new styling direction for the 2008-ish revamp of the then-current 300. While those assumptions were wrong, a never-debuted Nassau design from 2000 was the actual genesis of the 300’s styling. And it appeared on the new LX platform in 2005. 

As the Chrysler LX platform heads toward its demise after the 2023 model year, Rare Rides Icons is making its way through the various large-ish vehicles that used the platform these past two decades. The starting point for this series are the original LX concepts that never made production. We covered the Airflite (basically a Crossfire hardtop hatchback) last week. And today we’ll take a look at the larger, more luxurious, and more obscure Nassau concept (of which there were two).

Big change is in the air at Chrysler and company these days, as the rear-drive LX platform heads off into the sunset. With a longevity of two decades - far beyond the reach of the majority of current platforms - it seems fitting to eulogize the LX at this juncture. The end of the LX represents more than just the end of the rear-drive internal combustion vehicle at Chrysler.

It’s also the end of two gasoline-powered Dodge muscle cars, the Charger and Challenger (only the Charger returns as an EV). The LX is also the basis of the last two remaining full-size American sedans: Charger and 300C. In 2023 all the last LX-based vehicles will roll off the line, wearing their various gaudy special edition gingerbread. Before that time comes, we should consider all the cars that brought us to this point.

Fans of four-door sedans with outsized powerplants will have one more chance to put their name on the title of a Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C. Set to be produced for just the 2023 model year, this brute in a suit is intended to be a 392 cubic-inch farewell to Chrysler products on the LX platform.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 2019, you’ve probably realized that just about every major carmaker has plans to go “fully electric” at some point in the rapidly approaching future. That’s going to mean big changes in the way we buy and use cars, obviously— but change is hard, and not every company is going to be willing or able to make those changes.

That equally obvious fact begs the question: who’s not gonna make it?

We finish up our Abandoned History coverage of the long-lived UltraDrive transmission today. The pursuit of simplification, modernization, less weight, and better fuel economy lead to the creation of the electronically controlled four-speed A604 marketed as UltraDrive. The idea floated around at Chrysler in the Seventies and then was greenlit and put into production (before it was ready) by an eager Lee Iacocca. A case of unfortunate timing, the new transmission arrived in 1989 at a time when there was almost no exciting news in Chrysler’s product portfolio. Thus the UltraDrive name was coined by marketing, and the new and advanced transmission was featured heavily in the company’s PR materials in 1989 and 1990.

The UltraDrive’s debut version was prone to numerous types of failures because of fluids and sensors, build quality, parts, really everything. But engineers at Chrysler quickly massaged the A604 into the improved 41TE that was ready for use midway through the 1990 build year. UltraDrive was up and running within acceptable reliability standards per Chrysler. Clearly, it was time to create more UltraDrive variations!

The 2022 New York Auto Show isn’t the first major auto show to be held since COVID-19 shut the world down in March 2020 – Chicago had shows in 2021 and 2022, and Los Angeles was in its usual slot last year. And there was Motorbella in Detroit last summer.

Still, for whatever reason – the loosening of COVID restrictions, the fact it was the first New York show since COVID, the presence of NY-based journos who don’t deign to travel west of the Hudson for those other shows – there was a pre-show feeling that this was it. This would be the show that marked the return of normalcy. Not LA in 2021 or Chicago just a couple of months ago – no, it would be this one.

Another day, another teaser. Thankfully, this will all be over by tomorrow’s happy hour.

This time, it’s Chrysler. Which is showing the Airflow Concept.

Today we reach the 22nd and final installment in the Imperial series. In our last edition, we reviewed the development and birth of the final production car to wear the Imperial name: The super-extended K-car platform known as the Y-body. Lee Iacocca was keen on the idea of a full-size luxury sedan for the elderly customer, but Chrysler had neither the resources nor the platform to do it properly. Thus the Y-body appeared, and its angular and pencil-thin shape went on sale in 1990 alongside the similarly lengthened Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue. Speaking of angles, let’s talk about that sweet money-saving clip swap action.

The recent Rare Rides Icons post on the 1990 Chrysler Imperial Super-K Gingerbread Cookie Edition generated a few comments not only about the subject in question but its four-speed UltraDrive transmission. It seems more than one of you wants a discussion – no – an essay on the UltraDrive. Wish granted! Here we go.

We find ourselves at the final two installments of the long-running Imperial series today. It’s been almost six months since the first Imperial entry, when a new model was dreamt up by Chrysler’s founder as competition for the likes of Pierce-Arrow and Studebaker. The Imperial name outlived most of the Twenties competition it was designed to beat, though along the way it drifted both nearer and further to the original mission. The concluding entrant into the Imperial lineage was definitely the weakest ever. K-car time, commence!

We arrive at the end of our Dodge Colt journey today. Colt started in 1971 as a cooperative program to provide Mitsubishi with a sales outlet in North America, and Chrysler with a compact and fuel-efficient car it didn’t have to design or build. Over the years the Colt evolved with the needs of the consumer and branched out into several different body styles.

Eventually, the tides shifted. Mitsubishi established their own dealerships in the United States (but not Canada) and started selling identical cars as were on Dodge/Plymouth dealer lots. Then, as Eagle came into being it also needed product to sell. Chrysler turned Eagle into its de facto outlet for imports and Mitsubishi cooperative products: Colts of regular and wagon persuasion became Eagles called Vista and Summit, in addition to their Dodge and Plymouth twins.

Last time we left our tale it was the dawn of 1993, and Colts were badged at Eagle dealers as a new generation of Summit. The Vista Wagon name was dead, now called Summit Wagon. Dodge, Plymouth, and Eagle dealers had an exciting new Colt as well! But it didn’t last long.

Here we are, the 20th installment of the Imperial series. We’ve covered the Imperial’s inception as a coach-built car for the wealthy, through its Fifties rebirth as an independent brand with hand-built quality that rivaled the best luxury car makers had to offer. From there Imperial’s tale was ups and downs (mostly downs) as Chrysler’s luxury arm continually found itself less independent, and more tied to the New Yorker.

But after its sad Seventies cancellation, it was time for an Eighties rebirth under the direction of CEO Lee Iacocca. He was determined to make the best, most exclusive American personal luxury coupe money could buy. To date we’ve learned about the angular bustle back exterior, the J-body Cordoba platform underneath, and the Cordoba-plus leather-lined interior, by Mark Cross. Today we continue with Iacocca’s close personal friend, Frank Sinatra (or ‘FS’ if you’re talking badges.)

We rejoin the world of the Colt today, specifically the lineup on sale at various Dodge, Plymouth, and now Eagle dealers in the United States and Canada in the early Nineties. The addition of Eagle to Chrysler’s brand portfolio for the 1988 model year had a direct effect on the future of Colt: Almost immediately the Colt sedan was drafted onto the Eagle team, where it became the more expensive Summit.

Remaining as Colts in the US in 1990 were the hatchback and the dated Colt Vista and wagon. Canadians were offered the contemporary Colt sedan and hatchback, while the Colt Vista was sold over the border as the Eagle Vista Wagon. The Vista Wagon was accompanied in Canada by the old Colt sedan from the mid-Eighties, branded as Eagle Vista sedan and offered only as a very basic vehicle. We pick up at the beginning of the 1991 model year.

We return to our Imperial series again today, and the third installment on the all-new personal luxury coupe Lee Iacocca launched in 1981 to resurrect the historical Imperial name. Unlike every other Imperial to date, the new one was available only in two-door coupe guise. The new car had the dual mission of bringing luxury car credibility back to Chrysler, and grabbing some high margin luxury coupe sales from GM and in particular, Lincoln and the Continental Mark VI. We’ve covered the exterior and the underpinnings, so today we slide into the interior, which is most definitely not covered in Rich Corinthian Leather.

When we last left off in the tale of Dodge, Plymouth, and Eagle’s various Colt branding adventures, it was the late Eighties. After a wave of modernization in 1984-1985 where the first Colt sedan appeared and the range extended into the larger and very forward-thinking Colt Vista, Mitsubishi got in on the Colt action and sold a hatchback with its OEM diamond star up front and Mirage lettering on the back. As the Nineties approached, it was time for a new generation of Colts, and more options from a hot new brand: Eagle.

In our most recent installment of our long-running Imperial coverage, the Eighties dawned with a resurrection of the Imperial name and the debut of an exciting new personal luxury coupe. Chrysler’s new chairman Lee Iacocca was determined to recreate the runaway success he’d had at Ford with the Lincoln Continental Mark III. But that meant a simultaneous ask that luxury coupe buyers ignore the very recent financial troubles that plagued the Detroit automaker. And while the exterior of the new Imperial coupe was all bustleback and new angles, its platform and mechanicals were not quite as exciting. Let’s talk about Mirada, Cordoba, and the reliability benefits of electronic fuel injection.

In our last Imperial entry, we found the brand’s run came to an end. In production since 1926 and an independent brand since 1955, the Imperial fizzled out to nothing after 1975. Chrysler closed its luxury Imperial division, and the once proud two- and four-door Imperials were stripped of some standard features and rebranded into the Brougham trim of the New Yorker. The Imperial name had come a long way from its beginnings as a super luxurious coach built car for the wealthy, and ended up as a slightly nicer New Yorker with more formal front and rear clips. But 1975 was not the end of the Imperial’s story, as a particular Chrysler CEO had big Imperial aspirations. To get to that point for Imperial, let’s talk about Ford.