One of America’s Most Important Car Manufacturers Has a New Master Plan to Become Relevant Again

Although Chrysler currently has just two models in its lineup (the Pacifica and the Voyager), there was a time when it did field other vehicles.

Moreover, before a series of restructuring efforts, it was among the largest automakers in the United States. As one of the Big Three, Chrysler used its brand portfolio (think Dodge/Plymouth and eventually Jeep) to square up against the likes of Ford and General Motors back in the day.

Stellantis

Of course, between the merger with Daimler, the subsequent Fiat takeover and the eventual creation of the Stellantis group, it’s been quite a while since the American brand made anything compelling — even the ancient 300C left the market in 2023.

However, a new report suggests that Chrysler has a master plan brewing that could turn things around.

A shot of SRT performance

The confirmation comes according to Mopar Insiders as part of a chat with CEO Christine Feuell.

During the talk, the Chrysler boss was quick to deny the demise of the brand, stating, “I want to put to rest any thoughts, rumors, or assumptions that it is being sold. It is not.”

Stellantis

As if that wasn’t emphatic enough, she added that “Antonio Filosa is now at the helm of the company, he believes in Chrysler, he is rebuilding our portfolio, and he is doubling down his investment to grow in the North American market and reclaim leadership in all of our brands.”

In any case, as part of the comeback plan, Chrysler will be diversifying its lineup to include much more than minivans. Most notably, this means that the brand is eyeing up some new performance vehicles.

This makes for some big implications, especially following the appointment of Tim Kuniskis to helm the revived tuning division. As part of her talk with Mopar Insiders, Fuell confirmed “that you can expect to see some SRT models under the Chrysler brand.”

Stellantis

On the one hand, this means that there’s an opportunity to see some exciting takes on the Pacfica. After all, Chrysler’s Grizzly Peak concept proved the brand is willing to experiment with the minivan platform.

However, this could also mean the return of models like the 300C. Moreover, as Chrysler is making efforts to expand its lineup, there’s the potential for some of the brand’s first all-new models in years.

Affordable American luxury

But that’s not all there is to Chrysler’s master comeback plan.

Along with making the lineup more exciting through the addition of performance models, the brand is also looking to broaden the accessibility of its offerings.

Stellantis

In practice, this means that Chrysler will be adopting a mixed-energy approach, much like Stellantis stablemate Alfa Romeo (as well as many other automakers outside the company portfolio), to broaden the appeal of its lineup. With internal combustion back on the table for the foreseeable future, the brand doesn’t need to go all-electric.

What’s more, according to Mopar Insiders, Chrysler has plans to bring back its concept of “blue-collar luxury.” 

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As such, in addition to engineering cars efficiently to maximize their tangible value, this also means that the brand will be prioritizing affordability.

Notably, Fuell stated that “we are working on a small car… that can transact under $30,000… something that will be beautiful and fun to drive and aspirational, because you want people to feel proud… that it’s wearing a Chrysler badge.”

Considering there’s also the possibility of a pair of new crossovers, as well as a heavily updated Pacifica, the next few years are shaping up to be busy at Chrysler.

Stellantis

Only time will tell whether it’ll be enough for the brand to be ‘cool.’ At the very least, the plan should be more than capable of ensuring that one of America’s oldest automakers is relevant again.

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