Pontiac. Mercury. Old motorbike. It looks like Chrysler will suffer the same fate as these ill-fated legacy American brands, but the company with the winged logo is looking to take off again as the electric vehicle ambassador for Stellantis.
And that gave Chrysler a new life.
At the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, Chrysler unveiled the first step in a new direction with the Airflow concept. While the company insists this is just a concept, with no production intent, it’s hard to believe how it came to be in production-ready mode — at least in terms of the company’s image. and virtual conferencing tools. While it looks like it could hit the market today, we’ll have to wait until closer to 2025 when the first Chrysler BEV arrives.
Following the launch, we spoke with Stellantis CTO Ned Curic and Chrysler Brand CEO Chris Feuell to gather some more information about Stellantis’ Airflow and overall electric vehicle strategy going forward. .
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Chrysler, reborn
Chrysler has committed to bringing the brand a new electric vehicle by 2025 and making it all-electric by 2028. The choice to revive Chrysler in this way is an interesting choice, given the brand’s context. The brand was forgotten as their models gradually dwindled. Only 300 full-size sedans and Pacifica minivans remained.
But Stellantis sees the brand as an “icon in American car history,” according to Curic, “I really believe we have an opportunity to reinvent what Chrysler stands for.”
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Future vehicle, present design
Feuell says the choice to underpin Airflow’s design in the present was intentional, to make it feel more aspirational than futuristic. Although she did say that the concept is “an example of where Chrysler is going in the future” and hinted that production designs could look more futuristic than the concept, it takes an interesting twist. . Airflow is designed in the USA by Ralph Gilles, with no foreign input or any of the other 13 Stellantis brands.
It remains to be seen whether the Airflow name will make it to production vehicles. Feuell said that Chrysler had no intention of using it that way, but the positive feedback prompted it to be considered.
Yes, another SUV
Feuell confirms that the Airflow is considered a “utility vehicle” by Chrysler, and it’s underpinned by Stellantis’ massive STLA platform, one of four BEV platforms which the company is planning to use as the foundation for its electric vehicles to grow around the world. The platform is for “American muscle and AWD performance,” as the company announced earlier this year, matching Airflow’s dual-engine setup with a targeted 350-400-mile range. A Dodge muscle car concept on the same platform, expected to be built on the same platform, will debut later this year.
Chrysler declined to provide dimensions or official Airflow specs, but I asked Feuell to stand by the concept during our video interview, and she obliged. It’s much taller than its photos show, about the same size as the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Cooler screen, cooler stand
Curic also says that part of the goal of Airflow infotainment is to “bring technology to connect my home, my car, and the places I go”. And that connection involves adding cameras to each seat so passengers can participate in video conferences. That will make some people use the excuse “I’m driving” to leave Zoom meetings, too bad.
While each individual screen is intended to provide occupants with their own ecosystem, passengers will be able to swipe content from one screen to another. The look is softer than what’s seen on the Mercedes-Benz EQS and its ultra-slim display and that’s intentional. Curic says that cars today tend to be too busy and “digital noise needs to be cut down and that’s what we’re delivering: connected, but in the background.”
In addition to the display, one feature that caught my attention was a seemingly expansive platform that spilled out of the elevator doors. It’s essentially a mechanical shelf, which will extend out of the vehicle to make loading easier and then retract into the cargo area afterwards.
Chrysler Airflow Concept
Unknown power source
Both Curic and Feuell declined to comment on the origins of the batteries for the Airflow concept or future Chrysler products, but there’s a good bet they’ll be around since. partnership Stellantis is finishing with LG. Curic hints at that, saying recent events have illustrated that “it makes sense to bring the entire supply chain closer to where the car will be built”.
Chrysler’s supposed resurgence as a BEV flag carrier could be another for a brand that has made a comeback many times over at times when it’s considered historic. We still harbor some skepticism and would need an announcement of something beyond a concept with no production intent to satisfy it, but the hope of an electric Pacifica kept us going. feel faint right now.
