New boss, new look. We have seen the Chrysler Airflow concept for enough years and iterations to fall into the belief it is the production-ready crossover that will be the first all-electric vehicle for the Chrysler brand when it goes on sale in 2025. At one time that was the plan. But Chrysler has always been nimbler and more fluid than many of its competitors—and Stellantis chief design officer Ralph Gilles is used to crafting multiple takes on future vehicles before a final design gets the green light.
That is the case with Chrysler’s new large two-row crossover, which he says has a more modern design than the Airflow concept. The change comes at the direction of Chrysler Brand CEO Chris Feuell who came into the job with a new eye and rulebook she wants to play by. “Chris came at it with her perspective which we really enjoyed,” Gilles says. “She wanted a statement that had literally zero to do with anything that you have seen today, even the Airflow concept car. It is evolving in a new direction.”
“Airflow was a great exercise to signal again the type of vehicle Chrysler might want to do,” Gilles says. As a compelling crossover it was a great starting point. But under Feuell’s new direction, the team aimed to beat their own design. The result: it is one of the designs Gilles is most excited about—and that is saying something from the man behind the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV muscle car and the Ram Revolution electric pickup truck concepts.
New Look Chrysler Electric Two-Row SUV Clinics Well
Chrysler’s large crossover concept did well at customer clinics in Los Angeles earlier this year. “So, we know we have a hit on our hands,” Feuell says. Gilles goes further. “It blew the doors off. That’s a good sign. And Chrysler is ripe for that. We’ve done it before, we’ve been able to give the brand new, exciting product, so we’re pretty stoked about it.”
The Airflow concept was created on the RU platform that underpins the Chrysler Pacifica minivan. But the production crossover will use the automaker’s STLA Large platform designed primarily for electric vehicles which has a myriad of advantages from its flat floor with batteries laid in the floor, to better proportions, dynamics, and more advanced electrical architecture.
Airflow Goes More Modern in Design
The production crossover has some of the Airflow’s features and aesthetics but has a more modern and tech-forward design inside and out, Feuell says. It will have a lot of STLA technology. It will be offered with both 400- and 800-volt systems for fast charging. Customers can choose between a standard and long-range version, with a range of up to 400 miles.
The Chrysler brand wants to be on the forefront of advanced tech and will be a first adopter of new technologies in its vehicles when the timing lines up. That could include Level 3 autonomous driving capability. The brand aims for what it calls “harmony in motion” with sustainable materials and seamless technology to improve communication, mobility management, and help the owner be more productive in daily life. Systems must be accessible, activated with a touch or two, and easy to use. It must all be obtainable at an affordable price, Feuell says.
Airflow Is Not the Name
The Airflow name is for the concept only. “There is a group of people who love the Airflow name and just as many who beg us not to use it,” Feuell says. The brand has been working with naming consultants and the brand chief is excited about the short list of names, a combination of legacy and new names. The likelihood of new names is higher as the brand works to reposition itself. “We are definitely not going down the alphanumeric path,” she assures us.
It won’t be called 300, Feuell says. “I don’t think it’s quite right for this product. It could be a great name for something that we bring out in the future. There is so much wonderful history and equity with the name so I wouldn’t want to rule it out for potential future use, but not for this one.”
Dealers Need Reassurance
The new look won’t be revealed to the public until next year, but the production-intended vehicle was shown to dealers who need to know there is an exciting new vehicle coming to keep up their excitement and reassure them that the company is investing in the Chrysler brand during next year’s barren landscape with a single model to offer. When the Chrysler 300 fullsize sedan ends production at the end of the year, the Pacifica minivan will be the only model in the lineup and must carry the weight of the brand’s existence for more than a year until the new electric SUV is introduced in 2025.
Then the mini floodgates will open. “Starting in 2025 you are going to see a succession of new products coming from us every single year,” Feuell says, culminating in a whole new portfolio by 2028. She is not saying how many vehicles there will be in total. We can expect a larger crossover after the first one; a three-row SUV to complement the initial two-row. It will also be a full battery-electric crossover—no mix of powertrains to choose from.
The automaker has not determined where either crossover will be made but the retooled minivan plant in Windsor, Ontario, near a new battery cell plant slated for the city, is a strong possibility.
Knowing that the Airflow concept has changed drastically, and seeing how the Ram Revolution electric pickup became more conservative as the production Ram REV, we had to ask Gilles: Should we be prepared for much change to the Dodge Daytona Banshee, which is one of our favorite designs? The design chief suggests the production e-muscle car will retain much of the styling of the concept. “I’m excited. It’s my favorite thing I’ve done since the Viper.”
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