The Chrysler brand sells effectively one model, and only in a handful of markets, but it’s poised for a product onslaught that will see a successor to the 300 sedan and a return of high-performance SRT vehicles.
Mopar Insiders reports word from Chrysler brand boss Chris Feuell that the return of the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division will also involve new products for her brand.
“I am so excited to bring back SRT,” she said. “I can tell you after meeting with my counterparts Tim Kuniskis and Matt McAlear we got a really awesome plan for SRT. It’s a great opportunity for us to bring back the performance brands and products that have been so iconic in the past as we look to the future.”
“To cut to the chase, I think you can expect to see some SRT models under the Chrysler brand.”
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With V8 power returning to the Ram 1500 pickup lineup after a shift away from the bent-eight format under former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, it appears likely future SRT vehicles could come so equipped.
Chrysler’s last SRT-badged vehicle was the 300 SRT, which was discontinued in the US in 2015 but lived on in markets like the Middle East and Australia, where it saw duty as a highway patrol car. It, along with a tamer V6-powered 300 C Luxury, were the Chrysler brand’s last models sold here when the brand was withdrawn in 2021.
Since then, the now century-old Chrysler brand has limped on, and currently operates exclusively in North America with the Pacifica/Voyager people mover duo.
It’s a far cry from as recently as the 2000s, when Chrysler had not only people movers and large cars in its showrooms, but also sports cars (Prowler, Crossfire), small cars (PT Cruiser), crossovers (the original Pacifica), body-on-frame SUVs (Aspen) and mid-size sedans, coupes and convertibles (Sebring, 200).
The 300 wasn’t the only Chrysler to receive the SRT treatment, with the Crossfire also receiving a hot supercharged V6-powered version called the SRT-6.
While Chrysler isn’t planning to introduce another sports car, Mopar Insiders reports it’ll return to the sedan segment with a new model that could resurrect the 300 nameplate, which was retired in 2023.
“We are working on a car, and I can tell you that with 100% certainty,” she said. “I can’t tell you when exactly it’s going to launch, but I hear from all of you that you want to see the 300 come back, and that’s on the table, for sure.”
This new model appears the most likely to get the SRT treatment, and is likely to ride the STLA Large ‘multi-energy’ chassis architecture that underpins, among other vehicles, the Dodge Charger.
The full-size Charger offers both electric (Daytona) and turbocharged six-cylinder (Six Pack) powertrains.
Mopar Insiders reports a new large crossover will also ride on a ‘multi-energy’ platform, almost certainly STLA Large, and be joined by a smaller crossover plus a heavily updated version of the current Pacifica petrol and plug-in hybrid people mover.
Ms Feuell has also confirmed Chrysler is looking to launch a small car.
“One of the things that is very important for us to prioritize though is affordability… we are working on a small car or whether you call it a compact car, but something that can transact under $30,000 (~A$46,000),” she said.
This could be a belated replacement for the PT Cruiser. After this quirky wagon was axed, the Lancia Delta and Ypsilon were rebadged as Chryslers but only in the UK and Ireland. A small car announced for North America in 2014 – to be called the 100 – never eventuated.
Meanwhile, the new large crossover is likely the latest development of a new model first previewed in 2021 by the Airflow concept, but by 2023 the brand had taken it back to the drawing board and then Mopar Insiders reported the project had been paused until further notice.
That led to more speculation the Chrysler brand would be shuttered, even though its vehicles are sold alongside Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles in North American dealers.
Chrysler had previously announced plans under former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares to go EV-only by 2028, but these plans have been scrapped in favour of the multi-energy strategy that will reportedly see it offer petrol, hybrid and electric power.
Last year, Stellantis National Dealer Council chairman Kevin Farrish wrote an open letter to Mr Tavaresaccusing the companyof being complicit in the “rapid degradation of our iconic brands”.
The lack of product has also led to Frank B Rhodes Jr, the great grandson of company founder Walter P Chrysler, pitching the idea ofbuying both Chrysler and Dodgefrom parent company Stellantis.
Ms Feuell has made it clear there are no plans for parent Stellantis to sell off Chrysler.
“I want to put to rest any thoughts, rumors, or assumptions that it is being sold. It is not,” she said.
“Like I said, 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.”