It wasn’t very long ago that Chrysler dropped the 300C on the public and totally shifted its position in the market. Less than 20 years later it’s completely squandered that shot at relevance and needs another shot in the arm. A new video essay wonders if the American brand can survive the next 10 years.
That timeline is vitally important too because that’s exactly how long Chrysler has to get its act together according to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. Thankfully for the nearly century-old company, it now has the full deck of Stellantis brands to lean on as it attempts to revitalize its image and position in the market.
Today, Chrysler sells just two vehicles, the Pacifica minivan and the 300C. The former is a nice offering and the latter is about to be phased out after an incredibly long production run. In its place is an upcoming onslaught of vehicles that Tavares says will be “gorgeous”. But will that be enough?
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In the video below, Donut Media rightly points out that the upcoming Airflow all-electric crossover isn’t exactly the most striking or bold design on the market. They also point to the fact that Chrysler has been propped up for so long thanks to two major sales successes.
First, the PT Cruiser became a real design icon and sold so well that the 300C, which has been out a lot longer, isn’t much further ahead in sales today. Of course, many of us remember when the 300C arrived and became the ‘poor man’s Bentley’. Even today, it’s a largely well-regarded premium sedan.
The Airflow doesn’t seem to be as attractive though features and pricing could change that when it finally arrives at dealers. Could it be that Chrysler can be saved by utilizing vehicles developed by other Stellantis properties? That might not be a great idea.
Donut Media points out that Buick tried a similar trick with the Regal Tour X only to see it flop here in the States because people don’t buy wagons like they used to. We’d love to see Chrysler make a big bold comeback but it’s hard to see what that road looks like right now. Hopefully, the Airflow is the first in a slew of successes for the brand.