The Chrysler group (along with Renault) is the brand that started the minivan trend, and it’s hoping to keep it going for years to come. The automaker recently announced plans to keep the current-generation Pacifica alive for a few more years with a second mid-cycle refresh.
The minivan has been in production since 2016, more or less maintaining the same appearance, although it did undergo a facelift in 2021. Now, the automaker intends to sustain the platform with what CEO Christine Feuell referred to as a ‘mid-cycle action plan’.
Read: Last Hemi-Powered Chrysler 300C Leaves The Factory
“We’ll be doing a refresh on the Pacifica and it will be more than just a moderate refresh. It will be pretty significant,” Feuell said, per Autonews. “I’m not at liberty to say what year that will come out. It will be some point after we launch the first new [Chrysler] BEV product.”
Chrysler is expected to reveal its first modern all-electric vehicle in 2025. It will be based on the Airflow concept, though a production name has not yet been revealed. Previous reports also suggest that its design will be updated from the concept crossover that we first saw in 2022.
Until the new EV goes on sale, Chrysler will be “a one-product brand for about a year,” Feuell said. With the production line for the 300 set to grind to a halt by the end of this month, it will have to depend on the Pacifica to stock its dealerships. Or, at least, it will have to depend almost entirely on it, because the Chrysler Voyager, the closely-related fleet van, will continue on alongside it.
The chief executive says that the brand is “making the most with the Pacifica” hybrid, which she claims is frequently cross-shopped with the Tesla Model Y. She added that sales of the minivan have shot up in 2023. That’s due in large part to a pandemic dip in sales related to tight supply lines, but Chrysler’s forecasts suggest that demand for minivans will remain stable for the next 10 years.
So, in tandem with the Chrysler Voyager, the Pacifica will help keep the Chrysler brand alive for a few more years while it prepares for its electric future. Following this, it is anticipated to be succeeded by an all-electric minivan, reportedly arriving in 2028.
