Chrysler's First All-Electric Car Will Be A Crossover EV, But We Still Have Questions
Today, Chrysler announced that its first EV will be a two-row crossover that will hit the market in 2025. The vehicle is said to employ STLA Large architecture similar to the EVs from Chrysler's parent company, Stellantis. Chrysler's CEO Christine Feuell, reiterated at the Reuters Events Automotive USA 2023 conference that the new EV will be inspired by the Chrysler Airflow concept vehicle. The question remains: How much will it borrow from the Airflow?
Debuting in 2022 at the New York International Auto Show, the Airflow generated quite the buzz with its sleek design and techie interior. The vehicle shares its name with the iconic 1930s-era Chrysler, the first full-size American production automobile on the road to utilize a streamlining aerodynamic design. Being named after such an influential vehicle, understandably, had motorheads excited.
However, its planned 2025 release was dashed when Chrysler abandoned the vehicle design as it existed at the time. In its place, CEO Feuell "wanted a statement that had literally zero to do with anything that you have seen today, even the Airflow concept car," according to Stellantis chief design officer Ralph Gilles in an interview with Motortrend.
Unfortunately, today's announcement did not give us any details on the new vehicle, leaving us with nothing but speculation on what this new crossover will look like.
Inspired by an exciting concept car
With its sleek lines and rounded exterior, the Airflow was an ambitious concept car. Although we don't know what about it will carry over to the new 2025 all-electric crossover, we can take a look at what the Airflow had to offer to see what designs or features could be sticking around.
The concept featured a 150KW electric driving module in the front and back of the car, offering an all-wheel drive system. Notably, the Airflow concept could supposedly drive 400 miles on one full charge. It also featured STLA AutoDrive for autonomous driving as well.
The interior of the Airflow concept featured an infotainment system that utilized AI technology that would adapt to a driver's preferences. It also utilized Chrysler Synthesis, which could be synced to users' smart houses and other networks. Passengers could also customize their digital entertainment experience, and utilize the built-in camera and screen on the back of the front seats to make video calls.
The new crossover EV was previously said to feature both 400V and 800V fast charging, but this was not confirmed at the conference today. We do know that Chrysler is still committed to producing electric vehicles. CEO Feuell stated that the company will continue pumping out a hybrid gas-electric Pacifica minivan through the decade. It is also interested in a new sedan now that the longstanding Chrysler 300 is among the list of popular cars finally on their way out of production.