Chrysler 300 sedan.
There has been a lot of noise about Chrysler in the past year. The brand’s CEO keeps mentioning that a new team has been put together to revive the old brand. Chrysler even has its own design department now. And yet, all we’ve seen is mostly advertising for the Chrysler brand, celebrating their history, and nothing new since the very unrealistic Halcyon concept
The official plan is still 3 new models by the end of 2026. Besides a new SUV, a redesigned Chrysler Pacifica, and a new EV minivan, there could be a Chrysler 300 replacement. However, the current management claims that all new designs could be influenced by the Halcyon concept. Something still hard to imagine.
The illustration above shows a new Chrysler 300 that wouldn’t look like the Halcyon. Instead, a cleaner, more modern version of the previous generation.
Chrysler decided to discontinue the 300 sedan last year. At the same time, Stellantis also killed the Dodge Challenger and the previous generation Challenger. While the Dodge models morphed into the brand new Charger available in both 2 and 4 doors, there is no replacement for the Chrysler 300. At least so far…
The new STLA large platform is used for the new 2025 Dodge Charger. But also for the upcoming Jeep Wagoneer S and Recon. You would think the cost of designing a Chrysler body on top of that same platform would not be prohibitive, and a great way to revive the old Chrysler brand. We have previously heard that a new SUV based on the STLA large platform is coming as a Chrysler. Which would obviously be closely related to the future Dodge Stealth EV SUV. (itself related to the Wagoneer S).
But why not a new Chrysler sedan based on the Charger? I mean, really. If Stellantis thinks there is a market for a large Dodge EV sedan, there is probably one for a large Chrysler EV sedan as well. And maybe even a larger one. Since this would be a more luxurious version that could compete with higher-end cars like the new A6 Audi e-Tron sedan. Or even the Mercedes EQE sedan and BMW i5.
Something with a definite American flair could be popular. Just like the original 300 was a very American alternative to foreign sedans.
The first generation of the modern 300 came out in 2004 and was designed by Ralph Gilles, who is now the chief design officer at Stellantis, by the way. The great design emphasized the big American sedan feel of the car while being only a couple of inches longer than a Toyota Avalon. The RWD platform and available V8 completed the total transformation from the previous Chrysler Concorde.
A second generation came out in 2011 and wasn’t as original. But an evolution and a refined version of the 1st generation. I personally think it still looks great today, almost 15 years later.
I think a 3rd generation could reinvent the Chrysler 300 for the modern age. The “300” names still mean something to many, unlike older names like “Concorde” or “New Yorker”.
The Chrysler Halcyon concept we saw is a complete departure from any other previous models and does look great. But that concept was in no way previewing a production car and looked more like a Science Fiction movie prop. Unlike the Dodge Charger and Jeep Wagoneer concepts.