1973 Chrysler Imperial Lebaron on 2040-cars

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Why Stellantis needs Chrysler

Stellantis has a secret weapon. It’s called Chrysler. Rumors swirled this year that the 96-year-old namesake brand of the former Chrysler Corp. could be on the chopping block, but Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares promptly shot them down. Now what? The brand has three nameplates: the 300 sedan, the Pacifica minivan and Voyager minivan, which is just an entry-level version of the Pacifica. Sedans and vans are not high priorities for most automakers, but they work for Chrysler. And because it is such a small brand, it has great opportunity. Consider the existing product line: The Pacifica is one of the best minivans you can buy. Stellantis has a lot of brands, but it doesnÂ’t have that many singular products that are at or near the top of their segments. The Pacifica is good, but the Pacifica Hybrid is unmatched. ItÂ’s an affordable, plug-in electric minivan thatÂ’s efficient and functional. ThereÂ’s nothing else like it on the market. The 300 is ancient, and unlike its platform mate, the highly evolved Dodge Charger, the 300 has languished. The 300 is still a decent premium sedan, but itÂ’s gone from trendsetter to afterthought. Chrysler needs a new 300 thatÂ’s different from the Charger and offers some kind of premium proposition. In this view, a rear-wheel-drive flagship thatÂ’s performance-oriented but civilized would work. The existing formula, essentially, just updated. ThereÂ’s a lot of equity in the 300 nameplate, and frankly the Chrysler brand needs vehicles, so killing this sedan doesnÂ’t make a lot of sense. Find an identity and make it work.  2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle View 19 Photos A revitalized 300 and a winning Pacifica buy some time. Then? Just two more vehicles would make Chrysler considerably stronger. Resist the urge to go with a sports car, which would drain time and resources. Did the Crossfire do anything for Chrysler? Even if they nail it, itÂ’s still a niche vehicle. Instead, go for the obvious — but make it interesting. A midsize crossover with an amazing interior and a plug-in powertrain, like the Lincoln Aviator, would do the trick. Offer two- and three-row variants. This might bump up against Jeep and its Wagoneer family. DonÂ’t worry, Jeep will be fine. This is about resuscitating Chrysler. Do something clever with the suspension (again, like the Aviator and its Mustang-derived chassis) or add some kind of conversation-starting technology, like VolvoÂ’s safety features. The other model should be all-electric.

Stellantis axed the SRT engineer team, but performance isn't going away

Stellantis has broken up the Street & Racing Technology (SRT) engineering team that created over a dozen high-performance vehicles, including the Dodge Charger Hellcat, but the situation isn't as dire as it sounds. The newly-formed company assigned SRT's former engineers to different positions, where they'll continue to make hot rods. "All of the core elements of the SRT performance engineering team have been integrated into our company's global engineering organization," a spokeswoman told enthusiast website Mopar Insiders. She added that integrating SRT's personnel into other brands in the Stellantis portfolio will ensure that the lessons learned from decades of peddling speed will permeate other products. Previously, SRT operated with a high degree of independence. Don't get too excited. Her statement does not necessarily mean that Citroen will begin building cars powered by the Hellcat engine, though a C3 Chat D'enfer sounds absolutely epic. Technology transfer will likely be limited to fields like aerodynamics and thermal management, and the design department might learn a couple of neat new tricks. Dodge will still move forward with the development of its next SRT-branded cars; the decision to dissolve the SRT team will not affect future models, according to the spokeswoman. Whether they'll be powered by a V8 is up in the air, because company boss Tim Kuniskis warned that regulations are killing the eight-cylinder engine. Similarly, Jeep will continue designing high-performance models, like the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. What changes is that the model will be developed and designed by a group of engineers and designers from Jeep, not from SRT. SRT is dead, but performance isn't going away. SRT's demise nonetheless marks the end of an era for Chrysler. The division traces its roots to 1989, when some of the company's brightest minds were brought together to develop the first-generation Dodge Viper. It merged with Team Prowler to form the Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) group, which was renamed Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) in 2002 and finally dubbed SRT in 2004. SRT has operated as the carmaker's in-house tuner since, its resume includes a diverse selection of cars ranging from the Neon SRT-4 to the 1500 TRX, and it was promoted to a standalone brand led by designer Ralph Gilles in 2011. Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) axed the SRT brand in 2014 but kept the name and the development team. Related video:

Half of huge Stellantis engine plant's output will be EV motors by 2024

TREMERY, France — Stellantis said on Wednesday it will speed up the production of electric motors at its factory in Tremery (Moselle), long the world's largest diesel engine plant, to account for 50% of the facility's capacity by 2024. In 2021, diesel still accounted for 67% of production at this plant in northeastern France. But by 2024, diesel engines will make up only 30% of installed capacity. Gasoline engines, which are also used for hybrid electric vehicles, will make up 20% of capacity. Within the last decade, diesel accounted for more than 50% of new car sales in Europe, but the technology has fallen out of favour as the European Union has focused instead on zero-emission solutions for cars. Earlier on Wednesday, EU countries clinched deals on proposed laws to combat climate change, backing an effective ban on new fossil-fuel car sales from 2035 and a multibillion-euro fund to shield poorer citizens from CO2 costs. The shift to electric presents the auto industry with considerable challenges for jobs and training. An electric motor has a third of the parts of an internal combustion engine, requiring fewer parts and hours for production. The Tremery plant, which opened in 1979, has already shed jobs. The factory currently employs around 2,400 people and a nearby gearbox plant in Metz has 1,100 workers, compared to 3,000 and 1,400 respectively in 2019. Stellantis still makes diesel models like the new Citroen C4X. But others like the Peugeot 408 are switching to gasoline and hybrid models only.   Green Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Electric