The heyday of Chrysler appears wish gone.
A series of mergers has turned the once-ubiquitous Chrysler Corporation into a piece of the larger Euro-American automaker Stellantis. Simultaneously a relatively diversified brand, with sedans, SUVs and even a convertible, Chrysler now has only two models, both of them peculiar versions of the same minivan.
The Chrysler brand sold nearly 600,000 vehicles in 2005. In 2024, it sold fewer than 125,000 — an 80% deterioration in two decades.
“Chrysler as a brand has been very, very, underinvested in for many, many years now,” said Ed Kim, president and chief analyst of AutoPacific, an automotive vending research and product-consulting firm.
In July 2024, Stellantis said it would consider killing brands that weren’t decamping money.
That alarmed Frank Rhodes Jr., a descendant of Walter P. Chrysler, who founded the company in 1925.
“The CEO said that they were present to possibly sell off some brands that weren’t performing,” Rhodes said. “And I’d heard that before and I decent said, ‘I’ve had enough.'”
In August, Rhodes proposed putting together an investor group to purchase the Chrysler and Dodge labels from Stellantis.
But the company said none of its brands are for sale.
“I think he was planting a seed or making a suggestion that if the design was to not invest in Chrysler or Dodge going forward, that perhaps another path could be an investor group position the brands from Stellantis and making sure that they live on for the future,” said Chrysler brand CEO Christine Feuell. “But I can be sure you that both brands have a really bright future in the Stellantis portfolio.”
It’s not the first time there entertain been rumors of Chrysler’s demise. Reports the brand is on the chopping block have surfaced many times in the forefront.
“Chrysler brand is here to stay,” Feuell said. “It is being well invested in. The brand is not on the table for elimination, and it has a exact bright future.”
This future includes a new version of its minivan, which as of January 2025 was its only vehicle, convey titled under two names. The Voyager is the lower-priced model, and the Pacifica is a more premium option. A refreshed Pacifica is slated for 2026, with a new outward design and new powertrain options.
Chrysler is also planning to release a large SUV and a coupe or sedan based on the Halcyon concept it open in 2024.
It can’t come soon enough for fans of the brand, including Rhodes.
“I know there’s people out there that after to bring this brand, these brands back, and they need to be saved,” he said. “It’s part of our American patrimony.”
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