- Chrysler says a new global platform will finally free designers from long-standing constraints.
- Three new crossovers are planned as the brand targets mainstream buyers once again.
- Stellantis expects the architecture to underpin 30-plus models and millions of sales.
For most of the last decade, Chrysler has felt like a brand stuck in neutral. Its lineup shrank to essentially one vehicle, the Pacifica. At the same time, rivals flooded the market with new crossovers, EVs, and hybrids. Now, Stellantis believes it finally has the tool to change that. The key is a new global architecture called STLA One.
According to Chrysler executives speaking to Automotive News, the platform will give designers and engineers far more freedom than they’ve had in recent years. Instead of adapting aging architectures originally intended for products like the Chrysler 300 sedan or minivans, teams will be working from a clean-sheet platform designed to support a wide variety of vehicles, dimensions, and powertrains.
Read: Chrysler’s Sub-$30K SUVs Will Be Rebadged Fiat Grizzlies
“It’s going to help us push the language and the proportions,” Chrysler design boss Irina Zavatski said during a recent event at Stellantis headquarters in Michigan. That flexibility could prove critical as Chrysler attempts one of the industry’s more ambitious turnarounds.
The first North American Chrysler expected to ride on STLA One will be the long-awaited Airflow crossover. While Stellantis still hasn’t provided a launch date, the model is expected to spearhead Chrysler’s revival, and it won’t be alone.
Stellantis plans to add two smaller crossovers called the Arrow and Arrow Cross. Those models will share their roots with Fiat products sold overseas and could be offered with gasoline, mild-hybrid, and fully electric powertrains. Together with the Airflow, the trio would give Chrysler coverage in the crucial $25,000 to $35,000 price range. That moment can’t come soon enough for the brand, and frankly, for American buyers squeezed from every financial angle.
Beyond Chrysler, STLA One is expected to become one of Stellantis’ most important global architectures. The company plans for it to underpin more than 30 vehicles worldwide and generate over 2 million annual sales by 2035. It’s been a long while since Chrysler was relevant to the average American buyer. Perhaps STLA One is about to change that in the foreseeable future.
