Chrysler’s Designers Are Finally Free Of The 300 And The Minivan

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: Mystery Chrysler SUV Looks Like A Cadillac Pretending To Be An Ioniq 5

STLA One will “give us a lot more flexibility, where at the moment we don’t,” said Irina Zavatski, Chrysler’s vice president of design, telling reporters on June 4 that it will “help us push the language and the proportions.” She added that the platform’s global reach will let designers from different regions “bring exactly what they want” to it. That freedom could prove critical as Chrysler attempts one of the industry’s more ambitious turnarounds.

Three Crossovers To Rebuild The Lineup

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 (namely, the Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback) 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.

Read: Chrysler’s Sub-$30K SUVs Will Be Rebadged Fiat Grizzlies

Stellantis American brands chief Tim Kuniskis said the strategy is aimed at buyers who prioritize functionality and practicality, a group that accounts for roughly 35 percent of the market. “A purchase decision built around practicality should leverage affordability,” Kuniskis told investors in May. That moment can’t come soon enough for the brand, and frankly, for American buyers squeezed from every financial angle.

Bigger Than Chrysler

Beyond Chrysler, STLA One is expected to become one of Stellantis’ most important architectures worldwide. By 2030, the company expects half its global volume to come from just three platforms, STLA One among them. It’s slated to underpin more than 30 vehicles and generate over 2 million annual sales by 2035. The architecture will also be the first to integrate Stellantis’ STLA Brain software and STLA SmartCockpit infotainment. It’s been a long while since Chrysler mattered to the average American buyer, and STLA One may be what changes that.