Chrysler CEO is ready for all-EV future

Chrysler arrived at CES last week as a brand with a rich history but an amorphous future. It left as one promising the earliest switch to an all-electric lineup among the Detroit 3.

The brand, now part of Stellantis, has a clearer set of goals under its CEO, Christine Feuell, who plans to launch its first battery-electric vehicle by 2025 and do away with internal combustion engines by 2028. The shallow product line that has defined Chrysler for years is about to get deeper, with Feuell saying it's a "certainty" that the brand will have more offerings in 2028 than its three nameplates today.

She provided a glimpse at what's ahead in the form of the Airflow, an electric crossover concept built with a flexible software architecture that allows for seamless wireless updates. It's also part of an effort to prove that, with the backing of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, "Chrysler is on its way back," she said.

"We've got the commitment of our CEO to invest in a brand-new portfolio of products over the next few years, and also the resources that are needed to develop and launch the products," Feuell told Automotive News. "It's not just enough to come out with a great product and rebuild the brand, you have to make sure that the customer experience is also there to fulfill their needs at every step of the process from search, to purchase to on-board to ownership."

While Chrysler has an adventurous road ahead, it will be a few years before the lineup sees any new products. Feuell's job in the meantime is to establish with potential customers that Chrysler is a brand they can trust.

One way to do this, she said, is to improve Chrysler's less-than-stellar quality. Feuell said Stellantis, the company formed through last year's merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, has aggressive plans to do so over the next two years.

For now, Chrysler will make the most of the 300 and Pacifica, which also is sold to fleet customers as the Voyager. Feuell said consumers can expect to see a number of special packages and buzz models to keep things as fresh as possible.

The former Honeywell executive, hired by Stellantis in September, is ready for a rebuild. She's been talking with prospective customers about their needs and said they want EVs laced with a hefty mix of technologies that enable them to easily carry on their digital lives in their vehicles.

This crowd, she said, would appreciate systems that point out nearby charging stations along their routes when they're running low on power.

Feuell said a lot of Pacifica hybrid owners are in that group of tech-minded buyers, an encouraging sign that shows Chrysler has the ability to attract these people with the right products. The contingent Feuell wants to reach aligns closely with Tesla buyers — younger and raising families on household incomes surpassing $100,000.

The brand's research indicates it's heading in the right direction, she said. A study on brand positioning themes with younger buyers who didn't know much about Chrysler found they would be receptive to the Airflow after seeing images of it.

The company says the concept, which allows passengers to participate in video meetings, will have 350 to 400 miles of electric range and be based on the STLA Large platform. The Airflow has Level 3 autonomous capabilities through the STLA AutoDrive system, developed in partnership with BMW, that can be upgraded over the air.

It isn't clear how close the Airflow is to the electric crossover Chrysler plans to launch by 2025.

AutoForecast Solutions believes Chrysler's crossover will be built alongside the electrified, next-generation Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars that will reside on the same platform. The firm predicts that these models will be produced at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, the current home of the Jeep Cherokee.

Feuell said the production site for Chrysler's first EV hasn't been finalized.

The brand has an ambitious agenda to tackle. Its goal of eliminating internal combustion engines by 2028 would put it ahead of Cadillac's 2030 target, though it has a smaller roster of vehicles to convert.

Looking ahead a decade to when it has hopefully completed its objectives, Feuell said Chrysler will be viewed as the "startup brand" for Stellantis.

By that point, Feuell said, Chrysler will represent "clean mobility, seamless technology and transformed customer experiences that are not only seamless but exceed customer expectations in terms of what they typically think of from a traditional car company."

Feuell also isn't counting out the possibility that Chrysler will still be competing years down the line in the segments it's in today.

"Where the Chrysler brand is going in the future will include a number of brand-new products that don't exist today, but also products that are still playing in segments that we're in already," Feuell said. "We've got the 300 in the large sedan segment, and we've got the Pacifica in the minivan segment. Our intention is to redefine products for those segments, and they're certainly going to be a vast departure from what's in market today."