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Stellantis is preparing to be on a tear with new and refreshed product including 60 new vehicles and 50 refreshes by 2030. Part of that plan? Making Chrysler more than just a minivan brand with three new SUVs costing less than $40,000. But for now, in the meantime, Chrysler just refreshed the Pacifica, again. That might have just been the start of the what’s to come with the Pacifica.
On Saturday, in Pontiac, Michigan at Roadkill Nights two modified Pacificas debuted, and both are lowered. Both are being called concepts, but are they?
VANkulture Pacifica Concept (top) and Chrysler Pacifica Concept (bottom) Stellantis
While the red van, that is a collaboration between VANkulture and Chrysler, could be chocked up to a one-off custom build, the black one caught our attention.
The Chrysler Pacifica Concept, as it was so blandly named, “shows how a few factory upgrades can quickly transform the Pacifica into a custom-looking seven- or eight-passenger minivan.” Stellantis used the word factory two times in one sentence, and the modifications are basic bolt-on upgrades.
Stellantis
The “concept” took a Diamond Black 2027 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD with the S Appearance Package and added Mopar stripes, black-painted brake calipers, a 1-inch lowering kit, 21-inch Geode Wheels wrapped in 245/45R21 Pirelli PZero summer tires, and red seat belts from the America250 edition van.
2027 Chrysler Pacifica America250 special edition Stellantis
The lowered minivan looks production-ready right down to wheels with a design name. The Drive asked Stellantis if Chrysler is considering putting a factory-lowered Pacifica minivan into production and was told “we launched a variant recently .. the Chrysler Pacifica A250 Special Edition!” and a quote from Chrysler CEO Matt McAlear saying ““Pacifica has always been about making life easier for families, and these two concepts show customers can make their minivan their own, stand out and have some fun. Concepts give us an opportunity to explore ideas that resonate with customers and demonstrate the flexibility of the Pacifica platform. We recently launched the Chrysler Pacifica America250 special edition with unique design details, including dark ruby seat belts, black leather seats with Ruby Red stitching, blue accents beneath the perforated leather seating surfaces and other exclusive interior and exterior touches. These concepts continue that spirit of personalization and creativity. Stay tuned.”
That’s not a “no.”
Chrysler noted that the minivan segment is an “opportunity” as Gen Z and Millennial buyers have increased 143% in the last 10 years, and retail sales are forecasted to grow 18% in the next five years. Chrysler didn’t provide sources for this data, but the numbers are impressive.
Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research at Telemetry, told The Drive, “Yeah, I absolutely think that there is a potential for minivans to start growing again. You know, we’ve been on this kick with SUVs and crossovers for quite a while now. New generations like to shift directions from the prior generation.”
Chrysler Pacifica Grizzly Peak concept Stellantis
Before the “RoboCop” design update came in February Chrysler debuted the Grizzly concept in August of 2025. The Grizzly gave the Pacifica a 2.75-inch lift up front and 2.5-inch lift in back and placed it on 31-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires. That’s before even addressing the TYRI light bar and Baja Designs fog lights, not to mention the ARB retractable awning.
Could the Grizzly be put into production? In November, at the 2025 Los Angeles auto show McAlear told The Drive, “The response has been overwhelming and it’s a terrific package and it’s something that we’re looking at, but we’re looking at things across every segment all the time, trying to build business cases that make sense for where consumers want us to go. And that’s a great opportunity.”
“During the pandemic we saw interest in the whole van life thing, but I think people are now taking a look at the minivan and seeing this has some potential. When you can do something like the Grizzly, something that’s lifted has a little bit of off-road capability, I think that there’s, there’s an opportunity there to grab some buyers that, and certainly in the past decade, might not have considered minivans, but now see it as an interesting solution to the problem of having a lifestyle vehicle that’s a little different from what maybe their older siblings or, you know, the previous generation was focused on,” Abuelsamid said.
Chrysler’s now shown two factory-backed concepts, in the span of 12 months, one lowered and one lifted, along with launching a variant that features red seat belts. The automaker’s acknowledged segment growth and made it clear the sportier S Appearance Package already is optioned on one-third of Pacificas sold today.
Stay tuned indeed.
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As Director of Content and Product, Joel draws on over 15 years of newsroom experience and inability to actually stop working to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media. He’s also a World Car Award juror.
