Chrysler may be one of America’s oldest automotive brands still in existence, but it has languished in a near-death state for more than a decade. In recent years, its lineup has been whittled down to just the Pacifica minivan. There had been talk of retiring the brand or turning it into a mobility business, but there finally appears to be a solid road ahead.
In May, Chrysler’s Stellantis parent outlined plans for all its brands during a financial markets presentation, confirming three new Chrysler crossovers to join the Pacifica. We now have potential pricing for those crossovers, and it’s lower than previously thought.
Affordable Motoring Coming To Chrysler Via Italy
Fiat Grizzly, Grizzly FastbackFiat
The three crossovers Chrysler will get have been confirmed as the Arrow and a coupe-like sibling dubbed the Arrow Cross in the compact segment, plus a midsize offering that will use the Airflow nameplate. The Arrow and Arrow Cross will be Americanized versions of Fiat’s recently revealed Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback, which go on sale in Europe later this year. Chrysler design chief Ralph Gilles told CarBuzz during a preview of some of its new models that only the lighting elements on the grille will change for the US versions, expected to arrive next year as 2028 models.
Chrysler had hinted at a starting price of under $30,000 for the Arrow and Arrow Cross during the financial markets presentation, and Automotive News reported this week that the price will be closer to $25,000. Per the same report, the Airflow, which is expected to be a midsize SUV, will start at about $35,000. This pricing would position Chrysler as the budget brand in Stellantis’s US portfolio, targeting families looking for affordable and practical transportation.
Chrysler Moving To Global Platforms
Product plans for Stellantis as part of FaSTLAne 2030Stellantis
While vehicles like the Pacifica and now defunct 300 sedan used platforms designed and developed primarily with North America in mind, the next generation of Chryslers will be based on global platforms from the Stellantis toolbox. The Grizzly duo will ride on Stellantis’ new modular platform for small cars, known as the Smart Car Platform. It’s a flexible design that supports internal-combustion and electric powertrains, both of which will be offered in the Grizzly and potentially the Arrow.
The new Airflow, which will essentially be the on-again, off-again production version of 2022’s Airflow concept, will also use a global platform, specifically STLA One, whose first models will go on sale in Europe next year. Like the Smart Car Platform, STLA One will also support both ICE and electric powertrains. Americans will first see it in a next-generation Jeep Cherokee due around 2029, with the Airflow presumably launching shortly after, sporting a radically different design to the original concept.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters
Cost-of-living pressures are hurting households across America, with young families among those feeling the hardest squeeze. Bringing affordable vehicles to market is therefore the right move for Chrysler, but the challenge will be making these global models feel right for American buyers. Stellantis has already learned that simply rebadging a European model doesn’t guarantee success, as the short-lived Dodge Hornet, a rebadged Alfa Romeo Tonale, demonstrated.
Production of the Fiat Grizzly and its Chrysler Arrow sibling will be handled at a plant in Morocco. Fingers crossed this doesn’t hamper the affordable price tag come 2029.
Sources: Automotive News
