The Stellantis Investor Day gathering on May 21 was a global affair that showed how the automaker intends to grow in all regions of the world. This may have surprised industry observers, who expected the automaker to be in downsizing mode, maybe even eliminating struggling brands, after posting $26 billion in net losses last year. But no, the company seems poised to follow the Lee Iacocca strategy from long ago that says the best way to fix an ailing automaker is with great new product, and lots of it.
Stellantis CEO Antonio FilosaStellantis
We’ve already covered lots of product news from Investor Day, but those announcements from upper management were more like teasers, without images or specs or powertrain details or even some market plans. It will take time to fill in the gaps with the information that shoppers need to make their purchase decisions – at least four years for FaSTLAne 2030 to bear all its fruit.
But late last week, Stellantis released an animated video on its YouTube channel dropping more hints about the multi-energy “freedom of choice” powertrain offerings to come. In fact, it sort-of revealed a whole new car, headed to the Stellantis brand that desperately needs more product: Chrysler
A Preview Of The New Chrysler Airflow
Stellantis Powertrain video showing Chrysler Airflow at leftStellantis
The above image is a screenshot from the video. The clip begins with five vehicles driving in arrow formation, with the middle and fourth vehicles clearly being Jeep SUVs with the seven-slot grille. The first vehicle, to the far left, looks a lot like the Chrysler Airflow that Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles showed CarBuzz and other media outlets in a sneak peek no-camera tour of the Stellantis Design Dome on Investor Day.
The video also pans overhead the five animated vehicles, showing internal-combustion, hybrid, battery-electric, and extended-range EV powertrain configurations. The small-ish transverse-mounted four-cylinder engine under the Airflow’s hood does not appear to be part of a hybrid layout.
In his Design Dome tour, Gilles said the new Airflow will compete with the Toyota RAV4 in the crowded midsize crossover segment. He said the Airflow will be the first American car on the new STLA One platform and will be “BEV capable, front-drive, hybrid. It can do it all – it’s basically future-proof.”
If your memory of the Airflow is from the concept that was revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2022, it’s time to move on from that low, sleek, almost coupe-like EV. Instead, study the profile picture above. It will be a higher SUV with a flatter roof and raked rear window. And we expect a starting price below $40,000.
2026 Jeep Cherokee LaredoBrett T. Evans/Valnet/CarBuzz
Could Peugeot, Opel Share Bits With Airflow?
So now we get to ponder which other STLA One vehicle from the Stellantis fold will share bits with the Airflow, or whether the Airflow will be the first vehicle from the new platform. More than 30 STLA One vehicles are coming globally by 2035. That includes four from Peugeot and two from Opel, according to the Investor Day presentation. The Dodge GLH hot hatch confirmed for the US will also come from STLA One.
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Analyst Sam Abuelsamid, who was also on the Design Dome tour, sees the new Airflow as a D-segment crossover similar in size to the new Jeep Cherokee, which actually comes from the STLA Large platform.
“Airflow and GLH will likely share components with the Peugeot and Opel STLA One models – and probably some STLA Med and Large components.”
-Telemetry Vice President Sam Abuelsamid
Deciding whether the Airflow can successfully carry the Chrysler brand forward in the coming years is difficult, he told CarBuzz via email. “Based on what they showed us, it seems like they are trying to make it more like what Plymouth used to be, sort of a budget brand for North America.”
Compared to other automakers in North America, Stellantis is unique in that its four brands have no stand-alone dealers. They’re all Jeep-Ram-Dodge-Chrysler, so each brand is present, unlike walking into a Buick showroom without seeing Chevy or Cadillac, Abuelsamid said. Today, Stellantis stores have a minivan from Chrysler, muscle cars from Dodge, Ram pickup trucks, and Jeep off-roaders, but every brand will have a lot more to show before long.
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CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Positioning the Airflow up against a lot of popular mainstream crossovers (and trying to compete with the smaller Arrow and Arrow Cross at an even lower price) is risky business. The automaker’s track record at the lower end of the market is not so good, considering the 200, PT Cruiser, and Sebring. The new Chryslers must be better to succeed.
Stellantis has been encouraged to either add models for Chrysler or kill the brand, and the current plan shows the company’s intentions: that top management still sees value in Chrysler, even if there’s only a minivan in the portfolio today. The clock is ticking, and Chrysler realistically has a year or two to bring the Airflow to market and nurture its success.
Source: Stellantis
