Stellantis Offers Airflow Concept Car To Win The Electric Car Market

The Airflow concept car, will become a Chrysler icon, in the future. (photo; stellantis.com)

JAKARTA - Carmaker Stellantis and brand holder Chrysler said on Wednesday, January 5, that it plans to switch to an all-electric car lineup by 2028. According to the brand's chief executive in North America, Chris Feuell, they are also planning to introduce new products, including utility vehicle.

Chrysler is scheduled to showcase the Airflow concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, offering their view of the car of the future complete with all its modern designs and features to boost sales.

According to Chris Feuell, the brand will offer its first EV in 2025 and add additional electric vehicles as it moves away from the petrol-powered lineup.

"We completely changed the portfolio for Chrysler between 2025 and 2028, and beyond," Feuell said in an interview.

Chrysler first used the name Airflow on its sleek and compact sedans in the mid-1930s.

Stellantis said last July it plans to invest more than 30 billion euros (IDR 488 trillion) by 2025 for the electrification of its vehicle lineup. Alfa Romeo is slated to be North America's first all-electric Stellantis brand by 2027.

The company, which was formed in January 2021 from the merger of Italian-American carmaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, said it was targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe and more than 40% in the United States to be low-emissions vehicles - either battery or hybrid-electric - by 2030.

It previously said its 14 vehicle brands, including Chrysler, would offer fully electric vehicles.

The automaker says its EV will be built on four electric platforms and have a range of 500 to 800 km (300 to 500 miles) on a single charge. “Most of the new Chrysler vehicles will be built on large EV platforms,” said Feuell.

Last May, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said each of the company's brands would receive funding over the next 10 years to prove themselves.

Feuell, who joined the automaker last September, declined to say how much investment the Chrysler brand would receive, but said the lineup would expand beyond 300 Pacifica sedans and minivans.

Chrysler sold more than 115.000 vehicles last year in the United States, mostly the Chrysler 300 and Pacifica models. That number is still far from the 2005 sales record of almost 650.000 vehicles. At that time the Crossfire sports car, the PT Cruiser compact car and the Sebring car-dominated their sales.

According to research firm AutoForecast Solutions, Chrysler will end production of the 300 sedan in December 2023 and begin production of the Airflow-registered utility in July 2024 at its Belvidere, Illinois plant. Chrysler has not confirmed the plans.

Existing models will get remakes meant to enhance the consumer experience, including new seating configurations and technology integrations such as over-the-air software updates and artificial intelligence-based applications such as navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce, and payment services, Feuell said customization will be a key element.

"Chrysler hasn't been a brand that has been invested in for the last 10 years," he said. "Part of restoring and revitalizing the brand is about the product but also about the customer experience."