The Chrysler Halcyon prototype.
stellantis
DETROIT – Chrysler revealed its future product direction Tuesday with a new concept car called the “Halcyon,” as the once-prominent auto company tries to gain attention amid a dearth of new products.
The concept car is a stylish, forward-thinking sports car that is designed to incorporate emerging technologies such as autonomous driving and new materials for batteries and charging capabilities for electric vehicles. It features an updated Chrysler logo as well as other design features that officials say will carry over to production vehicles.
However, consumers will probably have to wait a while to buy a new Chrysler with such technologies or anything that potentially resembles the concept car.
Following the discontinuation last year of the Chrysler 300 sedan, the brand's only product is the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, which includes a plug-in hybrid electric model. Aside from an update to the minivan, Chrysler, owned by stellantisThe company formed through the merger between Fiat Chrysler and French automaker PSA Group, is not expected to have a new vehicle until next year.
The Chrysler Halcyon prototype.
stellantis
That new vehicle (a crossover, not a car) is expected to be Chrysler's first all-electric vehicle, as the brand transitions to exclusively offering “a full line of innovative, seamlessly connected electric vehicles” by 2028.
Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell, who began leading the brand in September 2021, said the company hopes to launch such a line of vehicles “in quick succession” after the EV crossover next year.
He said Chrysler's parent companies didn't invest in the brand “for a long time.”
“I would always love to have more and faster, but I can tell you that over the last few years we have not only increased sales, but we have significantly improved the profitability of the brand,” Feuell said.
He said that despite a slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicle sales in the U.S., the company remains on track for its transition.
Feuell said the brand, which sold about 144,000 vehicles last year in the U.S. and Canada, “made very good profits” in 2023. Those profits will help fund future vehicles inspired by the Halcyon concept, he said.
The Chrysler Halcyon prototype.
stellantis
Automakers commonly use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a vehicle or brand. The vehicles are not intended to be sold to consumers.
The Halcyon concept car boasts “harmony in motion” and principles of sustainability, according to several officials. The vehicle is built on one of Stellantis' next-generation EV platforms. Includes synthetic materials instead of leather; 45% glass outer surface; and uses 95% sustainable interior materials, including shredded compact discs or CDs, such as the Chrysler logo on the vehicle's entrance.
The car is Chrysler's latest concept following the 2017 “Portal” minivan, the 2022 Airflow crossover and the 2023 “Synthesis Cockpit” demonstrator.
Halcyon was scheduled to debut at the CES technology show in January, however, Stellantis canceled those plans, as well as other events, to save capital.
The Chrysler Halcyon prototype.
stellantis
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