How Chrysler executives plan to revamp declining brand

The heyday of Chrysler appears long gone.

A series of mergers has turned the once-ubiquitous Chrysler Corporation into a piece of the larger Euro-American automaker Stellantis. Once a relatively diversified brand, with sedans, SUVs and even a convertible, Chrysler now has only two models, both of them different versions of the same minivan.

The Chrysler brand sold nearly 600,000 vehicles in 2005. In 2024, it sold fewer than 125,000 — an 80% decline in two decades.

“Chrysler as a brand has been very, very, underinvested in for many, many years now,” said Ed Kim, president and chief analyst of AutoPacific, an automotive marketing research and product-consulting firm.

In July 2024, Stellantis said it would consider killing brands that weren’t making money.

That alarmed Frank Rhodes Jr., a descendant of Walter P. Chrysler, who founded the company in 1925.

“The CEO said that they were going to possibly sell off some brands that weren’t performing,” Rhodes said. “And I’d heard that before and I just said, ‘I’ve had enough.'”

In August, Rhodes proposed putting together an investor group to purchase the Chrysler and Dodge brands from Stellantis.

But the company said none of its brands are for sale.

“I think he was planting a seed or making a suggestion that if the intention was to not invest in Chrysler or Dodge going forward, that perhaps another path could be an investor group purchasing the brands from Stellantis and making sure that they live on for the future,” said Chrysler brand CEO Christine Feuell. “But I can assure you that both brands have a really bright future in the Stellantis portfolio.”

It’s not the first time there have been rumors of Chrysler’s demise. Reports the brand is on the chopping block have surfaced many times before.

“Chrysler brand is here to stay,” Feuell said. “It is being well invested in. The brand is not on the table for elimination, and it has a very bright future.”

This future includes a new version of its minivan, which as of January 2025 was its only vehicle, sold under two names. The Voyager is the lower-priced model, and the Pacifica is a more premium option. A refreshed Pacifica is slated for 2026, with a new exterior design and new powertrain options.

Chrysler is also planning to release a large SUV and a coupe or sedan based on the Halcyon concept it unveiled in 2024.

It can’t come soon enough for fans of the brand, including Rhodes.

“I know there’s people out there that want to bring this brand, these brands back, and they need to be saved,” he said. “It’s part of our American heritage.”

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