The whole company now referred to as Stellantis was once called Chrysler, and yet Chrysler is the most ignored and, frankly, saddest of all the carmaker’s many brands. Technically, there’s even a new model this year, though the combination of the new model and the existing old one have somehow resulted in declining sales. It’s grim.
This will not be the first Morning Dump where I opine about the state of Chrysler, but there’s a new CEO, and he may have missed all of my previous musings on the subject. I’m here to help, because that’s just the kind of good guy I am. I’ll start with Chrysler’s failure and then, just to make it fair, I’ll talk about a few more failures. Like Tesla in recent days! The company had another mediocre quarter from a sales perspective, and I’m curious to see just how bad Cybertruck sales are going to end up this year. It could be worse, Tesla could be… Rivian.
As a whole, the industry has failed to deliver enough affordable vehicles in that sweet spot from about $25-$35k. There’s some data about how to build cars for that market that’s worth diving into, so dive I shall.
What Would You Say You Do Here, Chrysler?
The Chrysler/Cerberus/Daimler/Renault/AMC/Fiat/Chips Ahoy!/Stellantis company has gone through, oh, 47 different “resurgences” and 22 different names in the last 100 years. During most of those resurrections, there was at least one Chrysler vehicle around to help keep the brand alive. Lee Iacocca saved the company with the minivan, for which we got the Chrysler Town & Country. He did so again with the K-Car, for which we got the Chrysler LeBaron and New Yorker. You can play this game all day long. Even the PT Cruiser became the Chrysler PT Cruiser. The Chrysler vehicles might not have been the first, or most popular versions of any savior platform, but there was always something to justify the brand’s existence.
In the company’s big Obama-era turnaround, the world was treated to the Ralph Gilles-designed Chrysler 300. That’s still a car that looks excellent and feels like a brand with swagger. What does Chrysler have now? The Chrysler Pacifica minivan. And I’m not here to diss the Pacifica. I truly adore the Pacifica. It’s a great minivan, if not a slightly old one at this point. But a Swagger-mobile worthy of Walter P. Chrysler? I’m not so sure.
Last year, Chrysler added the “budget” Voyager, which is just a Pacifica in a different trim. That’s it!
Chrysler stands for luxury, abundance, and a country that won two hot wars and a cold one. It says you’re successful. It says you’ve made it. Or, at the very least, it says your credit is good enough to get a Dodge with a little more chrome on it. The American Dream, my friends.
If you want to know how bad Chrysler is doing, you can just look at this quarter’s sales results, which are dismal. Here are the brands:
- Jeep +1%
- Ram +5%
- Chrysler – 42%
- Dodge – 48%
- Fiat +25%
- Alfa Romeo -51%
It’s not like any of these brands are exactly thriving, and both Dodge and Alfa Romeo are doing worse, I suppose. Fiat has one product that’s selling miserably, but it’s an improvement over when the brand was barely able to sell double digits each month, and at least it has a new product. Here’s a quote from an analyst in the Free Press that sums it up quite well:
Ivan Drury, the director of insights at Edmunds, told the Free Press he was surprised by Stellantis’ report.
He thought it would be worse.
“While not over the top surprising, I’d say it’s slightly better than I expected. It’s not like they really blew it out of the water, right?” Drury said. “I expected them to be down 12%, and they say they’re down 10%.”
Yikes. Somehow, Voyager + Pacifica doesn’t = more sales.
This is the fault of the previous administration under Carlos Tavares, which pissed away most of the goodwill the brand had. Now there’s a new guy, CEO Antonio Filosa, and I genuinely wish him well. I think he’s already starting to make some wise moves, and the return of SRT today is already a great sign.
I think Chrysler got shortchanged under Tavares because there was a sense that the brand would get some sort of electric crossover, and we’d all be crowing about the Airflow. That didn’t happen, and doesn’t make sense now. I like the Bishop’s idea about bringing back The Imperial, but literally anything that’s not a rebadged Alfa is great at this point.
- Make a Chrysler version of the Wagoneer to compete with the Escalade?
- Make a Chrysler version of the Charger with a V8 and call it a 300?
- Make a Chrysler version of the new Jeep Cherokee and call it the… Conquest, IDK?
Without any new products, there’s no reason for Chrysler to exist. Here’s hoping the brand can figure it out, as losing Chrysler would suck.
The Tesla Cybertruck Is Going Off The Deep End
Tesla’s Q2 deliveries were out, and the expectation was that sales would be around 387,000 for the quarter. The actual number is 384,122. Not great, not terrible, and about 13% off of Q2 2024.
Here’s what stuck out to me, though:
You’re telling me that the Model S, X, and Cybertruck only added up to 10,394 total deliveries? That’s down half from Q2 last year. It’ll take until we get registration data in a few weeks to know just how poorly the Cybertruck is doing, but this number is down from last quarter as well. That’s bad.
Not To Jump To Any Conclusions… But Rivian’s Going To Have A Tough Year
The Rivian R1S and R1T are both good products, built by a smart company. It’s also an expensive vehicle in a surprisingly crowded market for electric trucks and SUVs, with only so many buyers.
Here’s how the company describes its second quarter:
Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN) today announced production and delivery totals for the quarter ending June 30, 2025. The company produced 5,979 vehicles at its manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois and delivered 10,661 vehicles during the same period. Production was limited during the second quarter in preparation for model year 2026 vehicles expected to launch later this month.
Production and delivery results for the quarter are in line with Rivian’s outlook. Rivian is also reaffirming its 2025 delivery guidance range of 40,000 to 46,000 vehicles.
This adds up to barely over 20,000 cars so far this year in a market that’s likely going to get slower in the second half. Not great.
People Who Don’t Have A Million Dollars Still Want Nice Cars
Research and data firm AutoPacific put together a big report on vehicle affordability, and the big focus is on demand among buyers in that sweet spot of $25-$35k, where vehicles like the Nissan Sentra and Chevy Trax play. This is the part of the market that automakers don’t seem to be serving as well as they used to, but where there’s likely to be a lot of growth.
Per AutoPacific data, many shoppers in the $25k-$35k price bracket are more open to sedans due to their greater affordability (though they’re still more likely to want an SUV), and they’re more likely to want a tried-and-true gasoline engine. Note that while 88% of these new vehicle intenders currently own an internal combustion engined vehicle, 20% want their new $25k-$35k vehicle to be hybridized, and only about 5% want it to be fully electric. For more than a third of these buyers (35%), this will be the first time they have ever purchased or leased a new vehicle, upgrading from their current vehicle that’s, on average, more than 11 years old. On the outside, their ideal $25k-$35k vehicle doesn’t have flashy exterior enhancements like LED welcome lighting, illuminated brand logos, or an expansive glass roof.
On the inside, the cabin is likely upholstered in cloth, with manual adjustment for the seats, a cabin layout that prioritizes practicality over design with more buttons and rotary dial controls, and an analog gauge cluster next to a modestly-sized center touchscreen that doesn’t have embedded factory navigation. Despite a more restricted budget, buyers of this $25k-$35k vehicle still want several of the popular features and technology found on higher-priced vehicles including wireless charging pads for smartphones, heated and ventilated front seats, a common 110v outlet, driver profile settings, and active safety features like rear cross-traffic alert with automatic emergency braking, rearward automatic emergency braking, lane change assist, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Features like a head-up display or upgraded branded stereos (Bose, Harman Kardon, etc.) aren’t necessary, nor are immersive connected services that require an additional paid data plan to use.
They just want nice things and not to have to pay a subscription to use their own car. Is that so hard?
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
It’s Houston’s very own Geto Boys with “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta.” Maybe do not play this song loudly anywhere outside of your car, but please enjoy Bushwick Bill robbing a drug deal that involves… is that a guy in a Mazda MX-3? Perfect. [Ed Note: I’m a G Code guy. -DT].
The Big Question
How would you save Chrysler?
Lead photo: Office Space/Stellantis
In the context of ‘I see dead people’ ladies and gentlemen I see Cybertruck sales. Then I hear that kid from the Simpsons laugh.
“Dead brand walking” is not accurate, as they are currently not mobile enough to walk.
“Dead brand on Pride Mobility scooter” seems like a better description
As a former owner of a Geo, a Saab, and a Suzuki, the Chrysler brand being dissolved would be pretty on-brand for me at least.
I wonder where I wander to next? Mitsubishi? Nissan? I feel like we’re running out of anything other than mega-brands here, and that’s actually sort of sad.
Edit: I’ll add as an owner of a 2020 Chrysler van for the past 2.5 years, I’ve overall been pretty impressed with it. I’ve taken it from 60k to 94k with zero issues, I’ve only replaced tires and oil. The transmission is a wee bit rough at times if you’re not artful with the throttle, but otherwise the powertrain is fine, it rides very nicely and stow n’ go is excellent. I’m sure the move is to move the next generation to the Dodge brand, because honestly, that just makes sense. I only see vague information about a new design, boy I hope they do something soon, as this is basically the same van from 2017. I just don’t trust Stellantis and worry that they’re going to pull a Challenger/Charger, and not have a replacement in time.
Chrysler is an American brand that isn’t pushing bland SUVs like there’s no tomorrow. Unfortunately at the minute this is like invading Earth while allergic to water.
Yay! Fiat sold 5 instead of 4 cars. A huge jump
Sadly I’d save Chrysler by probably contributing to the death of Dodge. In a world where Dodge is selling $80k Durangos and Chargers, where does Chrysler fit in?
I’d swap the Durango as a Chrysler T&C. The Charger gets double duty as a Cordoba for those that don’t want the Fratzonic’ness. The Hornet, which shouldn’t be a Dodge anyways, is re-rebadged as a Newport to try and justify the crazy price.
Maybe Dodge could reclaim the Compass as a Caliber to try and regain some lineup, and re-absorb RAM too.
Also I was just mentioning Office Space to a younger co-worker today who hadn’t seen it, and his name was Peter, (as in “Peter, whaaat’s happening?”), he didn’t get my reference, so had to suffer through the next 5 minutes of me telling him to watch this movie, so thanks for somewhat justifying my nostalgia.
That makes sense, because at the root of the issue is that Stellantis has more brands than segments to use them. If they want to save the original Chrysler brand, transfer Dodge lineup to it, then transfer RAM lineup back to Dodge, and kill RAM that no one will miss anyway.
I have so many things I want to say about this, but you’re right and it wasn’t a Stellantis / FCA / Daimler-Chrysler / Chrysler problem specifically.
There was never a tangible difference between a Plymouth, Dodge, or Chrysler vehicle after the warranty expired. The same thing is true of the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury days or the worst offender GM, GMC, Cheverolet, Saturn, … ad infinium.
What kind of ruined everything for everyone was that Lexus showed up and showed how much you can polish a turd if you set your engineers towards it. They were significantly better built Toyotas that didn’t feel like Toyotas in a way that GM, Ford, and … could never replicate.
Unless there’s a distinct segmentation between brand A and brand B from the same company it just doesn’t work. (GMC vs Chevy isn’t good enough and still confuses me to this day why they waste so much money on this)
This is the forum to say these things, so go ahead! I want to hear the rest 🙂
Also, love this username!
The concerns about “Chrysler” are misplaced. The Chrysler that we all knew is long ago a ghost of its former self. That they are flailing with questionable products is not a surprise, otherwise the company wouldn’t have been sold and resold fifty times in the last few decades. MB wanted them until they didn’t, Their partnerships with Mitsubishi, Renault, Rootes and whatever other brands existed at the times all fell into the crapper. Although I was raised on the Pentastar long before even that branding was devised, I have seen the handwriting on the firewall for a long long time. Hell, even Ford and GM have been having their difficulties but nothing to the extent of Chrysler.
Driving around and actually looking at what is on the road one cannot fail to see the labels that dominate, and NONE of them, with the exception of possibly Ford and the F150, are American based companies of yesteryear. Most every vehicle owned by Mr and Mrs America is Asian in DNA regardless of the exact location that it is being constructed and whatever label is attached to it. Heck, even the long ago admired European brands are tapping the Asians for product along with their own South American subsidiaries.
“The Chrysler that we all knew is long ago a ghost of its former self”
My grandfather was telling my father that in the 70s
Really, it all went to shit when they started putting the same lug nuts on both sides of the car. What are we, savages?
Just let Chrysler die. Stellantis has more problems than a make with a single model.
The AutoPacific bit is hilarious. People want entry model cars with base features?! What?? Who’da thunk?
I don’t think Chrysler has any brand equity these days, especially upscale. Rebranding Jeeps as Chryslers would devalue both.
Not to mention everyone seems to forget that years ago Chrysler corp made the decision that all dealers would carry all 3 (now 4) brands: Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep (and now Ram). This isn’t GM where there was a separate Chevy, Pontiac, Buick/GMC, Olds, Saturn, and Cadillac dealer and they all needed product to sell.
Spending the money to make a Chrysler Grand Cherokee or a new Chrysler 300, or a Dodge version of the Compass only brings in incremental sales if the product is differentiated enough to make the buyer care. The old 300 did a decent job of that with its styling. You don’t need 3 different minivan labels in the same showroom when all the trims are the same. All you’re doing is upping your cost to maybe sell a handful more units out of each store.
Don’t you dare forget Plymouth.
I couldn’t remember if that decision to push them all into one showroom was pre or post the death of Plymouth.
Imagine if in 1992 they rebadged a jeep suv to compete with a 1992 Ford Explorer. The on road 99% but cares about 4wd was huge and willing to accept it’s not a car.
Today rebadged suv junk is normal and a bad jeep is a bad replacement for a car. Or a jeep. It’s just bad.
Just moved to Florida. Dang, I have never seen so many Korean vehicles. Seems most everyone in central Florida drives a Kia Or Hyundai..
They might just be the same few Kias and Hyundais just being stolen endlessly?
In the mid 90s I learned how to drive on my dad’s old 1959 Imperial LeBaron. That thing was choice. Electric seats, duel zone climate, floorboard buttons for hi-beams and radio presets, and a pushbutton torqueflite backing up 413 wedged headed cubic inches of Detroit glory. The drivers seat swiveled so you could easily get out and every door had its own ashtray and electric lighter in it. It was bigger, faster, and more expensive then a caddy, no way it could be made today.
The 300 was originally named because it was the first car with 300HP stock. it was no luxury liner, but it was uncatchable. I think something affordable that had 300 hp with a plush ride would slay. Might even share a platform with the new Neon SRT!
Hemi Convertible in a Grand Touring trim…
https://moparinsiders.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DSC01788-1024×576.jpeg
Take the best vehicle offerings that are currently under the Stellantis umbrella and badge-engineer Chrysler versions with an emphasis on comfort and luxury without making them too expensive. (NO ONE wants to buy a $100k Chrysler) As others have said the Jeep Grand Cherokee would be a good start, and the Grand Wagoneer should have been a Chrysler. The Durango has to get a refresh soon, and make a Chrysler version to take on the semi-luxury three-row crossovers. Also, make a 300 version of the new Charger.
Dodge can handle the cheap thrills and bonkers enthusiast cars, but push the regulars to Chrysler. Same thing with Jeep, let that brand focus on off-roading 4x4s, let Chrysler handle the people movers that will never leave pavement. If they make it work, and are still relevant in a few years, try for a moonshot luxury sedan in the form of an all-electric Imperial.
There is a lot that I don’t understand about the automotive business, but somehow Hyundai/Kia exist offering slightly different versions of the same vehicles for the most part, so why not Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep?
I would switch to
Chrysler Crypto
Chrysler Cologne
Chrysler Mobile
Chrysler really needed to essentially launch the new Hyundai Palisade. That car has the character and attitude that a Chrysler crossover would need that doesn’t fit any other Stellantis brand.
Stellantis management needs to take a giant step back from the table and look at the market, their portfolio and what will sell in volume. There is a gaping segment staring them in the face in the lower priced and entry level segment. Trying to sell into the
Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura, Lincoln and Ford space with zero product and their reputation is not going to work.
The performance hemi et-al space it too small to sustain them near term let alone long term.
I’m sure that little of the European product can be federalized and built in NA quickly although I could be wrong here.
So IMO the need to tool up a ‘K’ product line in the sedan/suv/cuv space from whatever makes sense and throw that Hail Mary.
Hopefully RAM and Jeep will be enough to sustain them while they move the deck chairs around.
Chrysler/Stellantis/Dodge/Fiat/Citroen/Peugeot and Opel have been doing this same clown like pratfall shtick for going on a collective 100 years and seeming never learn from their mistakes.
It could be time to pack the tents and move along. Maybe make ai or something.
How?
Horizon HMI
The Human Machine Interface that will jet you off into the Horizon.
Well for one I wouldn’t have canceled the Airflow crossover. It seemed nearly production ready and most opinions I’ve seen of it have been positive. I’d also rebadge the new Charger 4 door as a 300, which should’ve been the plan from the beginning. Also to echo Ranwhenparked, a five seater convertible would be a good option. Ever since the Cascada was discontinued the only real options for convertibles are German or Mini (German) so if they priced it right it could likely sell in decent numbers. Or at the very least be a halo car for the brand.
Ford still makes Mustang convertibles.
Miata is always the answer.
I believe the handsome Lexus LC500 also still comes as a convertible, though it’s also almost 6 figures. But it’s a bargain compared to a Bentley Continental, Rolls-Royce Drophead, etc., which I think are still in production (?).
There’s also technically the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler.
Otherwise, yeah, Germans have the market on convertibles. Porsche and BMW mostly, I don’t remember if audi and Mercedes still have theirs in production. I think there is/was a Taos convertible on sale overseas.
Yeah, the Mustang and Miata and Lexus slipped my mind. I was thinking of something in the vein of the old Sebring convertibles but slightly more upscale.
Michael Scott would find your lack of faith in the Sebring disturbing.
Citroen has some nicer models. Maybe Chrysler can use those models and do the luxury hatch/small car/suv line?
Count me in the “let it go” camp. There is no niche for them. Make RAM Dodge again, and rebadge the Pacifica as a Dodge. Sell Dodge and Jeep in the USA. Nothing else. With uncertainty and change on the horizon, now is not the time to pour money into saving a brand for nostalgia. Get back to making money first.
TBQ: Dunno, I’ve never been a fan of Chrysler / dodge products with only a few exceptions so I’m not qualified to answer.
I do come with a sincere request however for an article while you’re across the pond at goodwood. Can I request that you:
1a (preferred option): buy 1 of those London black cabs, cover it with seran wrap first then with flex seal / tape and take it across the English channel.
1b (rational option): take a train or whatever a normal person would do to get to France.
2a: (preferred option): show up at a random Renault dealership unannounced with a camera crew and demand they let you test and punish their cars.
2b: (normal person option): contact Renault as a professional journalist.
3: drive the Renault 5e and judge it from realistically on whether it would work in the US. I really seem to like that car as a budget option. Could it have been what saved Nissan at one point if they sold it as a pao 2.0 in the US? My big concern is it seems like the interior materiors and build quality show hints of 80’s Hyundai and yugo, but other parts look brilliant.
4: drive a Renault Megane RS. I have no rational reason to love this car so much given I’ve never seen one in person. Does it outperform a civic type r in terms of fun if not performance? (Have to admit it’s a Damn high bar to cross)
5: review / do what you think is best for the website, I mostly care about step 1a, 4, 3, 2a in order.
6a (do or do not, there is no try): drive a McMurty Spierling upside down in a tunnel at the speed limit in traffic.
Chrysler probably should be put to sleep but here is my idea. Basically what most of have said and I think something like Buick is probably the direction they should go. Make them comfortable cruisers.
SUVs
Imperial – Grand Wagoneer based with both the Hurricane and Hemi available.
Conquest(stealin from Plymouth) – Grand Cherokee/L based with hybrid/Hurricane/Hemi options.
Concorde – Cherokee based? Whatever engine options the Cherokee gets.
Cars:
300 – Based on new Charger with hybrid, hurricane, hemi options.
Move Pacifica to Dodge as a Caravan or maybe keep it around as a dressed up Caravan.
A Grand Imperial Wagoneer would probably be popular with 47 supporters.
The trick to saving Chrysler is to figure out what a Chrysler is. Ram is trucks, Jeep is 4x4s, Dodge is the entry brand and cheap hp, what is a Chrysler? If they did something like a poor man’s AMG, it might be interesting but I still don’t know if it would sell
How would I save Chrysler?
Fire. I’d use fire.
First fire everyone and collect my massive bonuses.
Then I’d burn everything to the ground, after making sure the policy was paid up and I was named as the sole beneficiary.
But first I’d officially rename myself Chrysler Corporation.
Immediately give the Chrysler Brand a Jeep Grand Cherokee to sell. That’ll at least be something. Have it designed with the top trim bells and whistles, suspension tuned for luxobarge comfort and engine tuned for power. Target competitor should be Land Rover Velar, with a starting price that is just above the mid tier of the GC ($~45k). Undercut Lincoln as much as possible to get volume. Target 20k units/yr.
Eventually offer a PHEV version. Starting $65k.