The big Stellantis ‘Investor Day’ presentation just ended, and ‘platform utilization’ seems to be the most popular term as the company has to reposition itself from a company that was going to build a bunch of EVs to a company that doesn’t feel like it’s about to sink into the ocean.
I gotta say, Stellantis surprised me by announcing a lot of cars and giving us the names for said cars(Jeep Scrambler and Ram Dakota and Rampage), as well as a bunch of big curveballs and open questions. We’re all scrambling (pun!) to get those posts up, so you’re going to get a lot of Stellantis content this morning. What about Maserati? Believe it or not, Maserati will still exist.
Will Audi? Audi is taking it on the chin lately and it sounds like the current CEO is still in a lot of trouble as the Audi A4 gets more and more expensive. Also, what’s the European Ford Bronco going to be like? Probably a lot more like the Chinese Ford Bronco than the American Bronco Sport.
Chrysler Isn’t Dead Yet!
The big complaint from this website regarding the Chrysler brand has been that it’s just one freakin’ minivan. Guess who agrees? Longtime Chrysler/Stellantis/FCA brand boss Tim Kuniskis.
“Our plan for North America is very simple: get the product right–right for the market, right for the brand positioning, right for segment expansion, right for growth, and right for re-earning customer loyalty,” said Kuniskis earlier today.
While Chrysler is now just a regional brand, like Dodge, it’s the company’s most important region, so it isn’t being ignored.
“Can Chrysler be more than the minivan brand?” asked Kuniskis.
Here’s the answer, via Stellantis, about what’s coming from Chrysler. There will be three new crossovers and they’ll be affordable. The first one, which is probably going to be called the Airflow like the previously shown Airflow concept, will be built on the STLA One platform, and will be multi-energy (probably hyrbid and ICE, though possibly BEV as well).
The other two will be variants of one another based on “shared improvement platforms out of Europe.” Huh, what does that mean? Another slide gives us a little bit of a hint:
Basically, America will be getting a version of… something. Probably a Fiat or Peugeot platform. Maybe the same CMP platform that underpins the Peugeot 208 and 2008? I’m only guessing here, though there have reportedly been models shown to dealers. It’s also possible that it’ll be co-developed with Fiat or Peugeot and be STLA One-based.
Kuniskis did say that these are in the rare $25,000 cost space, where few compete anymore. It looks like the Arrow (by the way, can we believe they brought back that name? I love the callback) will come in two versions; clearly the Arrow will be the street version and the Arrow Cross will be some sort of either AWD or crossover. Actually, doing a 208 (hatch) and 2008 (crossover) version of the same platform is kind of a no-brainer, and something I’d love to see the company do.
Maserati Is Still Going To Be A Thing
The seemingly ignored and always rumored to be for sale Maserati brand isn’t dead yet, either!
“Maserati plays a very special role within Stellantis, as a pure luxury brand with a special customer and a unique legacy,” said Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa. “Looking ahead we plan to strengthen the future with two new E-Segment vehicle.”
What that looks like to me is a large luxury SUV and a large luxury sedan, probably a new Quattroporte. That ain’t nothing!
Filosa then said that “we will come back to Maserati in December in the beautiful Modena.”
Ok, so that’s it for now.
The New Baby Bronco For Europe Is Probably More Like The Chinese Bronco, Which Isn’t A Bad Thing
If I were just a little smarter, I’d have put together the news that Ford was going to have a Baby Bronco for Europe with the reality that Ford already makes a cool Baby Bronco in China. Instead, I absolutely forgot to look at the invite for my Ford Bronco announcement I was attending the very next day and so thought maybe Ford was going to show me a Baby Bronco in America.
I literally walked all the way to the Filson store in Manhattan, got to the door, and realized I was a dummy and that, of course, Ford was showing a preview of the Ford Bronco Filson. That’s cool! I’m interested in the Bronco Filson. I just think if I’d have looked closer at the invite first I’d have not made the mental leap in my head.
So what is this European Bronco? Automotive News Europe has some more info:
“I can assure you that this Bronco will live up to its name. We will be truly authentic to what Bronco is,” Baumbick told Automotive News Europe in an interview.
The Bronco will be based on a Ford platform and will be “multi-energy,” which means at least a plug-in hybrid version, Baumbick said, without revealing if any other drivetrains would be available.
It’s likely that the Bronco will use the same C2 platform as Ford’s Kuga compact SUV, which offers all-wheel drive.
[…]
“I would say that the design constraints inspire innovation,” Baumbick said. “To bring what makes a Bronco a Bronco and marry that with multi-energy technology in a way that’s uniquely positioned and sized to win in the European market is an incredible opportunity for us,” he said.
Ok, got it.
The Redesigned Audi A4 e-Tron Is Already Reportedly Too Expensive
Whether fair or not, the knives are out for Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. The brand is in an impossibly difficult position, and while the company is working to fix that, the fixes might be adding to the problems, at least according to Manager Magazin.
The new electric A4 e-Tron platform was supposed to realize cost savings by being shared, but other parts of the company found it too expensive and decided not to adopt it. Why is it expensive?
[H]is critics say, Döllner is designing the model to be so expensive that it will not only miss internal profit targets but also have no chance in the market. Take, for example, the rear passenger compartment. To allow for comfortable seating in the back of the low-slung sedan, the A4—unlike its competitors from BMW and Mercedes—has a split battery. The battery modules are positioned differently; the car doesn’t use the “standardized cells” prepared for the group. To ensure crash safety, a stiffer frame is required. Within the company, they estimate the cost of this alone at around €2,000 extra per car. Added to this are the extra expenses for Döllner’s design preferences. The highly complex production process, it is said, ultimately costs about €1,000 more per vehicle than its competitors.
A report from January shows development costs for the A4 e-tron, including software expenses, of more than 4 billion euros; the total costs for the three Audi models on the platform are almost 10 billion.
It is a very big bet, especially for something that might not sell in China.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
It’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month and our friends at XPEL are celebrating with National Don’t Fry Day, so I’m going to do a week of beach songs. Today, it’s the Fresh Prince himself (and DJ Jazzy Jeff) with “Summertime.”
Observed annually on the Friday before Memorial Day, National Don’t Fry Day raises awareness about the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and promotes sun-safe habits as Americans head into summer. In recognition of the occasion, XPEL is offering 15% off automotive window tint installations at participating authorized dealers and company-owned stores across the U.S. on May 22 only.
The Big Question
What other famous Chrysler/Fiat/Pug/Citroën or any other Stellantis nameplate should come back?
Top photo: Stellantis
Ok, but where’s my Chrysler Portal van? I want something smaller than a Pacifica with sliding doors.
Don’t forget that Plymouth sold both the Arrow and Arrow pickup/truck at the same time!
bring back the Volare!!
Really hoping they change the name of the “Arrow Cross”. That was the name of the Hungarian party that were the fascist allies of the Nazis in WW II:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_Cross_Party
I’ve been saying this forever, but all Chrysler needs to do is lean into their history and revive the Caravan/Town&Country/Pacifica and launch an exclusive Minivan line. Something like Canoo had planned before they crapped the bed. Cater to a range of both public and commercial customers. Onroad and offroad/camping variants. Family and uber luxury/hotel variants. The options are endless. It seems so obvious to me yet manufactures seem so afraid of minivans and not being sexy or cool lol
“Audi CEO Gernot Döllner revealing the AUDI E7X”
But not its face, apparently.
Bring back the Peugeot 205 hot hatch and 504 and 505 sedans.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of a Nigerian built 504 wagon still out hauling goods and people over roads that would crack a modern Superduty frame in 20k miles. (Quote from the Africar design book)
But I bounced over to YouTube to watch the nhtsa crash test of a 504 sedan. And we definitely need a thorough reengineering of crumplezones. Move the crumplezones out of the front seat area and I’m right there with you though. That open greenhouse and French style would liven up the suburban landscape.
I say this as someone that dailies an 80s ford truck and owns a vanagon. That 504 is on a whole different level of dash to knee intrusion.
Oh for sure. I meant they should bring them back, updated to today’s standards. Hopefully not updated outside of safety and power-train.
TBQ:
The New Good Maxwell, or
Chalmers with Hot Spot & Ram’s Horn
…or at least, a delightful, de-lovely, DeSoto Firedome