Chrysler News: Rumorpile: Chrysler 300 To Disappear in 2020, Replaced By Electric Minivan

[William Maley]

The Chrysler 300 will disappear in two years according Automotive News. Their annual future product pipeline reports that Chrysler will eliminate the 300 from their lineup in 2020. No replacement is planned. This follows rumors we've been hearing for the past couple of years that the 300 would be bumped off.

But this presents a big problem for Chrysler. Without the 300, the only car in the lineup is the Pacifica minivan. But Automotive News says there is a model to take its place. It will be a fully-electric minivan based on the Portal concept that debuted at the 2017 CES in Las Vegas. The report says expect the concept to retain the reconfigurable interior that seats up to six people and possibly the sliding French doors. Production is expected to begin in 2020.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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[ccap41]

Awesome, exactly what the people are asking for, another minivan and an EV one at that. 

[G. David Felt]

Chrysler, your new All Minivan Product line! 

[daves87rs]

Not what I am hearing....already knew the 300 was done, though that could be as early as next year. Time might be ticking for the CC twins as well.. (rumors of Brampton closing)

The “last” minivan is an easy fix, just moving it to another “growing” line to expand it out.

Sure you guys know which one that is......

[riviera74]

I could think of a lot of families who might like an EV minivan.  Now if Chrysler extended that platform to include CUVs, they could pull out of that sad spiral they have been in for a while now.

As for the end of the 300, sad but inevitable I guess.  The platform is really old and they have not improved the car much in the last five years at least.

[smk4565]

I don’t understand why Chrysler is still here? They can move the Pacifica to Dodge and kill the grand caravan and call it a day.

An Automomous EV van makes a lot of sense for a ride sharing company that just picks up and drops off passengers places, but consumers would not buy that vehicle, a ride share company like Uber would so the vehicle brand makes no difference. 

[ocnblu]

They could have at least put some effort into making it attractive.  The 300 is a great car, and I guess one of the last chances to buy what I consider to be an aspirational American car.  The Portal is a pathetically weak replacement.

They'd better have an ICE version of the Portal if they want to sell in anything approaching decent numbers.

[regfootball]

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

I don’t understand why Chrysler is still here? They can move the Pacifica to Dodge and kill the grand caravan and call it a day.

An Automomous EV van makes a lot of sense for a ride sharing company that just picks up and drops off passengers places, but consumers would not buy that vehicle, a ride share company like Uber would so the vehicle brand makes no difference. 

i would get rid of dodge.  keep the chrysler name.  but that would be under the premise of an all new 3 row crossover, a new sedan, and maybe another product or two.

glad i leased my pacifica.  its a fantastic vehicle but used vehicle values of a brand with one model are going to tank big time.

[smk4565]

They could get rid of Dodge too.

[balthazar]

I would dump fiat, that's the obvious choice.

[William Maley]

15 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Not what I am hearing....already knew the 300 was done, though that could be as early as next year. Time might be ticking for the CC twins as well.. (rumors of Brampton closing)

The “last” minivan is an easy fix, just moving it to another “growing” line to expand it out.

Sure you guys know which one that is......

Jeep Pacifica really doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as Chrysler Pacifica.

[Drew Dowdell]

16 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Not what I am hearing....already knew the 300 was done, though that could be as early as next year. Time might be ticking for the CC twins as well.. (rumors of Brampton closing)

The “last” minivan is an easy fix, just moving it to another “growing” line to expand it out.

Sure you guys know which one that is......

Brampton is done as soon as the union contract expires.

[G. David Felt]

17 hours ago, riviera74 said:

I could think of a lot of families who might like an EV minivan.  Now if Chrysler extended that platform to include CUVs, they could pull out of that sad spiral they have been in for a while now.

As for the end of the 300, sad but inevitable I guess.  The platform is really old and they have not improved the car much in the last five years at least.

Totally agree, take the Pacifica Hybrid system and a pure EV system and build Chrysler as your Minivan / CUV Hybrid / EV product line and Dodge as the ICE Performance Line. Jeep and Ram stay with their awesome current lineup.

[G. David Felt]

8 hours ago, balthazar said:

I would dump fiat, that's the obvious choice.

Also dump the wasteful unprofitable Alfa that has stolen the billions from the US name plates. Alfa back to the history books along with adding Fiat!

[Paolino]

Is this even necessary... like the only thing that makes it relevant to today seems to be the EV part... but you can do that in so many other ways.  It's a shame Chrysler is going to have no sedans left... hard to think of Chrysler as a "carless" company... my earliest memories of relatives vehicles were Plymouth, Chrysler, Dodge.  Hell, I was taken home from the hospital in a Plymouth and burned my legs as a toddler on black vinyl seats in the summer.

[Robert Hall]

It's desperation, they are pretty far behind in the EV game, trying to get something out there that is distinctive...

[Drew Dowdell]

52 minutes ago, Paolino said:

Is this even necessary... like the only thing that makes it relevant to today seems to be the EV part... but you can do that in so many other ways.  It's a shame Chrysler is going to have no sedans left... hard to think of Chrysler as a "carless" company... my earliest memories of relatives vehicles were Plymouth, Chrysler, Dodge.  Hell, I was taken home from the hospital in a Plymouth and burned my legs as a toddler on black vinyl seats in the summer.

Aside from Mustang, Ford is going to be carless too.

[daves87rs]

13 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Brampton is done as soon as the union contract expires.

Which I thought was soon as well...but they are rushing to close it as soon as possible....

14 hours ago, William Maley said:

Jeep Pacifica really doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as Chrysler Pacifica.

Not Jeep, the other new brand they are working on...

 

Though A Jeep would be quite interesting.....

[G. David Felt]

18 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Not Jeep, the other new brand they are working on...

Other New Brand? ?

[daves87rs]

4 hours ago, dfelt said:

Other New Brand? ?

Thinking Alfa, as crazy as it sounds.....

[Drew Dowdell]

On 9/22/2018 at 11:05 PM, daves87rs said:

Thinking Alfa, as crazy as it sounds.....

Na, they're trying to make Alfa into a sexy Italian built to fight Germans on the 'Ring..... an Electric mini-van isn't the way to do that. 

[ocnblu]

Right, an electric minivan is a sure way to commit brand suicide, however.

[daves87rs]

8 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Na, they're trying to make Alfa into a sexy Italian built to fight Germans on the 'Ring..... an Electric mini-van isn't the way to do that. 

I actually meant the current minivan, not the EV.

Not sure how they could Alfa the EV, it might come out quite strange....

1 hour ago, ocnblu said:

Right, an electric minivan is a sure way to commit brand suicide, however.

Well, it’s one way to take your local cult out....?

 

Granted, I just wouldn’t call it a minivan then....they could try to do it up VW style somehow.......

[Paolino]

On 9/24/2018 at 11:29 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

Na, they're trying to make Alfa into a sexy Italian built to fight Germans on the 'Ring..... an Electric mini-van isn't the way to do that. 

That's right, because Mercedes would never build a minivan... they'd make their "Sports Activity Vehicle"...