The Chrysler brand is in dire straits right now as its product lineup has dwindled to a single product, the venerable, but long-in-the-tooth, Pacifica van. The legendary Mopar brand was optimistic about its future in recent years, announcing a move to all-electric luxury vehicles by 2028. Now, with that deadline just three years away, the company is reportedly shelving its development of production-intent vehicles. According to Mopar Insiders a Chrysler employee sent an email to suppliers of the Airflow battery-electric vehicle (code named C6X) announcing it had “been put on hold until further notice.” So what the heck are they going to sell?
The e-mail received by Mopar Insiders reads as follows:
“Dear Supplier,
The C6X (CA) program has been put on hold until further notice. Therefore, any spending associated with this program should be suspended immediately. Please contact [redacted] at [redacted]@stellantis.com if you have any questions.
Effective dates 01/06/2025 to 01/31/2025.”
The Airflow concept was unveiled, looking pretty much ready for showrooms, at the CES show in Las Vegas back in 2022. Originally it was supposed to debut by 2024, but it was sent back to the drawing board just before its planned sell-by date. Chrysler saw the writing on the wall that the ancient 300 would be exiting production and it desperately needed (and needs) something to fill the void. The Airflow was intended to ride on the STLA Large battery-electric platform used by the current electric Dodge Charger and Jeep Wagoneer S, but it’s still not here. The void has arrived and Chrysler has nothing to fill it.
Suspended doesn’t necessarily mean canceled, but it’s not far off. This car probably should have been in showrooms already if Chrysler had any chance of long-term survival, so to delay it even by a year could be the final nail in Chrysler’s Stellantis brand coffin. The company’s sales in the U.S. were down seven percent over 2024, and the future isn’t looking any brighter. Once a juggernaut of a global brand, Chrysler is a shadow of its former self and without the Airflow, I don’t know when (or if) it’ll find success again.