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Chrysler Should Have Brought The Airflow Graphite To Market!

Chrysler's Airflow Graphite Concept Looks Good On Display In Detroit, Despite Not Going Forward With Its Design...

As the auto industry shifts towards electrification, Stellantis (FCA US, LLC) has been actively promoting a range of all-electric vehicles over the past couple of years. However, to date, none have reached the market. One of the more promising models was the Chrysler Airflow Graphite Concept, unveiled in New York in April 2022.

This concept followed the Airflow Concept, showcased at CES in early 2022. It came a few months after the announcement that Chrysler would transition to an all-electric brand by the mid-2020s, raising questions about the future of this beloved blue-collar luxury brand after the discontinuation of the Chrysler 300 by year-end, leaving only the Pacifica minivan in its 2024 lineup. This is a significant shift from the nine nameplates it had in 2007.

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Earlier this year, Ralph Gilles, Head of Stellantis Design, mentioned on Instagram that the Chrysler Airflow Concept wouldn’t make it into production in its current form. He stated, “The Airflow was just the beginning of the story, a North star type of concept embodying a myriad of concepts we are cooking up with the extended and now even more capable Stellantis apparatus!” Gilles further added, “Along with electrification, we explored advanced infotainment, whole life connectivity, sustainable cabin materials, while, as its namesake underscores…explored the fusion of attractive bodywork versus aerodynamics, exploring fully automated and assisted driving configurations.”

Despite the significant investment and buzz around the Airflow Concept, this was disheartening news for Chrysler enthusiasts who were hoping for a new product from the automaker, especially considering that the last all-new product, the Pacifica, made its debut in 2016 as a 2017 model.

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To everyone’s surprise, during a visit to the Stellantis exhibit at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the Chrysler display featured only four items: a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Touring-L, the impressive Chrysler 300C, the Chrysler Synthesis demonstrator from CES earlier that year, and the Chrysler Airflow Graphite Concept.

Boasting a Galaxy Black exterior with Cyprus Copper accents both inside and out, the latest Airflow Graphite appears more refined than its competitors and seems poised to compete with vehicles from Tesla rather than Ford and General Motors (GM). The Cyprus Copper accents enhance the top of the panoramic glass roof as well as select surfaces of the 22-inch wheels, lending the vehicle a much more upscale appearance.

Built on the STLA Large architecture, which will underpin several new vehicles, including the next-gen Dodge Charger, Jeep® Recon, and Wagoneer S, the Airflow features an elegant, clean D-segment crossover body that accommodates five passengers and offers weather-capable all-wheel drive (AWD). It is powered by two 150 kW (201 horsepower) electric drive motors (EDMs), one in the front and one in the rear, resulting in a combined output of 402 horsepower. Chrysler stated that the Airflow Concept could achieve a maximum range of up to 400 miles on a single charge.

While I lean towards plug-in hybrids rather than all-electric vehicles, the Airflow is undeniably breathtaking in person. Compared to other American brands that have produced products directly competing with the Airflow, Airflow would have stood out.

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Chevrolet’s new Blazer EV appears more reminiscent of something from a Korean automaker with its edgy styling. The Blazer EV offers only 320 miles of range in a 5-passenger crossover with an AWD layout, similar to the Airflow. A high-performance model, the Blazer SS EV, is in production, boasting 557 horsepower and capable of a mid-4-second 0 to 60 mph time. However, the Blazer EV has faced controversy, as with all-electric vehicles and growing inflation, the initially announced price has risen by $11,000 over what was initially communicated to customers, placing the new entry-level model at a starting price of $53,195.

On the other hand, Ford, which produces a similarly laid-out vehicle under the Mustang name – the Mustang Mach-E, introduced a new performance model in Detroit. The Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is the first-ever rally-inspired EV from Ford, entering a new segment of the market. It features a tuned version of the Mustang Mach-E GT powertrain, with a two-motor layout targeting at least 650 lb.-ft. of torque and 480 horsepower. The Rally is more focused on performance than efficiency, offering a range of just 250 miles from a 91 kWh usable lithium-ion battery. It includes a raised and tuned MagneRide suspension, Oxford White 19-inch alloy wheels, a dramatic rear spoiler, underbody shielding, and a purposeful front fascia housing LED fog lamps to set itself apart from other Mach-E models.

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The standard Mustang Mach-E boasts a range of 312 miles with AWD and starts at around $43,000. However, this price can easily climb to over $60,000 if you opt for the GT model. With the GT model, you gain significantly more power, achieving a 0 to 60 time of 3.8 seconds, but the range drops to just 270 miles.

It would have been wonderful to see the Airflow progress into production, particularly in a form close to the Airflow Graphite. The concept introduced new design elements, including a new winged Chrysler badge, and overall appeared very production-ready. Now, if Stellantis could only bring some form of all-electric vehicle to the market beyond the Fiat 500e city car in the North American market, the industry might start taking the Chrysler brand seriously once again.

Robert S. Miller

Robert S. Miller is a diehard Mopar enthusiast who lives and breathes all that is Mopar. The Michigander is not only the Editor for MoparInsiders.com, 5thGenRams.com, and HDRams.com but an automotive photographer. He is an avid fan of offshore powerboat racing, which he travels the country to take part in.

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I feel like the general disdain of electric vehicles stems from a few basic things. Beyond the basic human resistance to change I feel like a lack of understanding of EVs, Our introduction into EVs and the way EVs are being pushed into the market/ the timing and global climate with how things are going in the world right now. For a lot of us, when the term EV comes to mind, we think of Tesla vehicles catching on fire and all of the terrible shortcoming that the brand has along with their fast, but characterless vehicles and their minimalistic interiors and jellybean shapes. That along with the thoughts of costly repairs of battery packs and electric motors and systems coupled with charging times, the power grid and everything else all paint EVs in a bad light. On top of that, you have the traditional enthusiast groups who naturally are all about ICE vehicles and then the ones who are specifically all about the glory that a V8 is. The stimulating feel & the romantic, euphoric, soul stirring sound of a pushrod American V8 that is unmatched by any other powertrain and can never be replaced is a stark contrast from disconnected feeling that you get from operating an electric vehicle, or as I used to call them, transportation appliances. But the truth is, EVs are evolving and not just in the AI Skynet-type, I-Robot context of autonomy and big brother's always watching through your connected technology type of way. EVs are becoming more normal and somewhat more organic than the basic single speed minimalistic vehicles that we think of. EVs are all in motorsports, and are being tuned and modified just like what we do with our ICE cars. I think once EV drivetrains evolve to more than two-speed gearboxes to four and even five speed Dual Clutch-type gear boxes, a bit of that organic feeling along with extended range will help EVs in major ways. Not only that but also improvements in EV battery technology in aspects of having replaceable parts that potentially cut down repair costs along with better materials that are non-flammable will help to make the EV market more attractive. As far as repairs go, as a person who works in the auto industry at a car dealership in the parts department, I see alot of major vehicle components get ordered under some kind of factory warranty or extended warranty or some kind of service contract, meaning that for the first 5-10 years of that vehicle's life. most powertrain systems will be covered under warranty anyway. The items that mostly get replaced on vehicles now days anyway outside of most warranties are suspension parts, brake system parts, coolant system/HVAC parts and electrical parts such as switches and things of that nature. With EVs, there are definitely less moving parts but there are still serviceable parts of an electric motor along with serviceable parts in the multi-speed gearboxes. The main issue that really leaves is charging. As technology has improved over the last few years, the amount of time it takes to charge a car had decreased. While people are concerned about the power grid, the truth is that not everyone will be charging their cars at the same time but there will need to be some changes made in order to keep up with the 20%-50% demand increase that switching to EVs will incur. Whether it be more people converting their homes to solar energy, or creating solar powered charging stations in malls and shopping centers and places like that, which would offset the energy drained from the power grid and contribute to that cleaner energy/reduced carbon footprint the EPA is striving for. The only place that should really have any issue with EVs are the Urban areas that don't have driveways and garages and have to rely on street parking with limited space. But making every single super-market parking lot, mall parking lot, parking garage or metered parking spot a solar powered charging station, you reduce the amount of charging issues and it keeps the world moving faster.
As far as Stellantis, North America vehicles, in my opinion, Anything built on the STLA Large & STLA Frame platform either ICE, Hybrid or EV will have immense potential. Whether it be full ICE Hurricane powertrains, Hybrid Hurricane/EV powertrains & 4Xe powertrains with the 2.0L Hybrid powertrain or full on BEV powertrains, everything on this platform has the potential to be epic! What is crazy to me is the infinite potential Stellantis has with the Mopar brands all the way around and the fact that they don't even try to tap into it. Granted the brands need a bit of repurposing, (mainly Chrysler and Jeep) There is no reason why this brand should be going through this much drama with their car market. Dodge should always be a car brand for the masses, that's plain and simple. From your everyday cars to the monster muscle cars, Dodge should always be the brand for the people. Jeep needs to go back to being Jeep. Beyond the Wrangler and the upcoming Recon, nothing else with a Jeep nameplate represents Jeep in any way shape or form. The current Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer and Wagoneer S are all Chryslers, why? because they are luxury vehicles. There is no way in the world I would take vehicles that beautiful and take them off road. Not at all. To be honest, the Ram TRX is more Jeep than anything Jeep has out there. The Ram Rebel is more Jeep than any Jeep brand vehicle. Obviously I'm not including the Wrangler and Rubicon but those two trucks embody the off road prowess that the Jeep brand was all about. The Cherokee, the Renegade and any other little "Jeep" are nothing more than todays versions of the Neon and the Stratus. Jeep would actually benefit from being a Wrangler and truck brand with the Gladiator, a Jeep J10 (Rebel/TRX) & a Jeep J20 (Power Wagon/ Rebel HD) should literally be what makes up the Jeep brand lineup. Bring Ram back under the Dodge umbrella and focus in on street performance trucks, general pickup trucks, work trucks and luxury trucks. A Vehicle designed like the Airflow on the STLA platform along with a Dodge counterpart would literally make up the bulk of STLA North America sales because it's a mid-size sedan like crossover which works in so many different ways. Honestly, when you really look at it, Hatchback, Station Wagons, Crossovers, SUVS, and trucks would literally make Stellantis N/A everything they need to be. No coupes, no sedans, just hatchbacks, Wagons, Crossovers, full size SUVs and trucks (sub-compact, compact, full size, HD). With Dodge resurrecting the Hornet Name from AMC, an STLA Medium Gremlin and Gremlin X shouldn't be out of the question and with GLH returning, there's the Dodge Omni right there. Fun, hot hatches that can offer room and excitement with the 1.3L Hybrid powertrain from the Hornet R/T or an high powered EV powertrain. Two and four door options, and enough power to go head to head with the Ioniq-5 N would make these cars an absolute blast. Not to mention there were more than enough cool Mopar muscle wagons around in the '60's and early '70's that could truly fit right in at home today on the roads with all of the low-riding performance crossovers that are coming out now and not to mention the potential for so many other names besides the Charger, Challenger and 300. The Coronet, Monaco, & Satellite (which definitely has the look that inspired the entire SRT Hellcat front end styling to begin with, all had wagon variants and all came with the Muscle car V8 engines of their day, which means that their modern counterparts could (and should) carry the Hurricane (hurricane hybrid) and EV powertrains that we are moving towards. Chrysler could easily incorporate any of the Plymouth names to some luxury muscle offerings along with switching the Grand Wagoneer/Wagoneer over to the Chrysler Imperial & Chrysler New Yorker, the Wagoner-S= Chrysler Fury Gran Coupe, the Grand Cherokee= Chrysler Fury Sport, a Tesla fighting 300M all electric vehicle, the Chrysler Airflow and maybe one or two others such as a new Pacifica & an all new state-of -the art Chrysler Town and Country, because what's wrong with reinventing the minivan with a landaulet top, and sliding rear doors like the new Toyota Century with a more SUV style look to it with Hurricane and EV power and the interior luxuries of reclining, massaging heated and cooled seats, comfortable spacing and seating for seven people and cargo space along with it? To me, there is nothing wrong with the brand taking new directions. It's supposed to. It's not supposed to stay stagnant. Dodge can still offer crazy horsepower, customizable styling and performance in new and different packages and still have SRT and Direct Connection giving us all that we want in the way of satisfying the enthusiasts market, Chrysler could really be an American luxury brand and Jeep can always wow it's segment with vehicles that can be everyday livable all-terrain vehicles with hybrid, ICE and full BEV powertrains. As dismal as things have been for Stellantis North America lately, there is still so much potential for this brand.

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Architecture the concept is built on has already been evolved so its concept to production needs to evolve to make sense on upcoming capacity.

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I feel like the general disdain of electric vehicles stems from a few basic things. Beyond the basic human resistance to change I feel like a lack of understanding of EVs, Our introduction into EVs and the way EVs are being pushed into the market/ the timing and global climate with how things are going in the world right now. For a lot of us, when the term EV comes to mind, we think of Tesla vehicles catching on fire and all of the terrible shortcoming that the brand has along with their fast, but characterless vehicles and their minimalistic interiors and jellybean shapes. That along with the thoughts of costly repairs of battery packs and electric motors and systems coupled with charging times, the power grid and everything else all paint EVs in a bad light. On top of that, you have the traditional enthusiast groups who naturally are all about ICE vehicles and then the ones who are specifically all about the glory that a V8 is. The stimulating feel & the romantic, euphoric, soul stirring sound of a pushrod American V8 that is unmatched by any other powertrain and can never be replaced is a stark contrast from disconnected feeling that you get from operating an electric vehicle, or as I used to call them, transportation appliances. But the truth is, EVs are evolving and not just in the AI Skynet-type, I-Robot context of autonomy and big brother's always watching through your connected technology type of way. EVs are becoming more normal and somewhat more organic than the basic single speed minimalistic vehicles that we think of. EVs are all in motorsports, and are being tuned and modified just like what we do with our ICE cars. I think once EV drivetrains evolve to more than two-speed gearboxes to four and even five speed Dual Clutch-type gear boxes, a bit of that organic feeling along with extended range will help EVs in major ways. Not only that but also improvements in EV battery technology in aspects of having replaceable parts that potentially cut down repair costs along with better materials that are non-flammable will help to make the EV market more attractive. As far as repairs go, as a person who works in the auto industry at a car dealership in the parts department, I see alot of major vehicle components get ordered under some kind of factory warranty or extended warranty or some kind of service contract, meaning that for the first 5-10 years of that vehicle's life. most powertrain systems will be covered under warranty anyway. The items that mostly get replaced on vehicles now days anyway outside of most warranties are suspension parts, brake system parts, coolant system/HVAC parts and electrical parts such as switches and things of that nature. With EVs, there are definitely less moving parts but there are still serviceable parts of an electric motor along with serviceable parts in the multi-speed gearboxes. The main issue that really leaves is charging. As technology has improved over the last few years, the amount of time it takes to charge a car had decreased. While people are concerned about the power grid, the truth is that not everyone will be charging their cars at the same time but there will need to be some changes made in order to keep up with the 20%-50% demand increase that switching to EVs will incur. Whether it be more people converting their homes to solar energy, or creating solar powered charging stations in malls and shopping centers and places like that, which would offset the energy drained from the power grid and contribute to that cleaner energy/reduced carbon footprint the EPA is striving for. The only place that should really have any issue with EVs are the Urban areas that don't have driveways and garages and have to rely on street parking with limited space. But making every single super-market parking lot, mall parking lot, parking garage or metered parking spot a solar powered charging station, you reduce the amount of charging issues and it keeps the world moving faster.
As far as Stellantis, North America vehicles, in my opinion, Anything built on the STLA Large & STLA Frame platform either ICE, Hybrid or EV will have immense potential. Whether it be full ICE Hurricane powertrains, Hybrid Hurricane/EV powertrains & 4Xe powertrains with the 2.0L Hybrid powertrain or full on BEV powertrains, everything on this platform has the potential to be epic! What is crazy to me is the infinite potential Stellantis has with the Mopar brands all the way around and the fact that they don't even try to tap into it. Granted the brands need a bit of repurposing, (mainly Chrysler and Jeep) There is no reason why this brand should be going through this much drama with their car market. Dodge should always be a car brand for the masses, that's plain and simple. From your everyday cars to the monster muscle cars, Dodge should always be the brand for the people. Jeep needs to go back to being Jeep. Beyond the Wrangler and the upcoming Recon, nothing else with a Jeep nameplate represents Jeep in any way shape or form. The current Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer and Wagoneer S are all Chryslers, why? because they are luxury vehicles. There is no way in the world I would take vehicles that beautiful and take them off road. Not at all. To be honest, the Ram TRX is more Jeep than anything Jeep has out there. The Ram Rebel is more Jeep than any Jeep brand vehicle. Obviously I'm not including the Wrangler and Rubicon but those two trucks embody the off road prowess that the Jeep brand was all about. The Cherokee, the Renegade and any other little "Jeep" are nothing more than todays versions of the Neon and the Stratus. Jeep would actually benefit from being a Wrangler and truck brand with the Gladiator, a Jeep J10 (Rebel/TRX) & a Jeep J20 (Power Wagon/ Rebel HD) should literally be what makes up the Jeep brand lineup. Bring Ram back under the Dodge umbrella and focus in on street performance trucks, general pickup trucks, work trucks and luxury trucks. A Vehicle designed like the Airflow on the STLA platform along with a Dodge counterpart would literally make up the bulk of STLA North America sales because it's a mid-size sedan like crossover which works in so many different ways. Honestly, when you really look at it, Hatchback, Station Wagons, Crossovers, SUVS, and trucks would literally make Stellantis N/A everything they need to be. No coupes, no sedans, just hatchbacks, Wagons, Crossovers, full size SUVs and trucks (sub-compact, compact, full size, HD). With Dodge resurrecting the Hornet Name from AMC, an STLA Medium Gremlin and Gremlin X shouldn't be out of the question and with GLH returning, there's the Dodge Omni right there. Fun, hot hatches that can offer room and excitement with the 1.3L Hybrid powertrain from the Hornet R/T or an high powered EV powertrain. Two and four door options, and enough power to go head to head with the Ioniq-5 N would make these cars an absolute blast. Not to mention there were more than enough cool Mopar muscle wagons around in the '60's and early '70's that could truly fit right in at home today on the roads with all of the low-riding performance crossovers that are coming out now and not to mention the potential for so many other names besides the Charger, Challenger and 300. The Coronet, Monaco, & Satellite (which definitely has the look that inspired the entire SRT Hellcat front end styling to begin with, all had wagon variants and all came with the Muscle car V8 engines of their day, which means that their modern counterparts could (and should) carry the Hurricane (hurricane hybrid) and EV powertrains that we are moving towards. Chrysler could easily incorporate any of the Plymouth names to some luxury muscle offerings along with switching the Grand Wagoneer/Wagoneer over to the Chrysler Imperial & Chrysler New Yorker, the Wagoner-S= Chrysler Fury Gran Coupe, the Grand Cherokee= Chrysler Fury Sport, a Tesla fighting 300M all electric vehicle, the Chrysler Airflow and maybe one or two others such as a new Pacifica & an all new state-of -the art Chrysler Town and Country, because what's wrong with reinventing the minivan with a landaulet top, and sliding rear doors like the new Toyota Century with a more SUV style look to it with Hurricane and EV power and the interior luxuries of reclining, massaging heated and cooled seats, comfortable spacing and seating for seven people and cargo space along with it? To me, there is nothing wrong with the brand taking new directions. It's supposed to. It's not supposed to stay stagnant. Dodge can still offer crazy horsepower, customizable styling and performance in new and different packages and still have SRT and Direct Connection giving us all that we want in the way of satisfying the enthusiasts market, Chrysler could really be an American luxury brand and Jeep can always wow it's segment with vehicles that can be everyday livable all-terrain vehicles with hybrid, ICE and full BEV powertrains. As dismal as things have been for Stellantis North America lately, there is still so much potential for this brand.

Could not agree more, in fact my thinking too. Chrysler is luxury, period. Though the Airflow as a model is appropriate and possibly soon it seems, the styling is too generic to budget friendly imports and domestic economy boxes and should never be seen as a brand leader or theme.A next generation 300, possibly an Imperial spin off, with evolutionary styling changes from current 300, maintaining classic Chrysler styling, so damn distinctive and appealing, is required to relaunch the brand. That is something the Airflow,on so many levels, failed to accomplish. Thank God they realized this colossal mistake in time. Look back to the classic affordable and striking luxury of Chrysler’s storied past and not to cookie cutter appliances I say. Go back to go forward in Chrysler style guys.

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