Automotive News Canada - February 2022 - 12

12
* FEBRUARY 2022
Chrysler boss is betting on batteries
Yes, even minivans
are part of the plan
to reinvent, rebuild
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
CHRISTINE FEUELL, WHO
took over as CEO of' Chrysler
in September, has set a fresh
course for the century-old
Stellantis brand. She plans to
turn the vehicle lineup, including
its Ontario-made minivans,
battery-electric by 2028.
" We're setting the bar very
high
because we
know we
can achieve
it, " Feuell
said.
Along
with a freshened
version
of its
family hauler, Chrysler is working
on an electric SUV as well as
a crossover based on the Airflow
concept unveiled in January at
CES in Las Vegas. The tech-laden
concept, Feuell said, encapsulates
the wider direction for
the brand as it works to reinvent
itself and grow its lineup under
the Stellantis banner.
Currently, Chrysler sells
the 300 sedan and the Grand
Caravan and Pacifica minivans.
The change of direction might
also push Chrysler toward
the premium end of the market.
Only customers can decide
buyer to the Chrysler family.
... I think that gives us a really
good understanding of what
those battery-electric intenders
are going to be looking for.
Chrysler's Airflow concept, unveiled in January at CES in Las
Vegas, embodies where Chrysler is heading as it reinvents itself
and builds its lineup, Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell said.
FILE PHOTO
whether this is the case, Feuell
said, but the automaker has
" aspired to offer a number of
premium features and finishes "
in Airflow.
" At the same time, we realize
that vehicle prices have continued
to increase year over year,
and 2021 was no exception, "
Feuell said. " And so we're mindful
of being accessible to the
mainstream market. "
Feuell spoke with Automotive
News Canada about Chrysler's
new direction and what that
could mean for its Canadianmade
minivans.
ON WHY STELLANTIS IS
CHOOSING TO GO ELECTRIC
WITH CHRYSLER
The Pacifica plug-in hybrid
is attracting buyers who are
" a bit younger, a bit more
affluent, and we're seeing more
multicultural audiences, " said
Feuell. PHOTO: STELLANTIS
Chrysler has a history rooted
in innovation and advanced
technology. If you think about
how Dodge is positioned around
muscle cars, and Ram is definitely
that pickup brand, and
Jeep is that off-road brand, it
carves out a really nice space for
Chrysler to be that clean-mobility,
advanced-technology brand.
ON USING THE ONTARIO-MADE
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID AS A
SPRINGBOARD FOR THE AIRFLOW
It's a great transition from an
electrification standpoint. We've
learned a lot about the technology.
The type of buyer that we're
seeing [for] the Pacifica PHEV
product is a bit younger, a bit
more affluent, and we're seeing
more multicultural audiences.
So it's truly an incremental
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ON THE FUTURE OF THE MINIVAN
We see [the] minivan as being
a really core product for the
Chrysler brand. We invented the
category over 40 years ago. And
when we take a look at what the
future Pacifica will look like
when it's ready to be freshened,
we want to continue to transform
that segment in a really
meaningful and relevant way for
the market.
ON ATTRACTING YOUNGER BUYERS
One of the exciting things
about this Chrysler transformation
that we're embarking on is
the fact that most younger audiences
have no prior experience
with the Chrysler brand, which
means they don't really have a
firmly set opinion about it. ... As
many of these younger audiences
are moving into a family-life
stage, they're looking for a vehicle
that is clean, connected and
safe. And those are all three pillars
that have been very core to
the Chrysler brand.
ON THE TIMING OF BEING
ALL-ELECTRIC BY 2028
I feel like the biggest gap right
now is being able to overcome
... concerns about range, charge
time and charging accessibility,
and then also affordability. ... A
lot of these advanced-technology
products and battery-electric
vehicles are higher cost, and so
we're working through the business
equation on how we bring
these and democratize these
kinds of vehicles so that they are
affordable for the mainstream
market. - ANC
Feuell: Chrysler can
become " that clean-mobility,
advanced-technology brand "
for Stellantis.
PHOTO: STELLANTIS
Dealers ponder Chrysler's EV plan
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
CANADIAN RETAILERS
have few notes on the sleek
design of the Chrysler
Airflow electric crossover
concept, but some are a
bit more circumspect on
how it can burnish the
image of the century-old
brand.
Michael Wyant, COO of
the Wyant Group, which
operates 20 dealerships
in Western Canada, said
the Airflow looks " outstanding, "
but with it not
expected until 2025, it is
too early to say how it
will be received.
" I know [Chrysler
has] to get into this segment,
and they have to
get into it aggressively,
but I think it's a wait-andsee
if it's a right strategy
approach because the
Chrysler nameplate, it's
never been the upscale,
the higher end. "
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Alizadeh:
Chrysler for sure has what it
takes to make it work. "
Shahin Alizadeh, president
and CEO of Downtown Auto
Group Inc., which operates
seven dealerships in Toronto,
said Stellantis has done
a great job putting the
Jeep brand on more luxury
buyers' radar. He
suspects the same could
be done for Chrysler,
but it will mean reidentifying
buyers with the
brand.
Chrysler
will have to
reposition
the brand
with
buyers.
FILE PHOTO
Danny Diamantakos,
dealer principal at Peel
Chrysler-Fiat in the
Greater Toronto Area,
thinks with a " secondto-none "
design for the Airflow
that Chrysler can retool for the
premium end of the market.
" It has always been a competitive
segment, but I think
Wyant:
Taking a
wait-andsee
approach.
FILE
PHOTO
" I remember when I
was a kid in the '60s ...
that there was this perception
that the Chrysler
Imperial was the cat's
meow when it came to
the perception of luxury. "
Today, Chrysler
does not telegraph the
same message, he said.
On Chrysler's foray
into electrification before
the end of the decade,
the three dealers anticipate
their customers
will be ready. Along
with the Airflow, they
say an electric minivan
from the automaker that
pioneered the segment
would be a valuable addition.
" The
consumer's being led to
the EV segment, " Diamantakos
said. " Whether they like it or
not ... this is what's coming. "
- ANC
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Automotive News Canada - February 2022

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