Chrysler is one of America’s oldest automotive brands but has lacked a clear identity for some time. Once home to a full lineup of models, today it sells only the Pacifica minivan. That could be a problem… or a clean canvas for designers to use in creating a new vision.
Chrysler is treating its fading identity as a chance to remake itself. The company unveiled a design study it calls the Halcyon Concept, meant to show off “Chrysler’s fully electrified future vision that embraces sustainable design and full autonomy paired with personalized driving experiences.”
A concept car is rarely meant for production. Automakers use them to show off their ideas that may make it into more practical cars in the future.
The Halcyon Concept is both spectacular and disappointing in ways we’ll explore.
The spectacular
Outside
The Halycon Concept is a… low-slung sport sedan? It’s hard to decide because the car has four doors, but they’re unlike any you’ve opened before. They open barn-style with no pillar between, while T-top glass panels above rise like butterfly wings to expose the entire cabin.
It’s as sleek and angular as any supercar — you could probably convince someone this was an Aston Martin sketch. Wheels so large they nearly match the top of the doorline and low ground clearance only add to the impression an exotic brand designed this.
Inside
Four extremely thin seats built of sculptural hard pieces like 22nd-century Eames chairs define the interior. The rear seats, Chrysler says, retract into the trunk to create one flat load floor. The company calls this a “future vision of Stow ‘n Go seating,” drawing one unconvincing line from the Halcyon to the Pacifica.
The dashboard hosts a wide-stretch octagon that Chrysler calls a “reverse yoke” and a touchscreen in portrait orientation.
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Performance
Chrysler has released few performance details about the all-electric Halcyon. It notes that the car uses an 800-volt lithium-sulfur battery and can charge at a rate of up to 40 miles per minutes. Perhaps most notable is an ability to charge wirelessly while traveling on properly equipped roads with Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Capability.
Technology
Automakers sometimes use concept cars to float extraordinary technology ideas, knowing no one will ever test them.
Chrysler has three of them for the Halcyon Concept.
STLA Brain (STLA is the stock symbol for Chrysler parent company Stellantis
STLA,
) uses over-the-air updates to keep the car constantly evolving and artificial intelligence to diagnose problems and seek updates to fix them without a dealership visit.
STLA SmartCockpit integrates navigation, e-commerce, and other features through an AI-powered voice assistant.
And STLA AutoDrive is a Level 4 automation system – one that can fold away the pedals and steering wheel and drive for you on a known route. Chrysler says you won’t even need to watch where it’s going. It uses “a dimmable glass canopy and windshield that can turn opaque with seats laid back for a unique augmented-reality Stargazing Mode.”
Also see: The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan is a comfortable, spacious and safe family-hauler that saves on gas, too
The disappointing
It’s a remarkable package… but almost certainly a purely imaginary one.
Two years ago, Chrysler brought out an all-electric concept car meant to point the way toward future designs. The Chrysler Airflow Concept was much closer to a production car. It looked like something the company could realistically build and sell at an affordable price.
Last year, they pulled the plug on it. Under new leadership, Chrysler announced plans to scuttle the Airflow and introduce an alternative concept.
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If the Halcyon is the answer, it’s beautiful…but far less mature, almost certainly never headed for production, and filled with far-out ideas many years away from the market.
Chrysler dealers today have just one vehicle to sell. The brand recently ended production of its Chrysler 300 sedan (though dealers still have a healthy supply of them in stock). That leaves only the Pacifica to carry the Chrysler name.
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Chrysler has promised to go all-electric by 2028. The Airflow made many in the industry believe that the company had a clear, executable plan for getting there and would have a new product in stores soon.
The Halcyon is not nearly as far along in its development and not likely to result in a real car you can buy anytime soon.
This story originally ran on KBB.com.
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