Chrysler previews electric cars with radical super-saloon

Chrysler has revealed a futuristic super-saloon as a preview of its upcoming electric car line-up. 

The Stellantis-owned American brand, which currently sells only the Pacifica MPV, will completely reinvent itself for the EV era, ushering in a bold new design language alongside a raft of next-generation technologies, including high-level autonomy and advanced connectivity.

The new Halcyon concept bears absolutely no relation to any Chrysler model past or present, nor does it resemble the future-looking Airflow crossover concept that Chrysler revealed in 2022. Indeed, it’s unclear whether a production version of that EV is still on the cards.

Chrysler’s latest effort follows similarly conceived show cars from Stellantis sibling brands Peugeot, Lancia and Vauxhall as a vision of what can be achieved using Stellantis’s new STLA platforms and software architecture.

The Halcyon is based on the STLA Large platform, which will underpin eight production cars by 2026, including a new Chrysler – the positioning of which hasn’t yet been confirmed – in 2025.

Chrysler hasn’t confirmed precise technical specifications of the Halcyon, but STLA Large is designed to accommodate batteries sufficient for 500 miles of range and “extreme” powertrains that can deliver a car from 0-62mph in as little as 2.0sec. 

In this application, the Halcyon’s 800V batteries – said to have a 60% lower carbon footprint than ‘today’s best-in-class batteries’ because they don’t use nickel, cobalt or manganese – are claimed to support wireless charging on “specially equipped, dedicated road lanes”. 

This, Chrysler said, means the Halcyon theoretically has “an unlimited range” – although the technology is currently not in commercial use, so it has limited real-world implications.  

The Halcyon is designed more to showcase Chrysler’s design and sustainability ambitions as it eyes an all-electric line-up by 2028. 

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