Stellantis NV’s new $70 billion turnaround blueprint includes a flurry of new and redesigned vehicles that the automaker aims to launch in the United States by 2030, including a small Ram pickup, a Dodge “hyper muscle car” and a trio of Chrysler crossovers.
Stellantis will lean even more into making brawny gas-powered muscle cars, SUVs and trucks that bring fat profit margins in the next few years, executives said, but also prioritize several cheaper and smaller vehicles in response to customer affordability concerns. It plans to bring 11 new vehicles to the North American market by 2030 in a bid to increase sales of its four American brands by 35% over 2025 levels.
In the U.S., the new strategy outlined by CEO Antonio Filosa includes a majority of new investments channeled to the automaker’s two biggest and most profitable brands, Ram and Jeep. Yet the plan, called FASTLANE2030, also offers clarity at last on a new path for Chrysler and Dodge, whose model lineups withered in recent years.
“The plan was very simple: product, product, product, going into segments that we’re not in today, and going into parts of the market, from a price (point), that we don’t compete in today,” said Tim Kuniskis, the Ram CEO who also oversees the automaker’s other American brands.
Investors and journalists got a peak at a few dozen cars during an event Thursday at the automaker’s headquarters and tech center in Auburn Hills, including several new models headed to the U.S. market by 2030. Pictures weren’t allowed, and executives mostly wouldn’t discuss specific launch timing.
Three Chrysler crossovers
Chrysler will anchor the automaker’s affordability push with three new crossovers starting under $40,000, and two of those starting in the $25,000 range, finally building out the brand’s model lineup beyond the Pacifica minivan. With the new additions, the brand is targeting 60% sales growth by 2030.
One addition is the midsize Airflow, which Stellantis teased in the past. Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles said it has the space of a Toyota RAV-4, but sits lower to the ground and offers better aerodynamics.
The two smaller and cheaper offerings are called Arrow and Arrow Cross. They are slight variants of models sold by Fiat in Europe, executives said. The Arrow version has fastback coupe styling, while the Arrow Cross profile carries a more traditional SUV shape.
“You see what’s going on in this country with gas prices, right?” said Gilles. “So this car is ready for that, that practical customer who has maybe more money, but they don’t want to spend it on a car. This is all they need.”
Dodge hatchback, ‘hyper muscle car’
Dodge plans to launch a four-door “muscle” hatchback called the GLH, which stands for “Go Like Hell.” It will cater to a younger demographic with a lower price point but still pack lots of horsepower, executives said. Gilles indicated it would have all-wheel-drive variants and an SRT trim with even more power.
“A lot of kids are buying older (hatchbacks) from the ’80s and ’90s, because that’s what they’re looking for — a very back-to-basics, but a lot of personality, a lot of capability,” he said.
Executives also showed the redesigned Durango SUV, scheduled to start production in 2029 at the Detroit Assembly Complex-Jefferson. It offered a similar but somewhat sleeker look as the current version.
The most showy sneak-peek Thursday was the Dodge Copperhead SRT, a high-powered halo sports car for a brand that hasn’t sold that type of vehicle since the Viper. It emerged, as music blared, from a cloud of fake smoke. The “hyper muscle car” model, as executives labeled it, appeared to be a mock-up but had a massive wing, big vents on the sides, and a hood scoop.
Stellantis hopes to grow Dodge’s sales by 10% in 2030 over recent levels.
Ram’s compact pickup
Ram leaders have talked for awhile about the plan to launch a new midsize truck for the 2027 model year. But on Thursday, executives unveiled a plan to also release an even smaller pickup in the North American market to compete with Ford Motor Co.’s highly successful Maverick.
Gilles said the Rampage has already found sales success in South America after launching there three years ago.
“This thing is battle tested, ready to go,” he said. “We’re basically duplicating it for the U.S. market with minor changes for U.S. lighting and bumper (standards), and away we go.”
Kuniskis said Ram had previously considered bringing the Rampage to the U.S. market after it launched in South America, but the company ran into hurdles updating the truck to comply with U.S. regulations. In the meantime, Ram opted to place more of its focus on developing the all-new midsize truck.
“But if you look in the marketplace now, affordability and everything that’s going on, we’re like, ‘Hey, we need to put this thing back on the front burner and bring it in,'” Kuniskis said. “Because the car’s there, the bones are done, we just need to federalize it, obviously change it a little bit, but it’s not a hard thing to do.”
Kuniskis wouldn’t say exactly when the Rampage would be available, or its price point, only that the company is “fast-forwarding” its work to bring the truck to the American market.
Stellantis also showed off the new Dakota midsize truck, which will be built at the Toledo Assembly Complex alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator. The automaker hopes it can take on similarly-sized competitors such as the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger.
“This segment is booming,” Gilles said. “We’re a little late to the party, to be honest, but we’re leveraging the Wrangler-Gladiator platform with a wider cab.”
Also coming for Ram in the next couple years: its first SUV, called the Ramcharger, taking aim at full-sized competitors like the GMC Yukon; a fully-redesigned heavy-duty truck lineup; and its first range-extended pickup truck featuring both a large battery and an onboard gas generator to recharge while driving.
With all the new and refreshed products, Ram aims to grow sales 60% by 2030, the automaker says.
Jeep’s new Compass, gas-powered Recon and Scrambler
Jeep’s lineup will transform over the next handful of years. It’s releasing several new models, and overhauling the compact Compass SUV, the Wrangler and Gladiator off-roaders, and others, in a bid to grow sales by 15% over the next five years.
One surprising all-new model that Stellantis promised will come to market: the Wrangler Scrambler, which looks more like a wild concept car than a production vehicle. The model on display Thursday appeared something like a two-door Wrangler on steroids; Gilles described it as a “semi-pickup truck” that would be the “ultimate off-road machine.” Other executives also struggled to categorize it.
“It’s a love letter to the enthusiast community,” Gilles said.
Jeep is coming out with the off-roading focused electric Recon SUV later this year, and executives confirmed this week that a gas-powered version is set to arrive next year.
“I think this will give Rivian a headache, I really do,” Gilles said.
The off-road brand also promises that a refreshed Compass is coming shortly; a version on display appeared to share plenty of styling cues with the new Cherokee that hit the market several months ago.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Rampage, Arrow, GLH: Details on all the upcoming Stellantis models
Reporting by Luke Ramseth, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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