Stellantis is getting ready to launch a slate of new vehicles — including some that were well-kept secrets until the automaker showed them to the news media.
On Thursday, May 21, during the company’s investor day, where future plans are revealed, Stellantis shared its goal to market 60 new and 50 refreshed vehicles by 2030 across the brand’s global portfolio. The automaker also said it would be redirecting 70% of funding mainly toward four key brands — Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Fiat — while using the other nameplates as regional players that will benefit from research and development into the main lines.
During the day, Stellantis allowed the news media into the design dome at its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, where Ralph Gilles, Stellantis’ chief design officer, walked reporters through 20 of those vehicles — most of which were previously unknown.
Some, like the punched-up Grand Wagoneer and a next-generation Dodge Durango, had previously been announced. But executives at Stellantis North American brands — Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram — offered a few surprises, including a brand new sports car from Dodge and a high-performance Jeep called the Scrambler.
While no cameras were allowed inside the design dome, here is what we saw and what we know about the next vehicles to come from Stellantis. Prices, release dates and full specifications are still unclear on many of the new cars.
Refreshed Chrysler Pacifica
Stellantis showed the new Chrysler Pacifica, which will remain the same under the hood but will look a little sharper.
The new Pacifica, which will now sport more aggressive front-end styling and a simplified Chrysler logo, is one of the few cars in the design dome on Thursday that had previously been announced and photographed.
Until Thursday, the Pacifca was the only vehicle in the Chrysler lineup. The base model Pacifica will start at $41,495.
New Chrysler Arrow and Arrow Cross
Two of the three new Chrysler vehicles will be rebadged Fiats, and the models are new for both brands. Stellantis Head of North American Operations Tim Kuniskis said these three cars will try to slot into the $25,000-35,000 range, making them more budget-friendly than some of the other Stellantis SUVS.
In the United States, Chrysler is launching the base-level Chrysler Arrow as a rebadged Fiat Grizzly — meaning the vehicle will be the same as the Fiat Grizzly, which will debut in the European market soon, but will be sold in the United States with Chrysler badging.
The Chrysler Arrow is a relatively straightforward SUV with four doors and a hatchback. The Chrysler Arrow Cross is slightly sportier is styling and will have a fastback, sleek back end, opposed to the standard Arrow’s boxier stance.
New Chrysler Airflow
Despite two rebadges for Chrysler, the engineers in Auburn Hills have fully designed a brand new vehicle — again an SUV — for the legendary Chrysler nameplate.
The Airflow, named in homage to the original Airflow built by Chrysler from 1934 to 1937, is a sleek SUV inspired by a concept vehicle unveiled four years ago. The current iteration of the car deviated slightly from the original concept vehicle.
Gilles, the design boss, said the car is “future proof” because it can house all three of Stellantis’ main powertrains: Fully electric, hybrid and internal combustion.
In the internal combustion version, Gilles said the company’s new Hurricane 4 turbocharged four-cylinder engine would fit right in. The new four-cylinder engine was designed for the next generation of Jeep Grand Cherokee (stay put, we saw that, too) and is currently manufactured at Stellantis’ Dundee Engine Plant. There also are plans to produce the engine in Kokomo, Indiana.
New Dodge Hellcat Charger SRT
Finally, after hinting at the possibility since announcing the vehicle, the next-generation Dodge Charger is confirmed to be getting a Hellcat engine.
The engine is a supercharged HEMI V-8 that puts out north of 700 horsepower. It has historically been Stellantis’ top-of-the-line, mass-produced performance engine and is a hallmark of the SRT (Street and Racing Technology) sub-brand that enthusiasts love. Previously, the new generation of Charger debuted as an EV, before rolling out in two output levels with the turbocharged Hurricane inline-6 engine.
The new Hellcat Charger shown to the press featured a new, aggressive hood scoop and front end, along with a tall Richard-Petty-Superbird-esque wing on the backend. Of course, it wore an SRT badge.
New Dodge GLH
Dodge is also getting an entry-level performance hatchback with a name hearkening back to years past.
The GLH (famously an abbreviation for “Goes Like Hell”) is going to be at the bottom of the Dodge lineup in terms of pricing, but Gilles expects it to maintain all of the high-performance energy for which Dodge is known.
Calling it the “evil brother” of the Chrysler Airflow, Gilles said the decision to bring back a hot-hatch was inspired by his observation that young car buyers are turning to the hot-hatches of the ’80s and ’90s (an era in which the GLH was a key player) instead of buying new cars.
Refreshed Dodge Durango
The preliminary Dodge Durango shown to the reporters offers fresh air to the Durango line, which has remained mostly unchanged for well over a decade.
On first glance, it did not appear that designers changed a lot about the popular three-row muscle SUV. The most noticeable difference was the new Durango will feature Dodge’s triangular “Fratzog” logo on the front end. The version in the design dome wore a 392 badge on the side, indicating it had a 392-cubic-inch HEMI V-8 under the hood.
But Gilles said the new Durango will, indeed, bring some significant changes.
“It’s pretty much an all-new Durango,” Gilles said.
New Dodge Copperhead
The Dodge Copperheard caused the most buzz of all the new vehicles announced on investor day.
It’s an all-new, two-door halo car, bearing an SRT badge and a seriously aggressive, Charger-inspired front end. The styling, the name Copperhead (originally used on a Viper sister concept car years ago) and even the serpentine creature on the badge harken to the iconic Dodge Viper, a V-10-powered roadster last built by Dodge in 2017.
Dodge did not issue specifics on price, powertrain or release date, though Kuniskis said the car was not a play for price-conscious buyers.
“Take my money, I must have that,” Kuniskis said of the type of buyers he is seeking to court with the Copperhead.
Refreshed Jeep Compass
Stellantis showed off a new Jeep Compass, which will feature boxier styling and a compact size.
Currently, Stellantis plans to build the Compass, which will sit near the bottom of the Jeep lineup in terms of price, at the long-idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.
New Jeep Recon
While the Jeep Recon has already been announced and is on its way to dealerships soon, Stellantis parked one in the design dome because it still had some news to make about the new off-roader.
After launching as an electric-only SUV, Jeep will soon be issuing an internal combustion version of the same vehicle, following the release trajectory of the Dodge Charger.
It is unclear when, exactly, the internal combustion Recon will make its way to showroom floors.
Refreshed Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler, one of the best-selling SUVs in North America, is getting a modest refresh.
The classic look of the Wrangler will remain, with a few tweaks here and there to liven it up. Jeep has already been on a blitz of launching new products, and has been issuing limited edition Wranglers each month since December in its 12-for-12 program.
Refreshed Jeep Gladiator
The new Gladiator, Jeep’s truck offering, will get a more agressive facelift, too.
The most notable change on the Gladiator will feature a new front end, seemingly inspired by some of the concept Jeeps the automaker has developed for its annual Easter Jeep Safari projects.
In its latest Easter Jeep Safari reveal, the automaker showed a concept Jeep called the “Anvil 715,” which featured a more aggressive snout on a Wrangler body. The Gladiator, it seems, is taking that front end in its refresh.
New Jeep SRT Scrambler
Jeep is also getting the SRT treatment.
Coming to the brand’s lineup is an SRT-badged, two-door off-roader called the Scrambler.
The vehicle has a truck bed and Wrangler styling, with Gilles saying it will have some crafty storage systems and plenty of room, despite having just two doors.
New Grand Cherokee Trailhawk
The Grand Cherokee, another popular Stellantis family SUV, is getting an off-road counterpart to wear the Trailhawk name.
The Trailhawk is a pretty standard new body kit on the recently refreshed Grand Cherokee, with tow hooks and some more aggressive styling to suggest trail capability.
Refreshed Grand Cherokee L
Along with the Trailhawk, the Grand Cherokee L will get a new front and back end, correcting what Gilles called a design mistake.
The “L” in the name is reserved for the Grand Cherokee with a slightly longer wheelbase, so this version of the car will be a bit larger than its counterparts in the standard and Trailhawk variants.
New Grand Wagoneer REV
Stellantis has already announced the Grand Wagoneer will be getting a range-extended version, though this was the first time it was shown in full. The body looks very similar to the internal combustion Grand Wagoneer, revealed last year.
Gilles said he expects the vehicle, with its luxury styling, to “be in rap music videos very soon.”
New Ram Ramcharger SUV
Ram, too, is getting a large, range-extended SUV to compete with Ford Motor Co.’s Expedition and General Motors’ Yukon.
The Ramcharger, a long, three-row SUV shown to the media in a red paint scheme, looked rugged, with a hood scoop on top.
The model shown to the press seemed to be a bit far from the production line, as the airhole on the hood scoop was covered by a sticker that looked like a grille, rather than a real grille.
New Ram 1500 REV
When Ram nixed its fully electric pickup truck — which never made it to production — it said it would instead be focusing all of its EV efforts into the range-extended Ram 1500 REV.
The new Ram 1500 REV has been photographed before and looks fairly similar to its gas-powered counterparts. The REV was previously called the Ramcharger, a name now given to the SUV after Ram canceled the all-electric pickup which was called the REV.
A range-extended vehicle, as opposed to a battery-powered electric vehicle, has both a gas-powered engine and a battery pack.
The Ram 1500 REV (and the Ramcharger) will use the battery to power the vehicle forward. It will drive and feel like an EV. However, an internal combustion engine powers the battery.
New Ram Dakota
Gilles said Ram was “a little late to the party, to be honest” in launching a midsize truck.
Nevertheless, the party is finally started.
The Ram Dakota will be the truckmaker’s midsize pickup to join Ford’s Ranger, Chevrolet’s Colorado, GMC’s Canyon and Toyota’s Tacoma in the segment. The Dakota, which has been talked about for years, should be released soon, executives said, as it is part of the brand’s plan to begin fighting back in the broader truck wars, though official dates for its release have continued to be delayed.
The Dakota carries on the name of the now-discontinued midsize Dodge Dakota.
New Ram Rampage
Along with the midsize Dakota, Ram is calling the Rampage to the big leagues of the pickup truck market.
Previously sold in South America, the Rampage is a small but “battle-tested” pickup, according to Gilles, who said the vehicle performed extremely well in the South American market.
The two new sizes of pickup will add to an already large Ram lineup of trucks, which was expanded on May 20 with the announcement of the Rumble Bee muscle trucks, a line of sporty, squat V-8-powered street trucks.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stellantis teased journalists with 20 new cars — here is what we saw
Reporting by Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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