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If you are unaware, Chrysler is down to basically one van to sell. Do you think they can rise back up or should they fold? What solutions would you have to fix things?
IMHO, I think several things should happen at Stellantis to help the Chrysler nameplate. First, the division has been allowed to lose its former upmarket-status too much (after all, it was once a strong competitor to Buick, Oldsmobile, and Mercury), but is now basically looked at as a mainstream-minivan company in competition with the Sienna, Odyssey, and Carnival....that needs to be addressed. Second, give the lower-line Voyager version of the minivan back to Dodge and rename it Caravan, where, IMO, it should have stayed all along. Third, IMO, the Jeep Division is currently selling too many different vehicles (especially upmarket vehicles) under the Jeep nameplate......I would consider shifting the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer to the Chrysler nameplate and bringing back a couple of retro names....Town and Country and Imperial. The base Wagoneer would be re-named Chrysler Town and Country, and the Grand Wagoneer would be the Chrysler Imperial.....competing with the long-wheelbase Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Jeep has such a strong customer base (it is basiclally a cult-brand) that the loss of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer probably wouldn't hurt it very much at all. The idea of a 100K+ Jeep product, IMHO, probably doesn't make as much sense as a 100K+ Imperial, which would be more fitting. And, besides, the core of the Jeep crowd is more attracted to the Wrangler, Compass, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee (and the Gladiator, but in smaller numbers) than to the big Grand Wagoneer.
I parked next to a Grand Wagoneer last night, and, my Gosh, is that thing huge. It looked (virtually) the size of the old Ford Excursion. Chrysler Imperial would be the perfect name for for it....in the 60s and 70s, until its demise, the Imperial was physically the largest and longest of the three American classic luxury-cars......Cadillac, Lincoln, and Imperial.
Last edited by mmarshall; Mar 20, 2026 at 10:58 AM.
The Division (and nameplate) traces itself back more than a full century....to the early 1920s, and Walter P. Chrysler.
Walt Chrysler, for a time, worked for David Dunbar Buick in the original Buick Motor Company, which became part of GM, but, then, after a dispute, left and started his own firm....the rest is history.
Last edited by mmarshall; Mar 20, 2026 at 10:52 AM.
They don't need to turn "Chrysler" around. With Stellantis, at least the original Chrysler nameplates, they all operate out of the same dealers what brand name is on them doesn't really matter. No additional cost/overhead whether its a "Chrysler" or a "Dodge" or a "Jeep" or a "Ram".
They don't need to turn "Chrysler" around. With Stellantis, at least the original Chrysler nameplates, they all operate out of the same dealers what brand name is on them doesn't really matter. No additional cost/overhead whether its a "Chrysler" or a "Dodge" or a "Jeep" or a "Ram".
Mike does have a point with this thread. Serious consideration has been made at Stellantis to dropping the Chrysler nameplate, just as Plymouth and Eagle were dropped years ago. I myself don't want to see the Chrysler nameplate go...we've already lost too many of its once-competing nameplates, like Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Mercury. Only Buick and Chrysler remain in that once-thriving section of the mid-priced American-brand market....and Buick itself is down to only four models, all crossovers.
Last edited by mmarshall; Mar 20, 2026 at 03:14 PM.
Mike does have a point with this thread. Serious consideration has been made at Stellantis to dropping the Chrysler nameplate, just as Plymouth and Eagle were dropped years ago. I myself don't want to see the Chrysler nameplate go...we've already lost too many of its once-competing nameplates, like Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Mercury. Only Buick and Chrysler remain in that once-thriving section of the mid-priced American-brand market....and Buick itself is down to only four models, all crossovers.
As long as people are still buying the Pacifica, I see no reason to drop it. The Pacifica doesn't really fit into any other nameplate.
As long as people are still buying the Pacifica, I see no reason to drop it. The Pacifica doesn't really fit into any other nameplate.
I'm not saying drop it....did you see my opening post? My suggestion was to transfer the Voyager name to Dodge (Caravan), and keep the Pacifica as a Chrysler. Also to transfer the Jeep Wagoner and Grand Wagoneer to the Chrysler nameplate, as the Town & Country and Imperial.
I'm not saying drop it....did you see my opening post? My suggestion was to transfer the Voyager name to Dodge (Caravan), and keep the Pacifica as a Chrysler. Also to transfer the Jeep Wagoner and Grand Wagoneer to the Chrysler nameplate, as the Town & Country and Imperial.
But why? Its all one company the nameplates don't mean anything. All sold out of the same dealers with the same staff...makes no difference. Chrysler doesn't "need" models to support dealers etc.
The Grand Wagoneer wouldn't have the same appeal if it was a "Chrysler" which has no brand cache whereas Jeep does. Nobody cares about the name "Town & Country" or "Imperial"....nobody younger than 65 anyways. To me Town & Country vans are the ugly wood sided minivans our weird aunt drove and the Imperial...I'm 44 and I BARELY have any memory of any vehicle on the road as a Imperial...and any memory I have is not a positive memory. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer however has a lot of positive connotation, they're cool as classics and still sought after etc.
Chrysler should just pass on when the Pacifica is done, but as long as there is a Pacifica no reason for it to die.
But why? Its all one company the nameplates don't mean anything. All sold out of the same dealers with the same staff...makes no difference. Chrysler doesn't "need" models to support dealers etc.
The Grand Wagoneer wouldn't have the same appeal if it was a "Chrysler" which has no brand cache whereas Jeep does. Nobody cares about the name "Town & Country" or "Imperial"....nobody younger than 65 anyways. To me Town & Country vans are the ugly wood sided minivans our weird aunt drove and the Imperial...I'm 44 and I BARELY have any memory of any vehicle on the road as a Imperial...and any memory I have is not a positive memory. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer however has a lot of positive connotation, they're cool as classics and still sought after etc.
Chrysler should just pass on when the Pacifica is done, but as long as there is a Pacifica no reason for it to die.
Well, I was only responding to Mike's original question on what we think should be done to try and keep the Chrysler nameplate alive. Otherwise, yes, it could (?) very well go the way of Plymouth and Eagle. Besides, it usually doesn't really matter what we think here on the forums......these kind of decisions are usually made in corporate boardrooms.
There are, of course, some exceptions. For example, in one of my threads, ....we recently discussed what happened at Ford when they tried to replace the Mustang with the Probe. There, the rebelling public DID make a difference.
Honestly I don't see much in Chrysler worth saving. If you ask yourself "what is a Chrysler?" you get an image of what, a pseudo luxury rental car? Been that way for a long time. Reversing over 40 years of negative brand image isn't even worth attempting when they have Jeep, RAM and Dodge which all have their own selling propositions.
Can Chrysler Turn it Around?
