Skip to main content

Dear Stellantis, I know you have a North American branding issue. Dodge and Jeep fans don’t want “eMuscle.” They want rumbling gas guzzlers for as long as possible. I’m a lifelong Mopar fan and enthusiastic about the electrification revolution. I’m here to tell you the answer has been in front of us all along: transform Chrysler into your North American EV brand. And there’s a historic reason this will work.

Walter P. Chrysler was the founder of DeSoto. But by the dawn of the 1930s, he knew the future would need an all-new type of car. He hired aviation experts, including Orville Wright, to test designs in a wind tunnel. The result was the Chrysler Airflow.

Promo photo of a 1934 Chrysler Airflow parked next to a train.
1934 Chrysler Airflow | Stellantis

He debuted the revolutionary new 1934 vehicle at the New York Auto Show. It was so divisive it won both “best looking” and “worst looking” vehicle at the show. It caused a sensation similar to today’s Tesla Cybertruck. In the end, it was a success and changed the shape of every vehicle to come afterward.

But that’s not all. It was Chrysler that continued to be the exciting “engineering-first” luxury brand for decades. It was Chrysler that debuted the hemispherical combustion head, still in use in Hemi engines to this day. it was Chrysler that leveraged the “Ram” air intake to break 300 horsepower and kick off the muscle car era.

For decades, Chrysler differentiated itself by being cutting edge, luxurious, and exciting. If you really wanted it all, you went with a Chrysler. If Chrysler was still guided by this ethos, it would be beating the Tesla Model S and Lucid at their own game.

Chrysler's 'Airflow' EV concept car at the Detroit auto show
2025 Chrysler Airflow concept | Henry Cesari via MotorBiscuit

In 2024, the only Chrysler left will the Pacific. And though a minivan, the PHEV Pacifica is an exciting package. It offers 32 miles of battery-only range and is one of the few vehicles that qualifies for the latest federal EV tax credit. And yes, Chrysler recently came out with a new “Airflow” concept car. But it wasn’t especially revolutionary. I think Chrysler could be much more.

Chrysler is where Stellantis should debut its new eMuscle powertrains. Instead of a “Charger Daytona” the first generation of the exciting new electric sports car should be a Chrysler. Dodge, Ram, and Jeep fans could enjoy internal combustion for as long as its allowed. And meanwhile, Stellantis could still pioneer the powertrains of the future and sell them in North America as Chryslers.

Learn more about the new Chrysler Airflow concept EV in the video below:

Best in Hybrids & Electrics
Avatar photo
Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.