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Chrysler Halcyon.

The Chrysler Halcyon concept hints at a potential successor to the Chrysler 300 sedan.

The conceptual electric fastback Chrysler Halcyon is based on the STLA Large modular platform, on which the Stellantis corporation is preparing a whole brood of various production models of classes D and E under the Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Maserati brands.

Chrysler is the most problematic brand in the Stellantis corporation in terms of image: in the period from the early 1930s to approximately the mid-1970s, Chrysler cars were considered prestigious and competed with Cadillac and Lincoln.

But then borrowed platforms and the expansion of the model range towards small budget cars blurred Chrysler’s audience, and it became not very clear who this brand was for.

Today, Chrysler’s meager lineup consists of various versions of the Pacifica family minivan.

Production of the large Chrysler 300 sedan ended late last year, and there is no successor yet.

For the last couple of years, Stellantis management has been trying to find a new market niche for Chrysler — perhaps they will try to make the brand prestigious again, which is clearly hinted at by the high-tech Halcyon concept presented today (the name translates into Russian as “kingfisher”).

But this will be quite problematic in light of Chrysler’s last place in the latest J.D. reliability rating. Power.

The Chrysler Halcyon is a large electric passenger car with an almost single-volume wedge-shaped silhouette.

It is based on the STLA Large modular platform introduced last month.

The advanced 800-volt lithium-sulfur battery promises long service life and range on a single charge, and the integrated SAE Level 4 autopilot allows the driver to remove the steering wheel, recline the seat and admire the starry sky through the transparent roof.

The Halcyon body does not have B-pillars; the front and rear doors open in different directions, forming huge common doorways.

In addition, the side sections of the roof rise up for ease of landing.

It’s interesting that similar doors and rising roof sections are already available in serial electric vehicles of the Chinese brand HiPhi, while Chrysler is still only dreaming about them.

The interior of the concept, with four individual seats, is decorated with various types of environmentally friendly materials: for example, the logos on the door sills are made from end-of-life shredded CDs.

The second-row seats can be stowed in the trunk so that the front occupants can take a horizontal position and take a nap on the road while the autopilot drives the car.

All windows, including the windshield, can be darkened in autopilot mode to create the most intimate atmosphere in the cabin. Artificial intelligence will select the appropriate music and lighting score for the environment.

If the Chrysler Halcyon does turn into a production model, it will have a much more ordinary interior, and the exterior will most likely have to be redone—it’s unlikely that the luxurious windshield with the lower edge at the level of the riders’ knees will survive to the assembly line.

Nevertheless, we are looking forward to the new flagship sedan from Chrysler, as well as other new products — we would like this well-deserved brand to not fold and become successful again.