Halcyon Concept Isn’t the Electric Chrysler We Want to See
Chrysler no longer makes the 300 sedan and only sells minivans. It’ll be the case throughout 2024 and much of 2025, before the brand launches its first fully electric vehicle, namely a crossover.
We know this upcoming EV will be different from the Airflow concept shown in 2022, and we hoped that the new concept debuting today would give us our best look yet at the production model, but Chrysler had other plans. What you’re seeing here is much farther down the line—or possibly just a pipe dream.
- Also: Chrysler Airflow is Dead, Brand Moving to New Name and Design for Future EV
- Also: 2024 Chrysler Pacifica: All That’s Left
The Chrysler Halcyon is shaped like a sports car and embodies the “Harmony in Motion” ethos that the company is adhering to for next-generation vehicles. That word, harmony, repeatedly came out of CEO Christine Feuell’s mouth during an exclusive presentation to the media.
Built on Stellantis’ STLA Large platform, the same that will underpin the new Dodge Charger EV, the racy and radically styled Halcyon has all the makings of an exotic car, with a low and wide stance, oversized wheels (22 inches) and extremely aerodynamic profile. The main thing that stands out is the panoramic windshield that extends out to the edges of the front end, giving the driver and front passenger a view unlike any other.
Access to the cabin is facilitated by wide doors that open in opposite directions, plus a butterfly-hinged canopy with dimmable glass. The large rear window is part of a liftgate.
The four-seat interior utilizes 95 percent sustainable materials throughout and is designed for a level-4 autonomous driving experience, where the steering wheel and pedals fold away when laid-back cruising is desired. In fact, the dashboard doubles as a footrest for increased relaxation. Want more space and comfort? The front seats also can fully retract into the rear seat position, creating a giant accessible area, while the rear seats retract into the trunk area as a potential next-generation version of Stow ‘n Go seating.
The cockpit is centered by a pillar-to-pillar transparent display providing key information while drivers keep their eyes on the road. There’s also a stowable and rotating 15.6-inch console screen, as well as an augmented-reality head-up display. It’s all powered by the automaker’s STLA Brain platform featuring AI functionality and over-the-air update capability. A virtual assistant can perform multiple tasks, too.
We could go on and on about the Halcyon’s gadgets and technologies, but when it comes to specs and performance, Chrysler is staying mum. Oh, Feuell did talk about Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) allowing the vehicle to charge wirelessly while traveling on specially equipped, dedicated road lanes in the future.
Clearly, Chrysler wants us to be excited about what it has planned for 2030 and beyond, but if you ask us, it should spend more time and energy on that first EV coming in 2025. That’s the one we want to see now.