Chrysler unveils the Halcyon EV concept car

DETROIT — Chrysler revealed its future product direction Tuesday with a new concept car called the “Halcyon,” as the once-popular automaker tries to gain attention amid a dearth of new products.

The concept car is an attractive, futuristic-looking sports car designed to incorporate emerging technologies such as autonomous driving and new battery materials and electric vehicle charging capabilities. It features an updated Chrysler logo along with other design cues that officials say will roll over to production cars.

However, consumers will have to wait a little longer to buy a new Chrysler with such technologies or anything that can resemble a concept car.

Following the discontinuation of the Chrysler 300 sedan last year, the brand’s only product is the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, including a hybrid model. In addition to the minivan update, Chrysler — owned by Starthe company created through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and French carmaker PSA Group — is not expected to have a new car until next year.

The new vehicle – a ferry, not a car – is expected to be Chrysler’s first all-electric vehicle, as the brand evolves to offer “a full line of innovative, seamlessly connected EVs” by 2028.

Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell, who began leading the brand in September 2021, said the company expects to launch a similar lineup of vehicles “in rapid succession” after the EV crossover next year.

He said Chrysler’s parent companies didn’t invest in the brand “for a very long time.”

“I would always like to have more and faster, but I can tell you that in the last few years, we have not only grown sales, we have improved the profitability of the brand significantly,” Feuell said.

He said despite the slower-than-expected adoption of EV sales in the US, the company remains on track with its transformation.

Feuell said the brand, which sold about 144,000 vehicles last year in the U.S. and Canada, was “very profitable” in 2023. That revenue will help fund future vehicles inspired by the Halcyon concept, he said.

Automakers use concept cars to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a car or brand. Cars are not intended for sale to consumers.

The Halcyon concept car boasts “harmony in motion” and sustainability principles, according to several officials. The vehicle is built on one of Stellantis’ next-generation EV platforms. It includes synthetic materials instead of leather; 45% of the glass surface outside; and uses 95% sustainable internal materials, including shredded compact discs, or CDs, like the Chrysler logo on the car’s entryway.

The car is the latest concept from Chrysler following the “Portal” minivan in 2017, the Airflow crossover in 2022 and the “Synthesis Cockpit” flagship in 2023.

The Halcyon was scheduled to be unveiled at the CES technology trade show in January, however Stellantis canceled those plans along with other events to save capital.

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