Saving Stellantis

Under the tutelage of Stellantis (a name clearly created by overpaid consultants), Chrysler and its stable of brands are failing and may receive the axe in the next two years. At least those are the rumors running rampant on the internet. The dire straights the company finds itself cannot be understated, as the CEO abruptly departed the company recently.

There is only one person that can save them now. And that is me.

Prior to its merger with PSA, the FCA had cultivated a stable of brands with a very clear audience. Each brand had an identity and a purpose. As a 90s kid, it feels like Chrysler has always been on the cusp of being lost to time, just like today. With so many brands under one roof, it would appear that it is hard to give every brand a distinct identity and purpose, and with ending of the beloved V8s, a hasty push into EVs, and the convoluted brand positioning, the core American brands may cease to exist.

But that is where my fool-proof action plan comes into play. It is no secret that the purpose of the FCA-PSA merger was to gain access to FCA’s American brands. That is why I will be proposing a complete realignment of the makes, models, trims and target markets of Stellantis’ American business.

It's A Jeep Thing

If you ask someone that owns a Jeep what they drive, they’ll say Jeep. Not the model’s name, rather the brand. Jeep customers purchase unreliable vehicles, at exorbitant prices, and many proceed to spend big money modifying them. Jeeps have an entire culture to them. The brand is larger than a means of conveyance. If you are a boring person, you can buy yourself a personality by driving a Jeep. These are all behaviors that already mirror that of luxury car buyers.

And that is where the math becomes obvious: Embrace Jeep like the luxury brand it is. Chrysler never had the makings of a varsity athlete, but Jeep certainly does. Not solely based on the behavior of their owners, either. They share a very similar heritage to another SUV only brand that is viewed as both rugged and luxurious: Land Rover. They sell SUVs of all sizes and use-cases while using the Defender for street-cred. A plot very similar to that of Jeep.

When Jeep launched the new Grand Wagoneer, it was to compete with premium and luxury products in its class. That is wonderful idea, although it is too small. The entire Jeep brand can be a premium luxury brand. Jeep should not simply go up market, however. Much like Mercedes with Maybach and AMG, Jeep should launch with two sub-brands with distinct roles; one for ultra-luxury, and one that is sporting oriented. This shift up market will create gap in the market that then allows Dodge to sell the lower trimmed and two-wheel drive options that Jeep should discontinue, along with a few badge-engineered and shared platform vehicles.

In order to pull off such an audacious brand repositioning, Jeep needs a real logo, along with a system of badging. Its current wordmark is far too minimal to communicate this new, multi-layered direction. They essentially admit this when they emblazoned the American flag on many of their models. Pulling from Jeep’s illustrious heritage emblems of the past will cure Jeep’s bland malaise and drive the new narrative that Jeep is luxury brand. We all know what that the AMG and Maybach emblems convey different models, even if they share the majority of the design features with more pedestrian Mercedes-Benz models. And that nuanced brand positioning can be achieved with Jeep.

The attempt at to distinguish Wagoneer from Jeep, and Grand Wagoneer from Wagoneer is entirely lost on the market because it was too convoluted and subtle. It lacked significant distinction between the different products. Starting with the fact that the term “Grand” is not proprietary. If Jeep cannot own it, Jeep cannot define what it means. The majority of customers will simply assume that “Grand” simply means larger, as it does for many other brands. And that is how Jeep should use it.

Mining the history of its original parent, Chrysler, Jeep should revive Imperial as it’s super-luxury sub-brand. Not only does this streamline the distinction, it also creates the space to offer additional ultra-luxury models beyond the Wagoneer range. The implementation would look like this:

· Grand Wagoneer -> Imperial Wagoneer

· Grand Wagoneer L -> Imperial Grand Wagoneer

· Jeep Wagoneer L -> Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Enzo Ferrari himself is often misquoted as saying that “Jeep is the only true American sports car.” The second sub-brand, Renegade, will focus on creating factory produced Baja racers and off roaders that were made so popular by the F150 Raptor, and hopefully live up to the fake Enzo quote. Renegade was previously a trim before it was a Fiat 500X wearing a Jeep grille, and reintroducing it as a trim will let us all memory-hole this error.

In terms of the current and upcoming models, the Recon is consistent with the vision, however the “Wagoneer S” does not belong here. It would better serve Stellantis better as a Chrysler, as it too much of a softroader to fit the new Jeep, and the name does not fit the new scheme.

The Wrangler model range will need some reshuffling and growth. Wrangler is the soul of Jeep, and it should be wrung out further. The Grand Wrangler could ride on the existing Gladiator platform, and take shape like the Wrangler Overlook concept shown a few years ago. To clarify which Wrangler is which, I would structure to model range as such:

· Two-door Wrangler -> Wrangler Commando

· Four-Door Wrangler -> Wrangler

· Four-Door, Three Row Wrangler -> Grand Wrangler

A third-row packing, extended length Grand Wrangler has the benefit of fixing one of the Gladiators most unfortunate cost-cutting measures: The rear doors. Jeep had made mention of launching a single cab, Wrangler-based truck. And it should do that as a limited production version of the Gladiator model range. Jeep should also launch a full range of Ram 1500 based pick-up utilizing the Scrambler name.

And finally, we arrive at the Grand Cherokee. This nameplate is not without controversy past and present. It is perhaps the most important and iconic nameplate and model In Jeep history.

When the last merger took place, CEO Carlos Tavares made mention that they may rebrand the Cherokee in order to respect to the Cherokee Nation. In today’s tenuis political climate, many would see rebranding the beloved model as giving in to the “woke mob.” Others remain offended that no licensing fee is on offer to the Cherokee Nation.

Regardless of the political ramifications, my reimagining of Jeep and streamlining of its nomenclature presents a quagmire: If the smaller Grand Cherokee is reduced to simply being a Cherokee, it will be viewed as a ‘downgrade’ by many consumers. To solve this, Jeep should retire the Cherokee nameplate, and replace it with Commander. There were rumors that the Commander would return as a 3-three CUV. This is a better use of the name, and certainly fits the vision:

· Grand Cherokee -> Commander

· Grand Cherokee L -> Grand Commander

They also announced they were working on a Cherokee replacement, which should spawn both two-door and four-door options and work to resemble the XJ Cherokee:

· Two-Door Cherokee replacement -> Laredo Commando

· Four-door Cherokee replacement -> Laredo

This rebranding elevates a trim to a full-fledged model, reintroduces a two-door model that will be on trend when it arrives, and successfully phases out the Cherokee name while aligning the model ranges based on shared platforms.

TL;DR

1. Treat Jeep like a Land Rover Competitor.

2. Launch two new sub-brands: Imperial and Renegade.

3. Give it a real logo(s).

Dodge/Ram

When Fiat took over, there were credible rumors that it was to shed at least one brand, and that is why Ram was split off into its own brand. Then Dodge became a muscle car company, even shedding the Caravan to fit that new image, even though Dodge basically pioneered the entire minivan segment and lead that it for years.

With Jeep becomes a Land Rover fighting luxury marque, it leaves a massive gap in the market where many of Jeep’s current customers are; and that is sort of the entire point of being part of a multi-brand corporate structure. Dodge will catch the shrapnel left in the wake of the newly minted luxury Jeep and its new sub-brands, while it also reabsorbs Ram.

This is not a new direction can for Dodge and Ram, but one more consistent with what the brand was for generations. This offers more flexibility. If trucks, SUVs and CUVs are no longer on trend, Dodge can pivot easier to meet market demands while Jeep continues to serve the luxury market. The brands will not be as boxed in to create only one genre of vehicle per brand and solves the problem of clunky model names that the split created:

· Ram Rampage -> Dodge Rampage (Pick-Up CUV)

· Ram Ramcharger 1500 -> Dodge Revcharger 1500

· Ram Dakota -> Dodge Dakota (Based on the Gladiator)

The breakthrough product will be the Dodge Nitro range based on the Wrangler. To avoid diluting Wrangler sales and to cut costs, the Nitro will feature a fixed roof. With the rugged off-roading segment growing in popularity and competition, a Wrangler based Nitro with a traditional roof would compete against the likes of a 4Runner. It will be far more practical and easier to live with on a daily basis and would likely draw in many buyers that skip the Wrangler for its lack of practicality. The badge engineered version of the proposed Grand Wrangler will live as the new Chrysler Aspen.

Dodge will inherit the Overland trim from Jeep, for its most rugged models. This will include a Magnum reboot, based on the existing Citroen C5X. It seems unfair that Subaru holds a monopoly on the not-a-crossover tall wagon market, when it was the AMC Eagle that created the genre in the first place. The advertising could even suggest that this new Magnum is the spiritual successor to the AMC Eagle.

Dodge should also reboot the Caravan with an Overland edition, that will play with the growing market of customers looking for camping and outdoor vehicles, but not in need of robust off-roading capability.  

Chrysler

Chrysler has been the most effected by the revolving door of corporate step-daddies. And currently the closest to the chopping block. Daimler did not want them even remotely stepping into their “luxury” arena, despite their claims that they were in a merger of equals. All Chrysler got was a few also-ran rebadge jobs, but never anything really breakthrough.  

Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne believed it should become a “people mover” brand. That sounds absurd to have an entire brand dedicated to vans, but at least he had a goal he was trying to reach. Oddly enough, when dust settled with the PSA merger, that is exactly what they were reduced too, a brand selling three nearly identical minivans.

Prior to the PSA-FCA merger, PSA had publicly stated that its intention to return to the American market. Chrysler should be viewed as a well-endowed vessel with which to sell said PSA models. By treating the Stellantis model portfolio as a veritable buffet, Chrysler could build an entire model range by doing what Lee Iacocca did to revive Chrysler in the past: badge-engineer the heck out of everything.

First, Chrysler must buck the unbearable trend of brand blandism. The logos shown on the recent Airflow concept are atrocious. They mean nothing. They are unmemorable. The bland, minimalistic branding trend has already come to a close across many industries. Many brands are returning to maximalist branding, and typefaces with personality. Chrysler does not need to look far for a new identity. It can look to its recent past, and embrace the Pentastar logo and cursive typeface of the 80s and 90s. These are dormant assets that should be repurposed. It’s time to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.

Chrysler should continue producing both the Voyager and Pacifica on the same platform. The Pacifica should embrace a new shape; something akin to a Ford Flex. Such a vehicle would bridge the gap between the large, three row cross over and the minivan, offering something truly unique and inherently utilitarian. It would also satiate the residual demands from Karens who have nowhere else to turn since Ford discontinued the Flex in 2019.

It would make a great livery vehicle in Pinnacle trim. Chrysler could easily add sliding doors to make for great ingress and egress onto city streets and in tight spaces. And, it would be a much softer and affordable option compared to the Suburbans and Sprinters that have currently taken up the role of Town Car replacement.

The Mercedes E-Class based Chrysler 300C was successful because of it’s near-Bentley like design. A similar phenomenon can be replicated with a new Aspen: a fixed roof, three-row SUV based on the Jeep Gladiator platform. This will certainly cause many second takes as it could easily resemble a G-wagon, a Defender or a Ineos Grenadier. This gives Chrysler a trendy, unique product that will speak directly to people that want a Wrangler until they actually drive it, and need the practicality of three rows.

Chrysler should also dip back into the well of retro futuristic design with a Lebaron based on the STLA platform. The last vestiges of the once great large sedan market are all essentially jellybean shaped EV blobs. With this model, Chrysler create a unique product unlike anything on the market, something with classic lines while offering an EV with a range extender.

Filling out the rest of the lineup using long-forgotten Chrysler and Plymouth nameplates slapped on Peugeots, DS and Alfa models:

1. DS9 -> Concorde

2. Alfa Romeo Giulia -> Sebring

3. Alfa Romeo Stelvio -> Cordoba

4. Dodge Hornet -> Fury

5. DS7 -> Volare

6. Wagoneer S -> Laser

The majority of Chrysler’s target audience is uninterested in so much tech, and not equipped to pay for it. In a market saturated with screens and clunky user-interfaces, Chrysler can stand alone with regular gauges and real buttons. In fact, Korean auto-giant Hyundai said it will return to buttons because Americans do not like screens. Chrysler has the opportunity to beat them to the punch. Even in EVs, Chrysler should defer to buttons and knobs as much as possible.

TL;DR

1. Euro badge-engineering.

2. Real model names, not some alphanumeric commie gobbledygook no one can follow.

3. More analog feel.

Fiat/Alfa Romeo

The Fiat 500e should be sold in the North America as the Dodge nEon. The Alfa Giulia will become the Chrysler Sebring, and the Stelvio will become the Chrysler Cordoba. The Quadrifoglio trims will not travel to Chrysler, as the models will also be produced as Maseratis, which will gain the exclusive on the performance models.

These brands have not performed well since returning to the US market, but their models may find an audience as Chryslers.

Maserati

With the departure of Alfa, Maserati will inherit a new sports sedan with some version of the Giulia. While it has never been the stated goal, Maserati should look to compete with the Bentleys of the world. The Quattroporte and Ghibli should both grow in size, making room for the smaller Giulia based model. It could also use a larger SUV, perhaps one that uses the existing Grand Cherokee platform.