Ever since the Chrysler 200’s early retirement was announced, pundits and fans have been predicting the death of Chrysler, which now has just two vehicles in its lineup.

chrysler logo detail from dealer sign

FCA has invested heavily in the new Chrysler Pacifica, which is not shared with any other part of Fiat Chrysler, but the 300 is slated to end in 2020, with no definite word on its replacement.

Can Chrysler survive with two cars? Probably not, but we hear that at least one more car is coming — the Mexican Dodge Neon (Fiat Tipo), and possibly a larger, better-trimmed Fiat Tipo, changes substantially to become a more mainstream Chrysler. It’s the same idea as the closely-related Renegade and Compass.


RedRiderBob, an Allpar source who has been accurate in the past, believes that Chrysler will also get the stretch-Cherokee (now being created for China), with various changes to make it more suitable as a Chrysler (and less worthy as a Jeep). This will be one of two new crossovers, the other being Pacifica-based, which is ironic since the last minivan-based crossover was dubbed Pacifica. As for a large car to replace the 300, that’s still possible.

Timing is unclear, but it seems that the Chrysler crossover may have been fast-tracked ahead of its original schedule, maybe to avoid speculation about the Chrysler brand being dropped.