It’s been a wild ride for Chrysler these last few years. When the economic collapse of 2008 almost wiped out all three American manufacturers, Chrysler only pulled through by merging with Fiat. Thanks to some Sergio Marchionne dark magic, the two companies joined forces in what should’ve been a sure-fire winner: the combination of American trucks and small European cars.
It hasn’t quite been smooth sailing, however. The biggest impediment has been, well, the American vehicles being Chrysler products, and the Euro one’s from the greater Fiat family. You can see what they were going for, though. Luxury sedans from Chrysler, muscle cars from Dodge, pickups from Ram, and Jeeps from Jeep. Add economical city-runners from Fiat along with the exotic sexiness of Alfa Romeo, and it seems like a pretty deep portfolio.
In other news, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are hammering out an agreement with Peugeot to form Stellantis as a way to stay relevant.
The Chrysler 300 Is Named for Its Approximate Age
Lost in all this is how sparse FCA’s lineup has become, especially on the American side. Jeep is doing well, with a half-dozen or so models (some of which are even Fiats!) but their stable-mates aren’t doing nearly as well. Dodge has the Durango, Charger, and Challenger. Ram offers a bunch of variants off of the same pickup truck, as well as their delivery vans. Speaking of vans, the Pacifica makes up entirely one half of Chrysler’s roster.
The other is the 300.
Named for its approximate age, the 300 appeals to the type of buyer that thinks track pants make them look athletic. It’s a large, vaguely intimidating rear-drive sedan built back in the days that Daimler still owned the company. Pieced together from the old Merc E-Series platform, it’s been minimally updated despite its long run. Introduced in 2005, it was refreshed in 2010. Since then, not so much.
Yet, it persists. Down to only two trim levels, the 300 continues to offer the base 3.6L V6 for the Touring model. The S model can be had with a V6, while the same V8 upgrade from previous years can still be had for a few bucks more.
Marketed as a luxury sedan, it’s clear that the profit margin on this car is high enough that FCA finds it worthwhile to continue to sell it. And, to be fair, it does have something American sedans have struggled with for years now. That’s a clear identity. For all its faults, the 300 is unapologetically what it is: a large, American sedan. For better or worse.
