A muscle car, a rugged off-roader, a ute and a luxury sedan are among the vehicles that’ll be spun off Stellantis’ new STLA Large electric vehicle architecture.
Eight vehicles will be introduced over the next 3-5 years, and Stellantis has confirmed the architecture will underpin the following vehicles:
- A long-range luxury sedan
- A muscle car for the Dodge brand
- A “very capable” off-roading “whitespace vehicle” for Jeep
- A “heart-of-market” EV
- A “heart-of-market” SUV
- A new mid-sized pickup truck for Ram
The last vehicle on that list is separate to a new, Ram 1500-sized electric pickup truck that’ll use the upcoming STLA Frame architecture, with the STLA Large-based model sitting closer in size to the likes of the Ford Ranger.
The STLA Frame-based Ram will be available with what Stellantis is cryptically referring to as a “Range Electric Paradigm Breaker”. It hasn’t said anything about what the REPB will entail, though it’ll be some kind of range extender.
Stellantis said its STLA Large architecture could eventually touch all 14 of the automaker’s brands.
Vehicles on the architecture will offer 400V or 800V technology and batteries measuring 101-118kWh.
They’ll offer up to 800km of range, and feature both single- and dual-motor electric powertrains with motors producing between 150 and 330kW of power.
STLA Large cars will measure between roughly 4800mm and 5500mm long. For reference, a Chrysler 300 is 5066mm long and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L is 5204mm long.
An electric crossover concept for the Chrysler brand was previewed by Ralph Gilles, chief design officer for Stellantis’ North American brand names, as part of Stellantis’ EV Day, with the other seven STLA Large vehicles shown in wireframe.
The unnamed Chrysler crossover features elegant detailing front and rear, with slim LED headlights and tail lights.
What looks to be a redesigned version of the Chrysler logo sits in front of a slim, mesh-patterned grille bisected by a full-width LED daytime running light.
In terms of body design, it has a relatively low-slung, coupe crossover look to it, akin to a Ford Mustang Mach E.
There are prominent wheel arch flares and a crisp shoulder line that kicks up at the C-pillar, but otherwise the sides of the body are rather restrained and the overall look is arguably elegant.
Inside, there’s a massive central touchscreen that juts out from the dashboard like a giant tablet, while the passenger-side of the dash has its own, separate display and there are dual touchscreen entertainment systems in the back seat.
A distinctive, squared-off dial shifter sits prominently on the centre console, while the steering wheel’s top and bottom have been flattened.
The overall styling appears almost production-ready and arguably quite elegant. That works for the Chrysler brand, which has always been positioned above the Dodge and defunct Plymouth brands while still regularly offering workaday models like the PT Cruiser, Voyager and Neon.
One of the previewed Jeep models wears bluff styling in the vein of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, including a tailgate-mounted spare tyre.
While Gilles referred to it as a “whitespace vehicle”, suggesting it’ll be an entirely new model line, a series of teaser images during his presentation reveals a rendering of a model badged Wagoneer.
Jeep recently introduced the petrol-powered Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer for the North American market, dusting off a heritage nameplate for a new, full-sized, Ram 1500-based rival for the likes of the Ford Expedition.
The STLA Large octet also looks to include another Jeep-badged vehicle, with less blocky styling.
This model looks like it could be slightly smaller than the new Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L.
While the video didn’t provide close-ups of all the wireframe vehicles, we did get a closer look at two additional crossovers.
One is a rounded crossover with styling reminiscent of the Maserati Levante while the other is slightly more upright. These could be new models for the Chrysler and Dodge brands.
There are only two vehicles previewed via wireframe that don’t feature crossover silhouettes: a sleek-looking fastback, and what looks to be Dodge’s upcoming electric muscle car that’s due in 2024.
The fastback is likely the “long-range luxury sedan” Gilles refers to, which is almost certain to be sold under the Chrysler brand.
That suggests the ailing brand will be getting at least two new products, a shot in the arm after it was repositioned as a “people mover” brand under Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) ownership and its range slimmed down to the ageing 300 sedan and the left-hand drive-only Pacifica (and later Voyager) minivan.
300 
Pacifica
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has said he will “give a chance to each of our brands, under the leadership of a strong CEO, to define their vision, build a roadmap and make sure they use the valuable assets of Stellantis to make their business case fly”.
Each brand has been handed a “time window of 10 years and [given] funding for 10 years to do a core model strategy”.
That includes brands like Chrysler and Lancia, which have been starved of product in recent years.
We’ve gotten a closer look at the Dodge via a teaser video also released on Stellantis’ EV Day, which showed the EV pays homage to the 1968 Dodge Charger.
The wireframes in Gilles’ presentation could be there for illustrative purposes only and mightn’t accurately preview production vehicles.
We don’t yet know how faithful Stellantis will be to its plans.
Its North American brands weren’t immune to former parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ tendency to reveal and subsequently change future plans while prior to that, Cerberus-owned Chrysler LLC previewed five electric vehicles in 2009 of which zero entered production.
Stellantis plans to invest more than €30 billion in electrification by 2025, and wants more than 70 per cent of its European sales to be low-emissions vehicles by 2030.
In the USA, that 2030 sales target is a more conservative 40 per cent.
The push will be underpinned by four flexible electric platforms, three different types of motor, and a range of standardised battery packs.
