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Bad News: Chrysler 300 Successor Reportedly Dropped, Hellcat Model Not Happening

Discontinuing the 200 was a big blow for Chrysler, but the luxury brand finds itself in a deeper hellhole than it did back when head honcho Sergio Marchionne blasted the design team for copying the roofline of the Hyundai Sonata. More to the point, the manufacturer has only two models in its lineup. Yes, just two.
2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package 5 photos
Photo: Chrysler
2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen! Chrysler is being kept alive by money bringers Jeep and Ram for the sole purpose of selling the 300 sedan and Pacifica minivan. While the Pacifica is undeniably competitive in the face of other people carriers, the 300 is overshadowed by the Dodge Charger.

You want the 6.4-liter HEMI V8? Tough luck! The 300 is only available with the 5.7-liter plant, which Chrysler has the audacity to claim it offers “best-in-class V8 engine horsepower and torque.” The 707-horsepower Hellcat supercharged V8 mill? Automotive News thinks that it will happen in late 2018 for the 2019 model year, but an FCA official denied the claim.

Speaking to Jalopnik, Chrysler’s spokesperson argues: “I can confirm that there are NO plans to offer the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine in the Chrysler 300.” Notice that "NO" is written in capital letters. To make matters worse than they already are, the plan to move the next-generation 300 from the LX to Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform has been reportedly scrapped.

Sources close to FCA say that a major facelift will have to make do from 2019 onward, which is too little too late to get Chrysler out of trouble. Whichever way you look at it, the automaker is following in the footsteps of Lancia, which has slowly but steadily morphed into a one-model, Italy-only brand.

If FCA lets Chrysler decline in this way, then Ford’s Lincoln and General Motors’ Cadillac brands will thrive in the near-luxury segment. And so will the German establishment, which sees BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and even Audi stronger and more cohesive than ever before.
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Editor's note: 2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package pictured.

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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