Photo: Chrysler / Tesla / Lucid
Aston Martin presented last week the 2025 ‘baby’ Vantage, which is more powerful and sexier than ever but even its GT3 version pales in comparison with the stunning beauty of the other major introduction – Chrysler’s Halcyon Concept.
Obviously intended to preview the electric future of the American brand that’s been left without arguments on the US market by its parent Stellantis when it ceased production of the 300 sedan, the Halcyon Concept is nothing but a study into the EV world of tomorrow. Yet, somehow, it made me wonder what would happen if the company released it to fight the most powerful sedans of the day – Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire.
One could argue that maybe it doesn’t even hunt them in the first place. However, despite the edgy shape of this very aerodynamic concept, there are obvious similarities between the Halcyon EV and Tesla’s sedans or the Lucid Air. Of course, it could feature an assortment of dimensions since Chrysler doesn’t quote any exact figures, so there’s also that question – in the real world, would it compete against the smaller Model 3 or the larger Model S and the Lucid Air?
As a reminder, Chrysler revealed the Halcyon concept on the eve of Valentine’s Day 2024 to exemplify the fully electric future of the brand, focusing on three pillars – design, sustainability, and autonomous driving. Currently, the brand is lacking in all three departments with the Pacifica being a traditional minivan, for example. As for the other two, do we even need to talk about GM’s Super Cruise or Tesla FSD?
Anyway, this prototype will probably never reach series production, which is understandable since it fuses Level 4 autonomous driving with odd stuff like crushed and recycled music CDs used to construct the new Chrysler wing logos. Interestingly, the company could actually bring it to life and on the market because it’s not something built as a clay model and instead it uses the real STLA Large platform, making it a distant sibling to the upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona EV muscle car.
But the rest of the cues, from STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit, and STLA AutoDrive technologies to the butterfly-hinged canopy and 90-degree suicide door openings, have nothing to do with a series-production model, or not yet anyway. In the near future, whenever that may be, the 95% sustainable interior materials aren’t a bad idea, while the biometric identification Welcome/Entru mode is just Stellantis’ way of understanding that Tesla with no key procedure.
In fact, many things remind us of Tesla inside – including the style of the steering wheel or the positioning of the single LED screen in the center with either portrait or landscape orientation modes. The main problem is speculating on the dimensions of the concept and knowing if it’s a Model 3 or Model S plus Lucid Air competitor. If Chrysler is smart, they will make the upcoming EV model inspired by the Halcyon something in between, maybe an heir to the 300 sedan but also a cool four-door version of the new Dodge Charger Daytona. Its embedded technologies are a long way to go before reaching series production, especially in this day and age when software is at the center of so many botched EV launches – just look at GM and its Ultium troubles.
Still, I would have loved to see a real Chrysler Halcyon sedan battle away with the 1,020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid and the 1,234-hp Lucid Air Sapphire because if I remember correctly the company touted the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept with up to nine Banshee EV powertrain options, including 800-volt ones that would terrorize both the Plaid and Sapphire with up to 1,320 hp. So, you see, there’s a distinct possibility that Chrysler will go directly after these big EV sedans, either in equal full-size or a smaller, nimbler medium-size format.
Hopefully, this will happen sooner rather than later because I don’t even want to think how many people will remember Chrysler was once a glorious American car brand by the time these corner office head honchos finally decided what to do next with it. Otherwise, the gap will be impossible to fil and any legacy automaker going after these new kids on the EV block will fail from the beginning. Now, we are playing a waiting game as we intend to see if Chrysler will attack the EV block with a sedan or a crossover SUV initially.
Funny enough, even the Japanese could have enough time to catch Tesla down the EV racetrack if Stellantis continues to give us false expectations about Chrysler, only to reinvent the future strategy all over again – note the succession of concepts: Portal in 2017, Airflow in 2022, and the Chrysler Synthesis Cockpit Demonstrator in 2023. Each had a different vision and now the Halcyon prototype. I am getting tired of seeing Chrysler reinvent itself only in the conceptual world and not doing anything in the real one. The least they could do is to fix what’s wrong with the Pacifica so it doesn’t pop up on people’s lists of ‘avoid at all cost,’ right?
One could argue that maybe it doesn’t even hunt them in the first place. However, despite the edgy shape of this very aerodynamic concept, there are obvious similarities between the Halcyon EV and Tesla’s sedans or the Lucid Air. Of course, it could feature an assortment of dimensions since Chrysler doesn’t quote any exact figures, so there’s also that question – in the real world, would it compete against the smaller Model 3 or the larger Model S and the Lucid Air?
As a reminder, Chrysler revealed the Halcyon concept on the eve of Valentine’s Day 2024 to exemplify the fully electric future of the brand, focusing on three pillars – design, sustainability, and autonomous driving. Currently, the brand is lacking in all three departments with the Pacifica being a traditional minivan, for example. As for the other two, do we even need to talk about GM’s Super Cruise or Tesla FSD?
Anyway, this prototype will probably never reach series production, which is understandable since it fuses Level 4 autonomous driving with odd stuff like crushed and recycled music CDs used to construct the new Chrysler wing logos. Interestingly, the company could actually bring it to life and on the market because it’s not something built as a clay model and instead it uses the real STLA Large platform, making it a distant sibling to the upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona EV muscle car.
But the rest of the cues, from STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit, and STLA AutoDrive technologies to the butterfly-hinged canopy and 90-degree suicide door openings, have nothing to do with a series-production model, or not yet anyway. In the near future, whenever that may be, the 95% sustainable interior materials aren’t a bad idea, while the biometric identification Welcome/Entru mode is just Stellantis’ way of understanding that Tesla with no key procedure.
In fact, many things remind us of Tesla inside – including the style of the steering wheel or the positioning of the single LED screen in the center with either portrait or landscape orientation modes. The main problem is speculating on the dimensions of the concept and knowing if it’s a Model 3 or Model S plus Lucid Air competitor. If Chrysler is smart, they will make the upcoming EV model inspired by the Halcyon something in between, maybe an heir to the 300 sedan but also a cool four-door version of the new Dodge Charger Daytona. Its embedded technologies are a long way to go before reaching series production, especially in this day and age when software is at the center of so many botched EV launches – just look at GM and its Ultium troubles.
Still, I would have loved to see a real Chrysler Halcyon sedan battle away with the 1,020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid and the 1,234-hp Lucid Air Sapphire because if I remember correctly the company touted the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept with up to nine Banshee EV powertrain options, including 800-volt ones that would terrorize both the Plaid and Sapphire with up to 1,320 hp. So, you see, there’s a distinct possibility that Chrysler will go directly after these big EV sedans, either in equal full-size or a smaller, nimbler medium-size format.
Hopefully, this will happen sooner rather than later because I don’t even want to think how many people will remember Chrysler was once a glorious American car brand by the time these corner office head honchos finally decided what to do next with it. Otherwise, the gap will be impossible to fil and any legacy automaker going after these new kids on the EV block will fail from the beginning. Now, we are playing a waiting game as we intend to see if Chrysler will attack the EV block with a sedan or a crossover SUV initially.
Funny enough, even the Japanese could have enough time to catch Tesla down the EV racetrack if Stellantis continues to give us false expectations about Chrysler, only to reinvent the future strategy all over again – note the succession of concepts: Portal in 2017, Airflow in 2022, and the Chrysler Synthesis Cockpit Demonstrator in 2023. Each had a different vision and now the Halcyon prototype. I am getting tired of seeing Chrysler reinvent itself only in the conceptual world and not doing anything in the real one. The least they could do is to fix what’s wrong with the Pacifica so it doesn’t pop up on people’s lists of ‘avoid at all cost,’ right?
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