Chrysler Video Takes A Stroll Through Its Wild Past Concepts

Chrysler is celebrating its one-hundredth anniversary this year. It’s a major milestone that few automakers have reached, though the celebration has felt muted. For instance, the only bit of product the brand has announced in conjunction with the anniversary is a special edition of the Chrysler Pacifica. It mostly consists of stickers, badges, and wheels for what’s effectively the only model left in the brand’s line-up (yes, we know the Voyager exists, but it’s basically the same thing). There’s nothing wrong with the Pacifica. It is, in fact, quite a good minivan. It’s just that it’s also not a hugely exciting vehicle. Still, Chrysler has had exciting times, and it has been releasing some fun little videos on YouTube going over those times and their associated cars. The newest focuses on the brand’s unique production and concept cars.

Going From Airflow To ME Four-Twelve

Every car company will eagerly claim that they’ve been innovative and leaders in the auto industry, regardless of how true that is. For car companies that have lasted a century, that’s often been true at least at some time or another, and Chrysler falls into that category. The video starts off with the especially forward-thinking Airflow. Unlike most cars of the era, it was actually designed to be aerodynamic, and it had unusual features such as a tube frame.

It goes on to highlight Chrysler’s styling in the 1950s, and its eventual work with turbine-powered cars. The turbine cars even had a real-world trial period with vehicles in the hands of people that would use them as their daily transportation. While it didn’t get past that testing phase for various reasons, it was one of the most radical powertrain experiments in automotive history. The video wraps up with Chrysler’s concept heydays in the 1990s and 2000s from the Bugatti-inspired Atlantic up to the ME Four-Twelve supercar concept. The video even includes some footage of a running prototype at the company’s proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan.

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Chrysler’s Future Is A Bit Of A Mystery

There’s no question that Chrysler has had a storied history, but there are questions about its future. As we’ve mentioned, the brand only sells a minivan, and it’s split across two nameplates. The last of the company’s most iconic model in recent memory, the 300, rolled off the assembly line a year and a half ago. In the meantime, we’ve seen a few versions of the new Airflow concept, and the Halcyon concept, and none of them have resulted in a production vehicle yet.

So it’s understandable that we have concerns about the brand’s future. The head of Chrysler, Chris Fuell, has hinted that we’ll start seeing new products soon starting with updated Pacifica and Voyager vans and a crossover sometime next year. We hope these new and updated models will be the start to a more exciting future for Chrysler.