The merger with Peugeot was officially announced in October 2019 and legally bound in December 2019. This comes after a failed merger attempt with Renault earlier that year, where world politics ultimately fractured the deal. FCA & PSA are officially set for a 2021 merger, becoming the fourth largest automaker in the world. Since the announcement, there has been lots of curiosity as to what the new company would be named. Curiosity heightened because many were hoping the name would give hints and guidance as to who was in the driver's seat regarding who was in control of the merger. Those who know FCA, know they love to create excitement while leaving mystery when they unveil a new vehicle, and many expected the same treatment with merger information.
FCA and PSA collectively did not disappoint, as they have announced last week the company's new name. Now being called Stellantis, which has a celestial meaning "to brighten with stars," it will be the first time in 96 years that the name Chrysler hasn't been afilliated with a Detroit automaker. Now, this doesn't mean Chrysler is disappearing, as it will continue to live on through the vehicle brand name under Stellantis. In fact, the brand will receive a much needed boost in their vehicle portfolio. Currently, Chrysler only offers technically 3 vehicles: the Chrysler 300, the Pacifica minivan, and the Voyager (a base version identical to the Pacifica.) And if you cross the northern border into Canada, the Voyager keeps the Dodge nameplate of Grand Caravan. Either way, Chrysler only carries 3 vehicles currently in its portfolio, which will change with this merger.
Dodge recently announced the removal the legendary Dodge Grand Caravan from its lineup, along with the Dodge Journey. Both built on the same platform, 2020 being their last year under the Dodge name. With the departure of the Caravan and Journey from the Dodge lineup, it officially makes Dodge a performance brand.
Likewise, the merger with PSA, Stellantis will provide much needed electronic vehicle (EV) technology to the Mopar brands. Although many already know Jeep is coming out with a lot of E-technology, Chrysler will be getting a much needed boost from this partnership, as Chrysler is set to be the Mopar American auto brand that will provide compact and mid-sized EVs, which will allow Stellantis to directly compete with vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Bolt, Honda Clarity, Hyundai Ionic, BMW i3, Kia Niro, Nissan Leaf, and more.
Overall, the merger will provide many exciting new things to the Mopar brands. I would expect the E-technology to make its way into all current FCA brands, even including the iconic Hellcat. Imagine having the technology to heat up your tires with a burnout, but then being able to linelock, and get instant torque off the line using e-technology, eliminating spinning tires off the line, and then having the 707-797 horsepower kick in, sending you past 200 MPH past the finish line? It will once again make a first for any automaker. I am excited to see where this takes us.
It's Mopar or No Car
