Rumors were growing that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles would be pulling the plug on the Chrysler brand at their five-year strategy announcement last Friday. This was reinforced by the company's lack of assurance otherwise. Now that the announcement has come and gone, we find out that Chrysler isn't going anywhere. The brand didn't even come up.

Currently, only the Pacifica and 300 sedans remain under the Chrysler name. According to implications by FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne, the 300 might even be going away after the Dodge Challenger and Charger go through a redesign. This left much to question about Chrysler's future, to which Marchionne answered.

“Dodge needs to continue the particular space as a performance brand, and we need to continue to build on that core skill. The minivan business space will be filled by Chrysler, filling the mobility solution in the U.S. market.”


Reports have also been circulating that Chrysler plans for a new model soon, either being a crossover or an SUV. Such a decision would coincide with Marchionne's statement. 

FCA also revealed that they are working with self-driving car service Waymo, with the intention to provide 62,000 Pacifica minivans for its self-driving fleet.

As someone with a PT Cruiser, I'm glad to hear the brand isn't going away just yet. It's a good car!