Photo: vburlapp / Instagram
However, CEO Carlos Tavares said there was much work to be done in North America, as profits had also collapsed, and the head of the company's corner office even threatened that brands that were not making money would be abandoned. Of the total mix of 14 brands, there were many suspects for the possible withdrawal of the sale in favor of a potential partner, and the group was quick to quash rumors of the potential demise of Maserati.
The company quickly denied reading between the lines of the gossip mongering, but not long after, Stellantis began offering voluntary buyout packages for US employees, thus starting the revolution. As such, many believe that at least one of the American brands is in mortal danger. The parallel universes of vehicular CGI have their own take on the matter, by the way, and have called on the fictional realm of digital car content creators to do something about it.
More precisely, Vince Burlapp (aka appburlap on social media or at burlappcar.com) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream up all the latest models in the wide world of automobiles and has a penchant for resurrecting Chrysler’s career. The rumor that the brand is now considered a target for the chopping block has not escaped his notice, and even his fans are commenting on how sad they’ll be when Chrysler goes the way of the dodo.
But the pixel maestro says there's a simple solution: Chrysler just needs a bunch of new models. “It's not that complicated, really. SUVs, cars, vans, everything will be welcome,” he continues. His bag of CGI tricks is full of them, by the way, including the revived Chrysler TC, a revived Chrysler New Yorker, and even a new Imperial sedan and coupe to serve as flagships. Frankly, none of these look outrageous: the all-new STLA modular platform could accommodate both with ease. Electric vehicle AND ICE– petrol-powered powertrains.
As if that weren't enough, he also had a wacky idea: recalling how Chrysler unveiled the Citadel concept car at the 2000 Washington DC Auto Show, a high-performance hybrid that eventually inspired the creation of the Pacifica, he revives the nickname for a model that sits right at the heart of today's biggest sales: a crossover. Off-road. As such, it could compete with almost anything from Mazda’s CX-90 to Cadillac’s Lyriq—if Chrysler ever decided to make it, of course. So, what do you think, is it a yes or a no?