Chrysler Turns 100, But What’s Next?

Chrysler is celebrating its 100th birthday today, but it’s more like 101.

June 6, 2025 was the date it was incorporated, but its first model went on sale in 1924.

The Chrysler Six was developed by Maxwell Motors, which was had been purchased by Walter P. Chrysler in 1921 before he restructured it under his name.

The Six was named for its straight-six engine and offered in nine different body styles with a starting price of $1,595 for a roadster.

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The Six line would remain in production until 1936, by which time it was sold alongside the innovative Airflow, which featured an low-drag body and had its engine and seats packaged between the axles for better ride and handling characteristics.

The Town and Country woody wagon would be its last pre-war model in 1941 and was followed on the others side by the V8-powered C-300 in 1955, which some argue was one of the first “muscle cars” although it was more of a luxury performance hardtop.

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The 1963-1964 Turbine Car was its most famous dead and and featured its namesake motor. Just 55 were built before the project was discontinued and just three of the nine that still remain are operational. Chrysler has one of them and Jay Leno another.

Chrysler jumped on the minivan bandwagon in 1990 with a wood-sided Town and Country and its successors, the Pacifica and Voyager, are Chrysler’s only new models on sale today.

A revival is in the works, however, with a new SUV set to debut next year and a sedan may follow that draws inspiration from the futuristic Halcyon concept revealed last year.

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Their powertrains have not yet been announced, but its sister companies Dodge, Ram and Jeep have a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that seems appropriate.