Chrysler 300 2010: Style, Power and Design Beauty

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Introductions

For the 2010 model year Chrysler is working with Magna Steyr, who is the combination of Magna International and Austria's Steyr-Daimler-Puch. With this cutting edge design team they hope to bring a retractable top sedan to market successfully and affordably.

Full Preview 2010

Becoming the first automaker to bring such a sedan into this market is definitely one of Chrysler's short term goals. If Chrysler is able to pull this off they will certainly add more prestige and keep themselves at the forefront of cutting edge design. A complex folding steel roof covering four doors in a large sedan seems difficult, but Magna Steyr, who took over for Chrysler rejected ASC, is one of the biggest suppliers in the business.

In place are plans to bring a car based on the next-generation Chrysler Group LX platform. The update Chrysler is making to the LX is quite similar to the update that the LH full-size front-drive platform made in 1998. Chrysler may not have locked in its' design just yet but based on the designs of the previous two generations (Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid) the next 300 is going to be a more mature and refined version of the current model.

Poised to Strike

Born in 2004, Chrysler 300 burst onto the scene alongside popular models like the Dodge Magnum and Charger. To become a design staple for Chrysler, LX will have to incorporate more models and will need to create new trends. Examples of how Chrysler Group plans to remain hip and competitive in 2009 are the retractable-top convertible and an all new Dodge Challenger.

Based on our run-through of the newest Dodge Ram which demonstrates Chrysler's renewed interest in interior quality, the new 300 will most likely use similarly improved materials. The instrument panel houses two large circular gauges similar to those in the Ram while a large display operating Chrysler's UConnect infotainment system tops the center console. The climate controls reside below the screen.

Elegance in Motion

Chrysler faced the difficult challenge of reinventing an icon when it went to the drawing board for the next 300. Up front, Chrysler moves to a new corporate grille, first previewed on the Imperial concept and most recently, the 200C EV concept shown at the 2009 Detroit auto show. The thin horizontal chrome bars are sleeker than the egg crate worn by the current car, and they give the new 300 less of a boxy, road-barge look. Headlight clusters are squared and smoothed, while the front bumper is much more integrated, tightening up the chin.

The 300 will again feature fender flares, but the lower part of the arch is much less prominent. The upper body crease creates a gently arching shoulder in place of the straight and sharp line of the current model and the new 300 also loses the side molding, giving the upper crease more definition. Expect visibility to be improved though slimmer A-pillars, more glass, and a much smaller C-pillar created through the use of a small A-frame window at the rear.

We anticipate the rear will mimic the clean front styling of the car, better integrating the exhaust tips in the lower valance.

Power and Precision

Hemi fans can relax, as the V-8 featuring cylinder deactivation will carry over from the existing model, and it should boast increases in both power and fuel economy. New safety features will include rear cross-path and blind-spot monitoring systems.

Created in 2004 for the 2005 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum with the Charger added later. Examples of how Chrysler Group plans to remain hip and competitive in 2010 are the retractable-top convertible and an all new Dodge Challenger.

Exterior Walkaround

The upper body crease creates a gently arching shoulder in place of the straight and sharp line of the current model and the new 300 also loses the side molding, giving the upper crease more definition. We anticipate the rear will mimic the clean front styling of the car, better integrating the exhaust tips in the lower valance.

Design Information

Magna Steyr, who is currently working with design for the 300, is the combination of Canada's Magna International and Austria's Steyr-Daimler-Puch. A complex folding steel roof covering four doors in a large sedan seems difficult, but Magna Steyr, who took over for Chrysler rejected ASC, is one of the biggest suppliers in the business.  

Conclusions

The newly designed Chrysler 300 appears to be shaping up nicely. With a folding steel roof it truly adds the best of both worlds. Caranddriver.com praises the 300's slick styling. Chrysler appears to have a successful formula with a mix of style, class, and a bit of power (with the added Hemi engine). This is definitely not a car to miss in 2010 for the consumer looking for something to rival the current leader Mercedes CLS.