With the 2030 Pacifica, Chrysler Looks to Reinvent the Minivan
Signs point to Chrysler continuing to invest in the segment it pioneered by reimagining its people mover.
What It Is
Although a next-generation Chrysler Pacifica hasn’t officially been announced, recent statements by Chrysler and Ram brand CEO Christine Feuell suggest we can expect something big on the horizon. Feuell told media during the reveal of Chrysler’s Halcyon concept vehicle in February that the company “will be in the future of the minivan segment” but that it needs to reimagine what that will be. Chrysler introduced the modern minivan back in 1983 and intends to continue innovating in the segment it pioneered. A refresh of the present Pacifica should bow sometime after the 2025 reveal of Chrysler’s coming all-new electric crossover, with several more completely new Chrysler models expected in quick succession after that.
0:00 / 0:00
By the time 2030 rolls around, look for a completely remade Pacifica bearing little resemblance to the vehicle on sale today. It could potentially introduce new powertrain and propulsion methods, Level 4 autonomy, or even an entryway similar to the Halcyon’s six-door “red carpet” entry. While we won’t be surprised if the Pacifica name doesn’t survive the transition, a new take on the popular Stow ’N Go seating option should. (A next-gen vision of the system was previewed in the Halcyon.) Current plug-in hybrid Pacificas don’t offer Stow ’N Go or AWD, so an all-new design gives Chrysler engineers room to rethink classic minivan features and extend drivetrain options.
Why It Matters
As the only production vehicle sporting the Chrysler nameplate, the Pacifica minivan (current model shown below) is virtually the brand’s sole income driver at present, short of the remaining inventory of discontinued 300 sedans. Feuell rightly sees Chrysler as a blank slate for investing in new models and ideas without alienating existing customers by changing popular models too drastically. But will new customers bite? If the coming electrified vehicles generate significant interest and sales, then some of the pressure abates, and Chrysler can potentially afford to take its time developing a revolutionary new people mover to replace the present Pacifica. But if sales are slow, the next-gen minivan may need to be rushed and pulled forward to help keep Chrysler afloat—that is, if the brand continues to exist at all. The Pacifica needs to help fund Chrysler’s new models for now, and by extension the new models will then have to fund development of a bold new Pacifica.
Platform and Powertrain
The STLA Large platform unveiled earlier this year by Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, is the most likely candidate to underpin a future minivan. Like other planned Chrysler releases post-2025, an all-electric-powered Pacifica seems inevitable, and STLA Large supports 400- and 800-volt architectures. But it also supports other propulsion options, leaving room for a hybridized Pacifica if America’s appetite for EVs wavers or as a potential second option, perhaps something along the lines of what Ram has unveiled for its range-extended Ramcharger pickup.
Consisting of an electric powertrain with an onboard combustion generator capable of a combined range of more than 600 miles, it’s an option that makes a lot of sense for minivans, as well—a segment Chrysler says is popular with ride-sharing, empty nesters, and growing families that all might find stopping to charge more inconvenient than others.
Given its projected time line, the next Pacifica could be a potential candidate to introduce future tech Feuell says the brand is investing in, including wireless vehicle charging and a lithium-sulfur and graphene battery chemistry reportedly capable of increased charging speeds to help deliver as much as 200 miles of range in just five minutes.
Estimated Price: $60,000–$80,000
Expected On-Sale Date: 2030
Cars should look cool and go fast. At least, that was Matthew’s general view of the world growing up in Metro Detroit in the early ’90s, and there was no exception. Raised in the household of a Ford engineer and car enthusiast, NASCAR races monopolized the television every Sunday and asking, “what car is this?” at every car show his dad took him too before he could read taught him that his favorite car was specifically, the 1971 Chevelle SS. (1970 can keep its double headlights, it’s a better look for the rear!) He learned the name of every part of a car by means of a seemingly endless supply of model car kits from his dad’s collection and could never figure out why his parents would drive a Ford Taurus Wagon and F-150 to work every day when a perfectly good 1967 Chevy Impala sat in the garage. Somewhere between professional hockey player, guitar player, journalist, mechanic, and automotive designer, he settled on the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) with the hopes of joining a NASCAR pit crew after high school. While there, learning about electronics and the near-forgotten art of carburetor tuning (give him a call before you ditch your “over complicated” Rochester Qudarajet) were equally appealing, and the thrill of racing stock cars and modifieds weekly on the school’s dirt oval team was second to none at the time. And then sometime late in 2009, Matthew caught wind of the Tesla Roadster on YouTube and everything changed. Before it, electric cars we not cool, and they were not fast. A budding and borderline unhealthy obsession with technology would underpin a 12-year career at Roush Industries that would take him from a powertrain technician for the Roush Mustang, to building rollercoasters, NVH engineering, and finally to a state-of-the-art simulated durability lab working with nearly every EV startup you’ve ever heard of, and some you never will. And then it was time to go, and by a stroke of luck Nikola Tesla himself couldn’t have predicted, MotorTrend’s test team was looking for the exact kind of vehicle testing background he had to offer. And with it, his love of cars, art, engineering, and writing all suddenly had a home together. At this point in life, Matthew has developed a love and appreciation for all cars and methods of propulsion. He loves reviewing minivans as much as luxury cars and everything in-between, because the cars people need to haul their kids around are just as important as the ones we hang on our bedroom walls.
Read More
