The Chrysler Halcyon Is a Flight of Fancy

Halcyon days are on the way. At least Chrysler hopes they are.With the discontinuation of the long-running 300 sedan last year, the brand is down to a single model: the Pacifica minivan.The venerable people carrier is the country’s best-selling minivan and will be carrying the Chrysler’s flag until a new electric SUV arrives to help prop up dealers in 2025.The Chrysler Airflow EV. Courtesy Chrysler.Chrysler previewed the EV a couple of years ago with a proposal that revived the historic Airflow nameplate, but its styling failed to excite folks the same way the 1930’s original did and the designers took it back to the drawing board.They haven’t shown their work on it yet, but are skipping ahead to reveal their vision of a more distant future with a concept car called the Halcyon.With the discontinuation of the long-running 300 sedan last year, the brand is down to a single model: the Pacifica minivan. Courtesy ChryslerThe sleek all-electric vehicle is the perfect opposite of the boxy, retro Bentley-on-a-budget 300 it would succeed.The nose of the Halcyon is barely knee high and the windshield dives deep down where the hood should be, offering passengers a wide-angle view that would please a Bell H-13 helicopter pilot on his way back to the M*A*.S*H*.A front view of the Chrysler Halcyon concept car. Courtesy Chrysler.It is also equipped with coach-style doors to show off the interior and its lateral moonroofs open like wings to make it easier to enter. The latter seem appropriate, as the Halcyon of Greek myth was a princess who turns into a bird.The Arena Del Futuro experimental EV wireless project. Courtesy ChryslerThe interior is minimalist and features a single central screen and a rectangular steering wheel, both of which can be folded away, because the Halcyon is envisioned with autonomous driving capability, of course.Chrysler discontinued the long-running 300 sedan last year. Courtesy ChryslerThe windows are embedded with augmented reality that can relay onto them navigational information, videos or star maps while you fully recline your seat and put your feet up on the dashboard — which we’ve been told not to do today because of airbags, but, hey, it’s the future.Chrysler said the Halcyon would use next-generation lithium-sulfur batteries that promise to reduce the need for rare earth metals while being lighter than current cells, but they are still in need of a breakthrough to become commercially viable.A new take on the Chrysler logo. Courtesy ChryslerThe batteries might not even matter if another technology the Halcyon has pans out. Chrysler’s parent company Stellantis and its partners have been developing a Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer system that would allow an electric car to draw energy from cables embedded within a roadway through induction. In theory, a car could drive from New York to San Francisco on I-80 without ever having to stop to charge.The venture has even built a test track in Italy called the Arena del Futuro to demonstrate that it works. Adding the required hardware into a public road network would be a massive infrastructure project, obviously, but concept cars are about living the dream.The Halcyon’s doors, open. Courtesy ChryslerWhile it’s unlikely to see much of what the Halcyon foretells in a production car soon, upcoming models may draw inspiration from its styling and also wear the modernized version of the Chrysler logo that it debuts.Perhaps the best feature showcased with the Halcyon is its rear seats. Courtesy ChryslerThe stylized take on the Chrysler wing badge looks like something you might see written on the control panel of an alien starship, but it is also a tip of the hat to sustainability and Detroit’s musical heritage, as it is made from crushed discarded Music CDs.Stargazing mode in the Chrysler Halcyon. Courtesy ChryslerBut perhaps the best feature showcased with the Halcyon is its rear seats, which have bottoms that can slide back and be hidden to create a flat floor for loading items. Chrysler says they are a future vision of the popular Stow ’N Go seats that fold into the floor of the Pacifica and have been a favorite of soccer moms and dads for the past 20 years.The more things change …

The Chrysler Halcyon Is a Flight of Fancy

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