CarBrandLogos archive · Chrysler · 2004

Chrysler300

Mercedes running gear, a Hemi, and proportions that bought Chrysler a decade.

Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Chrysler history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Chrysler 300, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The 300 was the most visible product of Chrysler's period under DaimlerChrysler. Its rear-drive LX platform drew on Mercedes-Benz E-Class engineering — the rear suspension geometry, front suspension components and the five-speed automatic all came from Stuttgart — which gave Chrysler a large rear-drive saloon it could not otherwise have afforded to develop.

Chrysler 300C Touring 3.0 CRD front · Luftfahrrad · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

What made it sell was the styling. Ralph Gilles gave the car a high beltline, a shallow greenhouse, a squared grille and large wheels pushed to the corners, proportions that read as far more expensive than the price. It looked, deliberately, like a car that should cost twice as much, and it arrived when almost every rival American saloon was front-drive and anonymous.

Chrysler 300C · IFCAR · Public domain

In production

The 300C used the reintroduced 5.7-litre Hemi V8, with cylinder deactivation to make the fuel consumption defensible, and later SRT versions took the engine to 6.1 and then 6.4 litres. All-wheel drive was offered. The car won North American Car of the Year and Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 2005 and became, briefly, the most talked-about American saloon in years.

Chrysler 300S Turbine · Sarah Larson from Ann Arbor, MI, USA · CC BY 2.0

Legacy

It then stayed on sale, updated but fundamentally unchanged, for another eighteen years — through Daimler's departure, Chrysler's bankruptcy, the Fiat merger and the formation of Stellantis. That longevity was a symptom of an owner unwilling to invest, but the car held up well enough that it was still selling when production finally ended in December 2023. In Europe it was sold for a time as a Lancia Thema.

Technical specification

The 300, in detail.

Production: February 1, 2004– December 2023
Class: Full-size car (E)
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive / all-wheel drive
Manufacturer: Chryslerefn; name=manufacturer; DaimlerChrysler (2004–2007) ; Chrysler LLC (2007–2009) ; Chrysler Group LLC (2009–2014) ; FCA US LLC (2014–2021) ; Stellantis North America (2021–2023)

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