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Chrysler 300C no more as production officially ends
Used since 2004 as Chrysler's Mercedes-Benz underpinned flagship, the end of 300C production comes after 19 years and two generations.
Current second generation 300 had been in production since 2011. Image: Chrysler
Its end announced just over a year ago with the debut of the run-out 300C, Stellantis has announced that the final example of the Chrysler 300 officially departed the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada on 8 December.
End of an era
Limited to 2 000 examples for the United States plus an additional 200 for the Canadian market – all reportedly accounted for in less than 12 hours from being revealed – the culmination of the 300 finishes not only the current second generation’s 12-year production run, but almost 25 years of the 300 nameplate revived in 1999 for the 300M.
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Passed down to its replacement, the 300 in 2004 with the “C” suffix denoting the flagship performance variant below the even hotter SRT models in the United States, the conclusion of production comes eight years after the sedan’s one and only facelift, and a year after its badge engineered sibling, the Lancia Thema, exited Europe after the then Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) decision to withdraw Chrysler from the Old Continent, apart from the United Kingdom.
V8 on borrowed time
Bringing to an added end Chrysler’s reliance on Mercedes-Benz technology as the 300C rode on a revised version of the same platform as the W211 E-Class that exited production in 2009, the final edition also reduces the usage of the normally aspirated 6.4-litre Hemi V8 now restricted to the Dodge Durango, Charger and Challenger, plus the Jeep Wrangler 392.
For use in the 300C, outputs increased from 351kW/637Nm in the previous 300C SRT to 492kW/644Nm delivered to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Top speed was rated at 258 km/h with the 0-100 km/h dash taking 4.4 seconds.
“As we celebrate the last Hemi-powered 300C off the line with our Brampton team members, we’re also excited to work together as Chrysler brand moves forward to a sustainable all-electric future as part of the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan,” Chrysler CEO Chris Feuell said in a statement.
EV replacement
Despite little about the 300C’s successor being known, expectations are it will ride on one of Stellantis’ EV dedicated STLA platforms likely to be either the STLA Medium already in use, or the STLA Large due in 2025.
The end of the 300C now leaves the Pacifica minivan as the sole vehicle resplendent with the Chrysler wing badge, and only in the United States with no other unique-to-market vehicle offered.
Withdrawn by the erstwhile FCA South Africa in 2017 along with the Dodge brand, the eventual successor for the 300C is unlikely to spearhead the Chrysler’s brand return to the local market anytime soon.
NOW READ: New FCA banner for South Africa
