Chrysler name now Stellantis

mmcartalk

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The name of the FCA/Peugeot merger has been made official....Stellantis. Lots of jokes going around about it sounding like a drug name LOL.

I can think of somebody who is probably rolling over in his grave right now.

Walter P. Chrysler Plaque, Bishop Airport | Signs by Crannie





The company formerly known as Chrysler is now Stellantis
The name is derived from Latin and signifies (insert corporate platitudes)

JAMES RISWICK

Jul 15th 2020 at 3:38PM
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Stellantis-Challenger.jpg

Introducing Stellantis. Talk to your doctor before using Stellantis as side effects may include model redundancy, the overwhelming urge to apply Dodge badges to Peugeot crossovers, and weak stream.
Honestly, how can you not poke just a little fun at the name chosen for the new multi-national corporation that will result once the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot S.A. (Groupe PSA) is completed in the first quarter of 2021. According to the press release, "Stellantis is rooted in the Latin verb 'stello' meaning 'to brighten with stars' ... The name's Latin origins pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies while the evocation of astronomy captures the true spirt of optimism, energy and renewal driving this industry-changing merger."
The "Latin origins" of the French company Peugeot and the Italian Fiat are obvious. Chrysler, on the other hand, was founded by a man born in Kansas whose father was a Canadian-American of German and Dutch ancestry (thanks Wikipedia). His mother was also of German ancestry. So yeah, the name Stellantis is really only related to the Peugeot and Fiat bits. The Americans are just along for the ride with their Jeeps and Hellcats.
And it should be noted that we will henceforth never write "Stellantis" in ALL CAPS as the corporation does because it's silly and we don't do it for Hummer, Mini, etc. Admittedly, Fiat could go either way since it's literally an acronym, but Fiat doesn't even bother doing that any more.
The name Stellantis will only be applied at the corporate level, so effectively in place where you previously would've said Fiat-Chrysler or FCA. There won't be a Stellantis Challenger.
We produced a list last year of all the cars that are currently made by the brands within Stellantis.
Here's also a list of all the names that the company we generically know as "Chrysler" has gone through over the years.
Chrysler Corporation (1925-1998)
DaimlerChrysler (1998-2007)
Chrysler LLC (2007-2009)
Chrysler Group (2009-2014)
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (2014-2021)
Stellantis
Plymouth Laser

There have also been secondary corporate entities. There was Diamond Star Motors from 1985 to 2015, a manufacturing joint venture between Mitsubishi and whatever Chrysler was called at the time. It resulted in the Plymouth Laser, a randomly selected example pictured above, amongst other automotive diamonds. There was also Eurostar Automobilwerk from 1990 to 2002 between Chrysler and Austria's Steyr-Daimler-Puch Fahrzeugtechnik that basically produced Chrysler minivans for Europeans (mostly diplomats), but dabbled in PT Cruisers at the end.
 

mmcartalk

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Lots of talk going on about this on various forums. Actually, the name "Stellantis" may only be a technical corporate name, not something that is actually going to be displayed on Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram products.
 

Ian Schmidt

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Yeah, that makes much more sense as a replacement for "FCA" at the corporate level. I'd be surprised if they were throwing away all of their brand equity.
 

Levi

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The name sounds good to me, techy, big, futuristic, and I have no association with drugs. Given that the auto market is moving from product to mobility service, the name makes sense and is future proof.
 

Sulu

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"It doesn't have a car anywhere on it" is a weird criticism. Are there any auto brands or groups with a car in the logo?
I agree but that line is from an article in Autoblog, not a publication known for its eloquence. I believe I understand what the author was trying to say, though. I can see that logo in a letterhead but could never see it on the trunklid of a car; it is definitely not as elegant as the following:


Logo-Chrysler-600x97.png
4327

4332
 

mmcartalk

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"It doesn't have a car anywhere on it" is a weird criticism. Are there any auto brands or groups with a car in the logo?


Good point, Ian....can't say I disagree. I didn't write the article, though....just posted it. And, as Sulu pointed out.....typical Autoblog.