Chrysler Halcyon Concept Pushes Innovative Boundaries, Offers Forward-looking Vision of Brand's All-electric Future
02/13/2024
Chrysler
Chrysler today unveiled the Chrysler Halcyon Concept, exemplifying a fully electrified future of the Chrysler brand that embraces sustainability-driven exterior and interior design, full autonomy paired with personalized driving experiences and futuristic technology that expands on the brand's "Harmony in Motion" ethos of customer-focused seamless connectivity.
"The Chrysler Halcyon Concept creates a level of serenity that fully represents the Halcyon name. The Halcyon showcases innovative and sustainable mobility solutions that embrace technology and offer value to customers while delivering Harmony in Motion," said Chris Feuell, Chrysler brand CEO - Stellantis. "The Chrysler Halcyon Concept brings to life a fully electric tomorrow through new technology suites from Stellantis that integrate with simple and pure aerodynamic design and a seamless, connected and immersive cockpit experience."
The Chrysler Halcyon Concept is the latest in a steady progression of futuristic concepts representing the brand's electrification transformation. Previously, the brand revealed the Chrysler Portal Concept in 2017, the Chrysler Airflow Concept in 2022 and the Chrysler Synthesis Cockpit Demonstrator in 2023.
Chrysler will launch the brand's first battery-electric vehicle in 2025 and will feature an all-electric portfolio in 2028. The Chrysler Halcyon Concept reinforces the brand's commitment to the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 plan, which cultivates the electrified and more efficient propulsion systems that will enable Stellantis to cut its global carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and to lead the transportation industry by achieving net carbon zero by 2038.
Simplified, Streamlined and Sculptural Exterior Styling
The Chrysler Halcyon Concept, designed on the STLA Large platform, offers an aerodynamic, streamlined and uncompromising vision of the Chrysler brand's future exterior character. The concept's combination of seamless technology and battery-electric performance work in harmony with a pure, streamlined exterior design that ingeniously embeds aerodynamic elements.
Dramatic sculptural styling starts at the front of the futuristic four-door Halcyon, with the body plunging to within four inches of the road. A subtle-yet-functional front air blade aerodynamic pass-through area enhances performance and all-important BEV range capability. The pass-through is visible from the cockpit, providing the driver a real-world connection with the concept's performance and functionality.
The thin, clean, cross-car front LED headlamp is adaptive and centered by a new LED-lit Chrysler wing logo, first debuted on the Chrysler Airflow Concept. Front air curtains are designed to direct air flow for aerodynamic performance. The concept's windshield extends out to the edges of the front end, elongating the cockpit to create a wide, sweeping view that connects the driver to the road.
The concept's unique Elemental Silver color was chosen to give the aesthetic illusion of an exterior fashioned from recycled metals. Warm Black side aero blades cleanly direct airflow from front to back, and functional Chrysler wing logos on the aero blades light up as the driver approaches to display the vehicle charge level at full, medium or low.
A distinctive vehicle character line travels around the concept, grounding the vehicle and protecting the purity of the proportions. Thin, blade-like side mirrors house cameras for a slimmer aero profile, and autonomous entry into the concept eliminates the need for door handles, both features enhance the concept's aerodynamic efficiency while staying true to the vehicle's pure, minimalist design. Lightweight, machine-faced 22-inch wheels feature a unique turbine-shape design, with center caps accented by the new interpretation of the Chrysler wing logo. Wheels are wrapped with low-rolling resistance 255/35R22 Pirelli tires.
A warm Acrylic-tinted butterfly-hinged canopy serves as a third door and works in symphony with the red-carpet-style side doors to offer spacious ingress and egress. The flowing glass canopy integrates the exterior and interior and provides seamless views, with the expansive windshield, canopy and rear hatch working together to provide an immersive experience.
The rear of the Chrysler Halcyon Concept also carries its own unique silhouette, with a water line that emphasizes the width and shoulders of the car, and the front's cross-car read and LED-lit Chrysler wing logo are mirrored in the rear. A back camera serves as a futuristic rearview mirror, projecting the rearview to the console and/or cross-car screen located just above the footrest.
The concept's Active Aero Technology incorporates a sliding rear lower aero diffuser created from lightweight composite material, a rear spoiler and air suspension to enhance efficiency and driving dynamics. The concept's undercarriage is designed to incorporate emerging inductive charging technology, with sensors integrated in the vehicle communicating with sensors under the road to charge the battery and provide unlimited range.
Seamlessly Connected, Sustainable and Immersive Interior
The interior of the Chrysler Halcyon Concept is an immersive environment with an almost 360-degree range of view, possessing a duality that delivers a "digital detox" cockpit through stress-free autonomous features. That autonomy is paired with the capability to take control and experience an engaged, dynamic driving environment that offers a direct connection with the road. The interior is intimate, natural yet futuristic, and uses 95% sustainable materials throughout to achieve not just Harmony in Motion, but harmony with the planet.
The sculpted cockpit is centered by a cross-car pillar-to-pillar transparent display, providing a forward-looking view of information while keeping eyes on the road. Complementing the display is a stowable 15.6-inch console screen that can be rotated for either portrait or landscape orientation and can assist in start-up and quick access to information. The displays can be fully controlled by voice recognition commands, diminishing the need for driver input.
An augmented-reality full-screen head-up display (HUD) shares important driving information, such as speed, charge status and more. The cockpit incorporates AI functionality, allowing the driver to ask the vehicle anything. STLA Brain technology delivers over-the-air (OTA) updates with the latest technology and features to keep the concept fresh, and the Stellantis AI system allows the concept to diagnose issues and communicate OTA solutions without visiting a dealership.
The reverse-yoke-designed steering wheel folds away, with pedals also retracting when the steering wheel retracts to provide a zen-like environment. The steering wheel's center Chrysler wing logo, as well as other areas of the cabin, add sustainable design inspired by Detroit's musical culture and heritage, integrating crushed and 100% recycled composite material made from post-consumer music CDs.
The Chrysler Halcyon Concept eliminates the traditional instrument panel, allowing occupants to take advantage of a footrest that runs the width of the car to better relax and enjoy the view from the panoramic windshield. Airbags are located around the cabin in a seamless creative solution, creating an open yet protected cabin. The glass center console design links the cabin spaces as it flows from the front to the rear in a modern architectural feel. Lighting plays a significant role within the cabin and is a focal point for the console with its clear acrylic design featuring textures and shapes that bend and diffuse the lighting. The accent lighting also finds its way through the doors, footrest and footwells.
The lightweight, keystone-shaped front seats are luxurious and sleek, as well as supportive, and wrap over the glass center console, giving the interior continuity. The front seats also can fully retract into the rear seat position, creating a giant accessible area. As with the steering wheel, front seat inserts incorporate the Chrysler wing logo made from crushed recyclable electronic CDs.
Rear seats retract into the trunk area to highlight a potential next-generation vision of Stow 'n Go seating, first invented for Chrysler minivans. The rear seats stow away either through biometric identification or voice command to open space for groceries, pet kennels and more. Rear armrests are sculptural and support the flow-through console.
Interior materials were chosen not just for sustainability, but also for compatibility with the open-air character of the cockpit, such as laser-pattern Solar White suede, made from 73% PET bottles and used on the upper seat and door areas. A Mayan Gold stitch brings a warm feel to the seats, and a non-leather synthetic soft trim wraps the lower seats, with seatbacks wrapped in Solar White synthetic soft trim. Polyester, 100% recycled Melange Heather, fabric also accents the interior.
The Dark Grey wood interior floor features a malleable, textile-infused wood with a microfiber backing, offering multiple potential applications. The wood is traceable, referring to the process of tracking and tracing the raw material throughout its entire production. Brushed Black Copper door and door sill film accents provide an alternative to paint and lower the concept's use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted during the painting process. The thin film material subtly transitions in shades from black to brown and works well with the light, open-air cabin. Door sills also carry the unique crushed-CD-style Chrysler wing logo.
The trunk area uses the same textile-infused wood of the front and features a runner board in the floors that can be removed for storage purposes. A pass-through from the rear seats accommodates transport of oversize items, such as ski equipment.
Ingenious, Intuitive and Personalized User Experience
The Chrysler Halcyon Concept is underpinned by a full suite of innovative technology from Stellantis, with complementary STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit and STLA AutoDrive technologies working together to achieve Harmony in Motion and ingeniously enhance the vehicle user experience.
In Prepare Mode, a Stellantis AI virtual assistant preps for the day, notifying the driver and the Chrysler Halcyon Concept of upcoming events. A personalized and seamless experience ties the vehicle with other connected devices, such as a smart phone or smart home thermostat. Using advanced STLA Brain and SmartCockpit technology, an Intelligent Cabin Comfort feature analyzes weather conditions and uses personalized preferences to set HVAC levels remotely. Predictive navigation, one of the concept's many predictive interaction features, syncs with the driver's calendar to prepare the vehicle for real-time traffic and navigation routing, staying one step ahead and eliminating unneeded driver inputs.
As the driver approaches the Chrysler Halcyon Concept, the vehicle recognizes the driver, comes to life and provides a greeting through a Welcome Mode that uses biometric identification. Illuminated LED exterior lighting animation, personalized exterior sound features and a greeting on interior screens provide a warm welcome and sense of connection with the vehicle. Functional Chrysler wing logos on the side aero panels communicate vehicle charge status.
In Welcome/Entry Modes the driver is the "key" to unlocking the concept, as facial biometrics allow safe and secure, hands-free vehicle entry and start-up, with doors unlocking and opening autonomously. Biometric functions can also detect if the driver is carrying a package or backpack and intuitively retract the next-gen Stow 'n Go seats to create storage space. Air suspension assists with ingress by lifting the low-profile vehicle as the driver enters the cockpit, with the concept always at the right entry height.
Pre-drive Mode brings to life a customized experience, with personalized vehicle cymatics - sound and vibrations mirrored through visuals - helping to create the mood of the vehicle. As the vehicle wakes up and welcomes the driver, it can share a calming or energetic sound based on driver presets. Different sound frequencies prompt corresponding product shapes on the console screen - calming frequencies align with a more dispersed particle pattern on the console screen, while more spirited sound frequencies generated during drive modes create energetic particle patterns that provide the driver with a real-world connection to the vehicle's performance status. Ambient interior lighting and sounds also adjust to driver inputs and complement the cabin environment.
Drive Mode delivers a dynamic, personalized driving experience. Drivers can sit back, relax and allow the Chrysler Halcyon Concept to take control while the STLA AutoDrive technology platform enables Level 4 autonomous driving features, such as Stargazing Mode or take the wheel, and controls for an exciting, connected-to-the road experience.
STLA AutoDrive technology platform enables Level 4 autonomous driving features that eliminate the stress of traffic using predictive navigation. The steering wheel and pedals retract, and the dimmable glass canopy and windshield can turn opaque for privacy and to create an immersive space, such as a Stargazing Mode in which seats morph into a laid-back position while the augmented-reality windshield HUD projects information on stars and constellations.
Occupants can also watch movies and play games, and the adaptive environment features a media system that chooses audio and content based on the driver's personal preferences and history. The augmented-reality HUD includes a Memory Landmark feature that pins points of interest and previously visited locations during the drive, with landmark pins selectable and shareable.
Drivers who want to own the controls can use voice recognition to deploy the steering wheel and experience pure dynamic driving excitement in a low-profile vehicle that is one with the road. Customized EV drive modes enhance the driving experience with selectable levels of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) support, and holographic elements in the HUD blend seamlessly into the real world for both navigation and gamification. The concept can gamify travel through mountainous ranges by identifying certain landmarks or marking best lap times.
The connected experience wraps up in Exit Mode, with Automated Parking features and automatic transformation of seats and ride height to accommodate vehicle egress. Smart exterior lighting enables vehicle-to-pedestrian communication, with indicator lighting such as blinkers or stopping displayed on the ground through near-field projection to aid in pedestrian safety. A send-off is communicated on the console screen and complemented through animated lighting and sounds.
Fully Autonomous, Unlimited Range and Lower Carbon Footprint
The Chrysler Halcyon Concept imagines a future that takes advantage of innovative Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) technology to wirelessly recharge electric vehicles traveling over specially equipped, dedicated road lanes, allowing for unlimited range and travel from destinations, such as New York to Seattle, without need of charger, charge cord or charge stations. Stellantis partnered in 2022 to demonstrate the potential of DWPT technology at the Arena del Futuro circuit in Chiari, Italy.
The concept also envisions incorporating breakthrough Lyten 800V lithium-sulfur EV batteries that do not use nickel, cobalt or manganese, resulting in an estimated 60% lower carbon footprint than today's best-in-class batteries and a pathway to achieve the lowest emissions EV battery on the global market. In May 2023, Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis, announced an investment in Lyten to accelerate the commercialization of Lyten 3D Graphene applications for the mobility industry.
Chrysler Brand
The Chrysler brand has delighted customers with distinctive designs, craftsmanship, and advanced innovation and technology since the company was founded in 1925. Chrysler continues to build on that nearly 100-year legacy of creating ingenious products and technologies for mainstream customers, moving forward on an electrified transformation that will launch the brand's first battery-electric vehicle in 2025 and an all-electric portfolio in 2028.
The Chrysler Pacifica continues to reinvent the minivan, a segment Chrysler created 40 years ago. The Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid symbolizes the brand's electrification evolution, representing the first electrified minivan in the segment and achieving 82 MPGe, an all-electric range of 32 miles and a total range of 520 miles. Chrysler Pacifica delivers the most standard safety features and most advanced available all-wheel-drive system in its class and is also the most awarded minivan over the last seven years with more than 175 honors and industry accolades since its introduction as a minivan.
Chrysler is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
Follow Chrysler and company news and video on:
Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Chrysler brand: www.chrysler.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrysler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrysler
Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrysler or @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/chrysler or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA