Production 2016–present Class Luxury Minivan | Model years 2017–present | |
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Manufacturer FCA US LLC (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) Assembly Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Windsor Assembly) Designer Irina Zavatski, Winnie Cheung (interior) | ||
The Chrysler Pacifica is a luxury minivan being produced by the Chrysler division of FCA US LLC. Although sharing its name with a discontinued crossover, it is an all-new design replacing the Chrysler Town & Country (and the Dodge Grand Caravan, by extension).
Contents
The minivan will be produced with two powetrains, a 3.6-liter gasoline powered engine and a plug-in hybrid, marketed as Pacifica Hybrid. The plug-in hybrid version has a 16-kWh Lithium-ion battery capable of delivering an all-electric range of 33 mi (53 km). The gasoline-only version of the Pacifica minivan was scheduled to begin sales by mid-2016, while the plug-in hybrid version will be available for sale by late 2016 or early 2017.
History
In June 2013, it was reported that Chrysler was preparing to produce a new generation of its Town & Country minivan at the Windsor Assembly Plant, with production set to begin in 2015 and a release for the 2017 model year. An industry analyst reported that the new version would possibly be a crossover utility vehicle in the vein of the Pacifica.
In 2015, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that it would invest $2 billion in developing a new minivan, and overhauling the Windsor Assembly Plant to facilitate its production. A company roadmap revealed that a new Town & Country would begin production in February 2016 for the 2017 model year, and that the final-generation Dodge Grand Caravan would be maintained in parallel with the new Town & Country as a lower-cost option during the 2017 model year, after which it will be discontinued. Marchionne has been against "duplicate[d] investments" in product development—a strategy reflected by his reduction of badge-engineering between FCA US's domestic marques. On November 3, 2015, FCA filed to have its trademark registration on the Pacifica brand renewed; FCA's Head of Passenger Car Brands Timothy Kuniskis denied that this was related to any new products, and that it was standard industry practice to continue renewing its trademarks because "you don't want to lose names. Establishing new names is expensive."
The new vehicle debuted on January 11, 2016, at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. Rather than being named as the Town & Country, the new vehicle was branded as the Pacifica. The decision to drop the Town & Country brand was made primarily to distinguish the new vehicle from previous iterations; Director of Chrysler brand product marketing Bruce Velisek explained that the Pacifica was meant to "change the entire paradigm of what people know about minivans in the segment". Among its differences from the previous Town & Country is a new platform, and a design carrying a sportier appearance inspired by crossovers—a market segment that had cannibalized minivan sales—in an effort to disassociate the vehicle from other minivans with a boxier build. Chrysler is also changing the minivan's sliding doors: they will be aluminum and hands-free, opening automatically when the fob holder waves under them.
On March 10, 2016, FCA announced that the starting price of the 2017 Pacifica would be US$28,595. This is US$1,400 less than the starting price of the 2016 Town & Country. On November 15, 2016, pricing for the plug-in hybrid model was released. The base model called 'Premium' starts at US$41,995 and the high-end 'Platinum' model starts at US$44,995. Because the Pacifica Hybrid has a 16 kWh battery pack, it qualifies in the U.S. for the full US$7,500 federal tax credit and also to other incentives at the state and local level.
The production of a plug-in hybrid version, which will be the first of its class in the United States, was, according to chief engineer Kevin Mets, meant to create an electric vehicle that could feasibly be a family's "primary vehicle".
Production
Production of the vehicle will be on an all-new platform at the Windsor Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Powertrains
The Pacifica utilizes a new revision of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine, and will be produced with two powetrains, gasoline-only and plug-in hybrid, marketed as Pacifica Hybrid. The plug-in hybrid version utilizes a 16-kWh Lithium-ion battery, located under second row seat flooring (The hybrid will not be available with the stow'n'go seating and vacuum), with an all-electric range of 33 mi (53 km) before switching back to using the gasoline engine. The battery can be fully recharged in two hours using a 240-volt plug-in system. The gasoline-only version of the Pacifica minivan was scheduled to begin sales by mid-2016, while the plug-in hybrid version will be available for sale by late 2016. Chrysler expected the plug-in hybrid model to achieve a fuel economy of at least 80 miles per gallon equivalent, but on December 1, 2016, the EPA announced the minivan achieved 84 MPGe.
Fuel economy
The Pacifica Hybrid operating in hybrid mode has the highest fuel economy of any minivan available in the American market as of December 2016. The following table presents the official EPA fuel economy ratings for both powertrain variants of the Chrysler Pacifica.
Awards
Marketing
In April 2016, Chrysler launched a television advertising campaign for the Pacifica entitled "Dad Brand", featuring comedian Jim Gaffigan and his children. In October 2016, Chrysler launched a social media-oriented campaign known as "PacifiKids", featuring videos in which unsuspecting families shopped for the vehicle at a dealership staffed entirely by children.