The Original Airflow Was Too Radical for Its Own Good
When Chrysler introduced the original Airflow in 1934, it looked like almost nothing else on American roads. Engineers Carl Breer, Fred Zeder and Owen Skelton had spent years studying aerodynamics, including wind-tunnel research conducted with assistance connected to aviation pioneer Orville Wright. Their experiments reportedly demonstrated that conventional automobiles of the era were so aerodynamically inefficient that some shapes performed better when pointed backward.
The production Airflow attempted to fix that. Its engine was moved forward, passengers were positioned more centrally between the axles, and the body used advanced structural techniques intended to improve strength and weight distribution. Instead of the upright grille, separate headlights and boxy passenger compartment typical of the early 1930s, the Airflow integrated those elements into a rounded, streamlined shape that previewed where automotive design was heading.
Unfortunately for Chrysler, customers weren’t ready. Production difficulties hurt the car’s reputation, while its appearance proved too unconventional for many buyers. Chrysler quickly began softening the styling and offered more traditionally designed Airstream models alongside it. The Airflow disappeared after 1937, with roughly 55,000 examples produced across its run. Today it is recognized as an extraordinarily influential automobile, but being proven right decades later did little to help Chrysler sell them in 1934.
The New Airflow Is Taking the Opposite Approach
Chrysler first revived the Airflow name on a sleek electric concept shown in 2022, and at the time it appeared to preview an EV that would help transform Chrysler into an all-electric brand. The production Airflow now taking shape is significantly different. Rather than forcing buyers into a single futuristic powertrain, the new model will use Stellantis’ flexible STLA One architecture, which can accommodate gasoline, hybrid and fully electric configurations.
The production SUV is also expected to look substantially different from the smooth 2022 concept. Recent previews show a more upright and conventional crossover with thin horizontal lighting, a prominent Chrysler emblem and a relatively clean design. Chrysler is positioning it as a practical family vehicle comparable in size and mission to mainstream crossovers such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue rather than as an expensive technological showcase.
Pricing may be the biggest indication that Chrysler learned something from its history. Stellantis has indicated the Airflow should start below $39,000, placing it squarely in one of America’s most competitive vehicle segments. A hybrid is expected to play an important role in the lineup, while a fully electric version remains possible later. Instead of asking customers to reorganize their lives around Chrysler’s vision of the future, the company appears to be letting customers choose how quickly they want to get there.
Airflow Has Become the Perfect Name for Chrysler’s Second Chance
In a new drivetrain video from October 2026, Stellantis shows its future lineup. One of the designs fits the possibility of the Airflow, seen above. There is a certain irony in using the Airflow name this way. The 1934 car was built by a Chrysler Corporation famous for engineering experimentation. It was willing to radically rethink what an automobile looked like because its engineers believed they had discovered a better way to build one. The gamble failed commercially, but many of the ideas behind the Airflow eventually became normal throughout the industry.
Nearly a century of automotive history later, Chrysler faces a different problem. Following the end of the 300 and years without a steady stream of new products, the company’s American lineup has effectively been reduced to the Pacifica. The upcoming Airflow will eventually be joined by smaller Arrow and Arrow Cross models as Stellantis attempts to turn Chrysler back into a full-line brand focused on affordable, comfortable family vehicles.
That arguably makes Airflow an appropriate name even if the new SUV looks nothing like its ancestor. Both cars arrive during periods when Chrysler needs to prove that it still knows where the automobile is going. The difference is that the original Airflow tried to drag customers into the future before they were ready. The new one seems designed to meet them where they already are. For Chrysler, that may be the more revolutionary idea.
