Chrysler’s next minivan is going to be electric, and we now know that it’s going to be called the Pacifica. This is huge news if you’re minivan and Pacifica-pilled like I am. The news was confirmed to Green Car Reports at the LA Auto Show late last week.
“There’s so much equity in the market, consumers have a favorable opinion about Pacifica and very high awareness,” Chrysler CEO Chrstine Feuell told the outlet. “I see no reason at this point to change the name.”
Feuell also said the Pacifica will get a refresh in 2026 that’ll set the stage for the electric Pacifica set to come about a year later, according to GCR. Chrysler will apparently forego the design language it employed with the Airflow EV concept it debuted a few years back. Instead, the new electric Pacifica will take design inspiration from the Halcyon concept it unveiled back in February.
Here’s more of what Green Car Reports learned during their conversation with Feuell:
Feuell wouldn’t commit to whether the Pacifica Hybrid with its plug-in hybrid powertrain will coexist alongside the electric Pacifica. The executive also wouldn’t comment on whether an electric Pacifica with a range extender, like the Ram Charger EREV pickup truck, would make sense.
Feuell was quick to note that with the VW ID.Buzz–the first electric minivan to hit the U.S. market–you have to remove the seats entirely to create an open space.
The Chrysler team’s been working up creative ways to reimagine the automaker’s patented Stow ‘N Go seating system with a BEV powertrain. Feuell noted one option is pushing the front seats forward to create a clever cargo space under the front seats to store the second row. The executive also mentioned looking at the outboard seating positions in the second row and perhaps putting them on rails to slide sideways.
This isn’t some far-down-the-road pie in the sky concept car, either. Suppliers are apparently already involved to figure out how to make everything fit together and what will end up inside the van. The possibilities are sort of endless when you’re working with as much space as a minivan has to offer, so I’m excited to see what Chrysler (the minivan GOATS) are able to do with a blank slate.
I, for one, am super into the idea of an electric minivan. Right now, the Volkswagen ID Buzz has that market all to itself, and it’s sort of mediocre and expensive (but it does look great), so it’ll be great to see more competition. I mean, it makes a lot of sense. Most minivan journeys are pretty short, there’s a ton of room for batteries, and a skateboard design could mean a lot of space inside the car.
