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The Grand Caravan, at least the name, isn't dead yet in Canada

Last week we got Stellantis. This week, we’re learning that the Grand Caravan name isnÂ’t actually dead. ItÂ’s just moved to Canada. Allow us to explain. The Dodge Grand Caravan is well and truly gone. However, FCA has decided the name is too good not to use. Therefore, FCA Canada just announced that Canadians will get the Chrysler Grand Caravan for the 2021 model year. One look at the photos will tell you most everything you need to know about the van. ItÂ’s a rebadged Chrysler Voyager, which itself is a budget Chrysler Pacifica by a different name. Basically, the U.S. gets the Voyager, and Canada gets the Grand Caravan. “WeÂ’re incredibly proud to maintain the ‘Grand CaravanÂ’ nameplate exclusively in the Canadian marketplace,” said David Buckingham, President and CEO, FCA Canada. “Particularly here in Canada, that name has become synonymous with affordable, safe and innovative family transportation that the 2021 Chrysler Grand Caravan builds upon.” Now that the Voyager and Caravan are the same again, the next logical step would be to bring back Plymouth, right? Rebadged Plymouth Hellcats wouldnÂ’t bother us. Just Â… you know, an idea. Canadian customers will have the choice of two trims for the Grand Caravan: Base and SXT. Similar to the U.S., upper trim levels of the van will be called Pacifica. The two will be sold alongside each other at Chrysler dealerships. Photos of the Pacifica with the Grand Caravan badge already have us a little weirded out, but now youÂ’ll know whatÂ’s going on during your next trip up north when you see a Chrysler Grand Caravan roll by. Related video:

Chrysler Airflow EV crossover concept headed to production in 2024

At the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Airflow Vision Concept took the starring role on the Chrysler stand. More than a year later, Stellantis used its EV Day to show what looked like a running, rolling evolution of the Airflow Vision Concept, but the automaker didn't reference any names for the product. Finally, at one point during the company's Software Day this week, the company brought the production-looking battery-electric crossover out once again, only this time it has a name: Chrysler Airflow. The Stellantis roadmap contains blank spots in the 2022 and 2023 new reveal columns for the Chrysler brand. Car and Driver believes the Airflow could be one of Chrysler's new debuts in 2024. The automaker hasn't offered any details, so the most that can be done with the Airflow is to examine the pieces that Stellantis had already spoken of and see which ones fit. The OEM filed a trademark application for the Airflow name in 2019 and 2021. C/D thinks the five-seat production vehicle will ride on STLA Medium platform and be about the size of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4. The STLA Medium architecture will serve premium offerings for the C and D segments, will fit battery backs between 87 kWh and 104 kWh and two sizes of e-motors — a smaller motor producing from 168 to 242 horsepower, and a bigger motor putting out anywhere from 201 to 443 hp. Maximum range could be as much as 440 miles, depending on battery and motor combination. The platform slots between the STLA Small and STLA Large, a fourth STLA Frame platform serving trucks and vans.  Just before a four-minute video segment that showed Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares driving the Airflow, the automaker's head of software said, "It's closer than you think and more than a pure concept." The video shows a range of screens lining the instrument panel, plus a couple more in the back, as well as what look like plush materials and the obligatory panoramic sunroof. With the company aiming to hit 20 billion euros ($22.7B U.S.) in revenue from software by 2030, it said, "The Chrysler Airflow Concept shown in the Stellantis Software Day presentation represents the future of connected vehicles." The first we'll see of that could be the three new software platforms planned to roll out in 2024, all of them powered by AI. CES 2022 isn't far off, and Stellantis has told us there's a big announcement for 2022.

Maserati Levante will borrow Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid's PHEV powertrain

The plug-in hybrid tech from the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan will move seriously upmarket into a future version of the Maserati Levante crossover. The PHEV model should arrive around early 2018 or possibly the end of 2017, division boss Harald Wester told Motor Trend. Wester was blunt about the reason for using the minivan's powertrain. "A standalone program would be suicidal so we have to look at FCA," he said to Motor Trend. However, he expects the PHEV to comprise a tiny portion of the luxury CUV's sales volume – possibly as low as six percent. The Pacifica Hybrid will be the first PHEV minivan in the US when it arrives in the second half of 2016. The powertrain combines a 3.6-liter V6 that runs on the more efficient Atkinson cycle, and two electric motors, which are in the gearbox. A 16-kWh lithium-ion battery under the floor stores the energy for the system. Chrysler estimates the setup can carry the minivan 30 miles purely on electric power and achieve 80 MPGe. The first examples of the Levante should arrive in the US in August, according to Motor Trend. Maserati plans initially to offer its luxury crossover here with two twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6s. Base models use a version with 350 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. The S trim gets some extra grunt thanks to a tune that makes 430 hp and 427 lb-ft. Both models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and a limited-slip differential. The Maserati will have a fleet of posh, European crossovers to fight against, and the PHEV will possibly offer an edge to entice a few green-minded, wealthy customers. Related Video: