8 Times Stellantis Killed A Product Just To Bring It Back

Ah, Stellantis, you're confusing us. Stellantis, the transatlantic multinational group that owns 14 automotive brands, grew out of a merger in 2021 between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the PSA Group, which owns European brands like Peugeot, Opel, and others. Stellantis is like the automotive world's Brady Bunch, but this blended family hasn't always had smooth sailing. Stellantis has been bleeding cash in 2025, and its product strategy has been inconsistent, at best. It's developed a habit of killing off product lines and then bringing them back.

Of course, it's not always a bad thing to correct your course when the original course was a mistake to begin with. Stellantis got a new CEO, Antonio Filosa, in mid-2025, and we're seeing new thinking under his leadership. The Detroit Free Press interviewed Filosa, who acknowledged the company's lost market share and said, "Why? Because we decided in the past years to phase out very important nameplates." He then described his plans to bring back some best-selling products. Dare we hope that Filosa is a car guy?

He certainly seems to understand his customer base, especially in the U.S. For instance, Ram is bringing back the Hemi V8 in the 2026 Ram 1500. This signals a desperately needed course correction if Stellantis hopes to win back customers, and we applaud the effort. As we'll see below, there are several other nameplates, engines, and whole product lines that Stellantis has killed off in recent years, only to bring them back — and more revivals are coming.

Does your hometown have one of those furniture stores that has had a going-out-of-business sale for decades? When you moved away, it was still open. And when you came back for your high school reunion, it was still open. The 392 Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler is the SUV equivalent of that store. The 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V8 first appeared in the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, which differentiated itself from other Wranglers with a bulging hood scoop and a very un-Wrangler-like 0-to-60 time of 4 seconds flat.

The 2021 Wrangler 392's order form showed it would set you back more than $77,000, which is probably just as well — if you're going to drive an SUV this powerful, you better be able to afford a lot of insurance. For 2024, Jeep announced a Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition, limited to just 3,700 examples. However, the very next year, Jeep announced the 2025 Wrangler Rubicon 392, also called the Final Edition. Did Jeep's marketing executives learn their trade at that furniture store?

You may think that the 392 surely won't reappear for 2026. Think again, because it returns in the 2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392. It's the same engine, complete with the same 470 horsepower. At a bit under $82,000, it's cheaper than its predecessor, whose price had inflated to more than $100,000 in its final, final year. It comes complete with 35-inch tires, Jeep's Selec-Trac 4x4 transfer case, and other serious trail-busting gear.

The Cherokee nameplate is one of the most important in Jeep's history. The XJ generation of the Cherokee sold almost 3 million units between 1984 and 2001, helping to propel Jeep into the mainstream as a provider of American family vehicles. The Cherokee nameplate disappeared from U.S. markets from 2002 through 2012 when it was replaced by the Liberty, before returning on a crossover SUV in 2013 for the 2014 model year. However, off-road enthusiasts weren't crazy about its car-based platform and slick styling.

Still, this generation of the Cherokee offered decent off-road capability, especially in its Trailhawk trim with off-road tires and other upgrades. Its range of engines included an optional 3.2-liter V6 that could pull off a 7.2-second 0-to-60 run, even in Trailhawk guise with the big tires and a weighty 4x4 drivetrain. On the downside, its interior was cramped, and its gas mileage compared poorly to other compact SUVs. Low sales led Jeep to cancel the Cherokee after the 2023 model year.

However, in the summer of 2025, Jeep revealed the specs for a 2026 Cherokee hybrid. The new hybrid drivetrain corrects the old model's fuel economy issue with an impressive 37 mpg rating. Its squared-off styling recalls the look of the wildly successful XJ models. This is fitting — like the XJ, the new Cherokee will be critical to Jeep's future sales success, and Stellantis knows it. According to Motor Trend, the new Cherokee isn't great off-road, but that may not be an issue for the vast majority of Cherokee buyers. Motor Trend notes that an off-road model may be coming in the near future.

Strap in, readers, because this one gets complicated. After discontinuing the Dodge Charger sedan that was based on the L platform (as well as the Dodge Challenger coupe and the Chrysler 300 sedan, which were based on the same platform), Stellantis announced the Charger would return as an electric-only coupe in 2024. However, it also announced that good old-fashioned dinosaur-juice-powered Chargers would come back in 2025, including four-door Charger Daytona models, but only with Hurricane twin-turbo V6 engines.

Hemi enthusiasts were, well, unenthused. They turned their backs on the Dodge brand. The company's sales plummeted by roughly 50% in early 2025, a trend exacerbated by the decision to release the EV versions first, then the Hurricane V6 models, and no Hemis. The twin-turbo SIXPACK models are hardly slouches at 420 horsepower for the S.O. version and a tire-vaporizing 550 hp for the H.O. version. In fact, a SlashGear reviewer described the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK as "properly powerful," in a masterful bit of understatement.

But Dodge fans are traditionalists, and they love their V8s, specifically, Hemi V8s. In early 2025, Car and Driver reported that a Hemi revival could be on the table for the Charger. It's not clear which Hemi engines would return, or the timeline, beyond the fact that it would be in late 2026. Even as recently as early December of 2025, Dodge's CEO, Matt McAlear, was coy about a possible return of the Hemi-powered Charger, according to The Car Guide. We hope good things come to those who wait.

When Dodge announced the Durango Hellcat in 2021, the company swore it would be a one-year only model, as this supercharged super-ute wasn't exactly in line with emissions and fuel efficiency standards. However, Dodge then uncancelled the model after solving some of its issues. The big, three-row, 710-horsepower SUV previously dragged down Dodge's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ratings, and its emissions weren't exactly earth friendly. However, during its 1-year hiatus, Dodge's engineers fiddled with the software to improve what comes out the tailpipe, while product planning made room for the beastly ute under the CAFE regs.

It survived another near cancellation, when customer feedback convinced Dodge to extend Hellcat production into 2025, along with the 360-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V8. And then, guess what? It's back for 2026. But the 2026 model has emissions issues that have blocked its sale in the 17 states that adhere to California's strict emissions regulations. However, eventually, Dodge found a way around that, too. Executives are a bit cagey about how they managed it, but as of November 2025, 10 of the 17 states had relented.

The division is hopeful that the remaining seven holdouts will give in soon. Then, buyers with about $82,000 growing stale in their bank accounts will be able to slip behind the wheel of this hi-po SUV. It still cranks out 710 hp from its supercharged, 6.2-liter Hemi, and all of that power is channeled to the ground through all four 20-inch wheels. With three rows of seats, these lucky drivers can bring along up to six terrified passengers for the 3.6-second 0-to-60 run.

Dodge responded to V8 enthusiasts not just by keeping the Hemi engines in the lineup, but by going as far as making the Durango a V8-only model. However, after a hiatus of just months, Dodge revived the Pentastar V6-powered Durango. The division's leadership also said that continuing to offer the V6 will allow Dodge to ramp up Hemi production, though given that the lineup was supposed to be 100% Hemi-driven before the return of the V6, that's an odd thing to say.

Regardless of the reason, it's definitely good that buyers will still have a V6 option. The Durango is a relatively affordable three-row SUV at a base price of $38,995. Time-warping 0-to-60 times may be fun, and Dodge does have a long heritage of building muscle cars and trucks, but it also has a tradition of selling mainstream family vehicles like the Caravan minivan. And in that tradition, reasonably priced three-row SUVs are worthwhile offerings on the marketplace.

The Pentastar V6 hardly relegates the Durango to the status of a boring wagon. This 3.6-liter engine generates 295 horsepower, channeled through an 8-speed automatic. There was a time not so long ago when those were performance-car stats. In the Durango, the Pentastar offers a towing capacity of 6,200 pounds, more than enough to tow most weekend toys to the lake or the snowmobile trails. Good call, Dodge!

The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) badge graced some of the most iconic Dodge and Chrysler vehicles of the 21st century, but it quietly disappeared in 2021. In mid-2025, Stellantis announced the performance brand would be reborn. Credit for this goes to Antonio Filosa, the CEO we mentioned earlier, along with Tim Kuniskis, the CEO of the Ram brand, who takes on a newly created position as the head of Stellantis' American brands.

The born-again SRT division will fall under Kuniskis' purview, which is excellent news, since he owns a reputation as a car guy. He actually retired in 2024, but he came out of retirement to take his old job back when Stellantis changed direction. He's the one who revived the Hemi for the 2026 Ram 1500, which augurs well for the future. Under Stellantis' new North American leader, the SRT division should thrive.

The revived division will unite the best performance engineers from all four of Stellantis' stateside divisions under one roof. In addition to building vehicles for the car-buying public, they'll work on Stellantis' track-day efforts, including Dodge's NHRA team and Ram's upcoming NASCAR Truck Series racer. The Dodge Direct Connection performance parts division will also fall under SRT. We could hope to see a revival of cars like the Charger SRT8, along with possible new Hellcat models.

Jeep's little subcompact SUV, the Renegade, sold well early in its model run. In 2016, it sold more than 106,000 units. However, starting in around 2019, sales began a precipitous decline. Toward the end of 2023, under Stellantis's ownership, sales were at less than 10,000 units. Not surprisingly, Jeep pulled the plug, with no replacement in the pipeline. That left Jeep without a bargain-priced entry-level ute.

That will change in 2 years. Jeep confirmed the Renegade will return as a sub-$25,000 EV in 2027. This is part of Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa's push to expand Jeep's portfolio of electrified SUVs. There was no gasoline-powered model included in Jeep's announcement, but the possibility wasn't ruled out either. As we've seen with the Charger, an EV can be the lead-in to an internal-combustion model down the line. One could hope that a gas version of the Renegade may be even cheaper than the EV, but that's speculative.

Detailed specs are necessarily sparse this far ahead of production, but Mopar Insiders reports that the new Renegade will be based on Stellantis' STLA Small platform. This is a variant of a modular EV platform, so the Renegade will be a dedicated EV from the ground up. Nevertheless, the platform can also accommodate gas and hybrid powertrains. Mopar Insiders expects the electric version to feature a 44-kWh battery and a range in the ballpark of 200 miles. Its electric torque should make it a capable little off-roader, too.

The 21st-century version of the Chrysler 300 sedan achieved something very few Chrysler models have managed since the muscle car era: it became cool. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg starred in ads for the vehicle. In Snoop Dogg's case, he starred in the ad because he wanted the car. Even President Barack Obama drove one in his days as a U.S. Senator. The 300C was a throwback to the days of big, powerful rear-wheel drive American sedans with unapologetic, in-your-face style, and people got that at a gut level.

Unfortunately, it vanished with the end of L platform production after the 2023 model year. Chrysler's lineup is now down to a few nearly identical minivans and nothing else. However, a new 300 is scheduled to arrive in 2029, and there's good reason to believe that it will offer style, power, and maybe even the elusive element of cool. The reason for optimism lies in the new model's inspiration: the absolutely breathtaking Halcyon concept car.

According to Motor Trend, the new 300 will likely be based on the STLA Large platform, which is designed to host nearly every kind of drivetrain under the Sun, including pure electrics, hybrids, and internal combustion engines. In EV form, the platform can offer a choice of 400-volt or 800-volt systems with excellent range. All-wheel drive, a smart cockpit, and a complete suite of technology are all integral to the platform. Almost any body style can be built on it, but for coolness' sake, let's hope Chrysler follows through with a big, gorgeous sedan. Then, the Halcyon days may return to Chrysler at last.