Another car brand withdraws from Australia! Chrysler follows Holden and exits last right-hand-drive market

The Chrysler brand has been pulled from the Australian market, with the final few examples of the 300 sedan expected to roll out of dealerships in the coming months.

FCA Australia today confirmed that it would no longer sell Chrysler models in Australia, which was the last right-hand drive market globally offering Chrysler.

“The global push towards electrification and focus on SUVs has resulted in a consolidation of the overall product line-up in Australia,” the company said in a statement.

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FCA Australia Managing Director Kevin Flynn added: “Chrysler has held a special place in the heart of many Australians and we are proud of its history here.”

Sales of large sedans have slowed dramatically in the past decade and registrations for the big Chrysler had slowed to a trickle in recent years. The 300 had its best sales year in 2013, with 2508 units sold. So far this year, just 152 have found homes in Australia, a 23 per cent decline on 2020.

It is believed that there are as few as 30 examples of the 300 remaining in stock at Australian dealerships and they are expected to be sold by early 2022.

FCA Australia says it is committed to the supply of parts and servicing for Chrysler vehicles, with all Jeep dealerships across the country to carry out Chrysler servicing. 

Following the closure of Ford’s local factory and the discontinuation of the XR8 Falcon in 2016 and then Holden’s plant closure in 2017 that saw the end of the V8-powered Commodore, the Chrysler 300 SRT was the last V8-powered four-door sedan sold buy a mainstream manufacturer in Australia.

The V6-powered 300C Luxury was sold alongside the more potent SRT.

A number of premium marques like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Maserati all continue to sell V8-powered performance sedans, but in terms of mainstream brands, it is now limited to two-door sports cars like the Ford Mustang.

Chrysler withdrew from other right-hand drive markets in recent years, including the United Kingdom and South Africa in 2017, leaving Australia as the hold out. It was reported at the time that Chrysler would stop all right-hand drive production, but it continued in very small numbers at the Brampton, Ontario plant in Canada for the Australian market.

A small but passionate market for V8 rear-drive sedans and ongoing sales to the likes of the New South Wales Police Force for highway patrol cars helped stretch out Chrysler’s Australian departure.

Chrysler launched the first-generation 300 (then called 300C) in 2005 in V6 and V8 guise and it was replaced by the second-gen version in mid-2012. That means the outgoing 300 will have been on the market here for close almost a decade by the time it is sold out.

Chrysler launched a limited-edition retro-inspired Pacer version of the 300 in 2019.

The powerful 300 SRT uses a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 delivering 350kW and 637Nm, driving the rear wheels. The 300C Luxury is powered by a 3.6-litre V6 pumping out 210kW/340Nm.

Pricing is $60,550 plus on-road costs for the 300C Luxury, while the SRT Core sits at $72,450 and the regular SRT at $78,250.

The Chrysler brand has come and gone from the Australian market a number of times in the past. Following a hiatus in the 1980s when Mitsubishi bought Chrysler Australia, it returned to the market in the mid-1990s with cars like the Neon small sedan and the Grand Voyager people mover, as well as the Crossfire coupe, Sebring mid-size sedan and quirky 1950s throwback, the PT Cruiser.

The second last Chrysler model to be offered Down Under was the Grand Voyager people mover until it was dropped from the line-up in late 2015.