posted by canadiancatgreen
Coincidence? Or stocking up before production ends? Yes, MY 2023 is the final year for the 300, which has had quite a run. So get yours while you still can.
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: Chrysler 600 – Get Your 300 While You Still Can
– Posted on October 16, 2022
Is the Chrysler 300 the Last Great American Sedan? I did enjoy the one I had, spacious, quick, quiet, decently economical, unabashedly “American” and a great cruiser. What else is there that’s RWD with a V8 and four doors that isn’t a truck (besides the Charger which though a four door always seemed a bit coupe-like)…this was a great update of the genre and showed what the Crown Vic and Caprice could have been.
Sadly I don’t see too many of these early ones anymore but I do recall the hubbub when they were intro’d, very similar to when the Ram debuted its mini-big-rig styling in the early 90’s, it was talked about everywhere.
I didn’t even know they were still making them. I guess that is how far off my radar a car like this is.
Although I never had a desire to own one (too big, V-8, well that’s two strikes), I could always appreciate the car and it’s definitely the proper blaze of glory for the traditional American sedan to go out in.
They should have done one limited edition for 2023: The standard car, with with a bench seat and column shift.
It looks like a run of about 2,200 is planned: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/chrysler-auto-show-sedan-1.6582334
I think Chrysler really screwed the design up with the 2011 refresh, these looked just right, modern without being modern, retro without any specific throwback to compare it to(often unfavorably). The refresh seemed to be an effort to modernize and soften up the style which seemed to completely miss the point of what made this car appealing in its first iteration.
I recently returned from a road trip through BC and a bit of Alberta, away from the coast through the Okanagan and Rockies. Compared to what I see in California, there was a much higher ratio of 300’s to Chargers. And in spite of seeing quite a few older American cars on the road, there were far more of the Mopar twins newer than of aero Panther Fords and Mercuries, which are still very visible in California. The 300 seems like it was a big hit up north and the fact that CBC had an article about highlights that.
I don’t know why the Domestic manufacturers want to abandon the passenger car market completely to the imports. If you’re looking for a coupe, convertible, or sport luxury sedan there are lots available from European makers.
I’m sorry to hear that the 300 has reached the end of it’s run. It was a good example of a “real” American car. I liked them, but it wasn’t in the Cadillac or Lincoln league.
I had been reading that the “new” ’24 Mustang was going to share the Explorer platform, which did not sound promising, although it might have made it amenable to electrification as a hybrid or full electric.
I was somewhat relieved to see that the ’24 Mustang will still be a real Mustang. It’s a face lift of the ’15-23 platform. Styling is a little strained, as most Mustang face lifts have been. Generally Ford runs the Mustang design for quite a few years, the current car will see nine years of production. The previous model ran for ten years. There’s no telling how long the Mustang will remain in production as this type of car has fallen out of favor with the general buying public. The good news for me is that I will still have the option of buying a brand new Mustang for a few more years. I am seriously considering it. The car would easily last me the rest of my life.
If the next Challenger doesn’t do well due to execution, or if there is one at all. the Mustang might absorb much of its lost sales and bump it back to healthy enough sales territory. I bet if you tally up the total number of American Ponycar sales between the Challenger, Mustang and Camaro the figures in recent years are probably not that different than they were 20 years ago when it was just the Mustang and Camaro/Firebird, or just the Mustang itself between 2003 and 2007.
I wonder if that’s why Ford went with an update of the “old” platform rather than go with the Explorer plafrorm. Keep its fans happy while its closest rivals either get cancelled from poor sales(Camaro) or implode from a poorly conceived successor.
No small feat to follow up the beautifully-styled second-generation LH platform 300M, with a boldly different, clean sheet design language, and to have it be a long-lived success. An impressive accomplishment, in the context of automotive history.
Nice shot getting the two different headlight designs alongside each other! Presumably the different designs were for different spec levels? Here in New Zealand we only ever got lights like on the right side 300; a shame really as I prefer the larger lights of the left side car. Incidentally, despite their advancing years, the 300 is still very popular here, with even the high mileage diesel models commanding good money.
IIRC the left headlights were on V6 models and the right were on V8 models. But all the 300s in Australia (and other export markets) were badged as 300Cs, regardless of engine, while in the US the C was V8-only.
I agree with you, too! I really do prefer the V6 headlight design, but maybe we both like it because it’s something more unfamiliar to us? The C/V8 headlights are good-looking still.
The 300 has held its value pretty well here too.
You are correct. The left headlights were on 05-10 V6 cars (300, Touring, Limited). The headlights on the right denoted V8 cars (300C, 300S and SRT).
Only the projector-type headlamps were made in ECE-compliant (rest of world outside North American regulatory island) versions for left- and for right-hand traffic. The cheap-spec reflector-type headlamps were only for North America.
When the 300 goes, will there be ANY American sedans left, or will EVERYTHING be ‘crossovers’ or SUVs??
Yup, the 2023 model year is the last year of the 300 on the current platform. I have an order on the 2023 300C, which is the limited production 300 with 6.4L V8, 8spd auto drivetrain and suspension from the Scat Pack Charger. It is one of 2000 available in the US, 200 available for Canada.
Looking forward to getting it in the sprint of 2023.