Stellantis plans to launch 8 new vehicles on its “STLA Large” platform over the next two years.
Calling it a “foundation for a wide range of upcoming vehicles” set to launch across the globe, the automaker unveiled more details on its upcoming STLA Large platform. Specifically, this platform will underpin “D” and “E”-segment vehicles — meaning larger crossovers and SUVs, among other midsize vehicles — over the coming years. While we knew the brand’s four STLA platforms (Small, Medium, Large and Frame) were under development for electric vehicles, Stellantis also touted STLA Large’s flexibility to support internal combustion powertrains as well.
The STLA Large platform is a “bridge”, Stellantis says, between gas-powered vehicles and the company’s goal to achieve a full battery-electric sales mix in Europe and 50% fully electric sales in the U.S. by 2030. To do that, this accepts pretty much any powertrain setup you can imagine. Whether it’s front-, rear- or all-wheel drive, single or dual motor or housing a transverse or longitudinally mounted gasoline powerplant, it’s a possibility for new models moving forward.
Stellantis says the first STLA Large vehicles will emerge from the Dodge and Jeep brands first. By that, we expect to see this new architecture with the 2025 Dodge Charger lineup and the Jeep Wagoneer S, the latter of which the automaker also teased this week. The production version of the Wagoneer S will arrive in the U.S. this fall, and will be the company’s first global EV, as it will launch in other markets later in the year and into 2025.
Other technical details on this new platform
Whether it uses an electric motor and battery setup, a gasoline engine or a hybrid configuration, STLA Large vehicles will fundamentally share the same structure moving forward, within a few metrics the company also shared Friday. All “Large” platform vehicles will be 187.6 to 201.8 inches in overall length, with a wheelbase ranging between 113.0 inches and 121.1 inches. Engineers have a few inches to work with in terms of width as well, ranging between 74.7 inches and 79.9 inches. The platform can fit a maximum tire diameter of 32.6 inches, while ground clearance can range anywhere between 5.5 and 11.3 inches, an important point for Jeep SUVs riding on this new architecture.
For purely electric vehicles, battery packs between 85 and 118-kWh can fit underneath whatever vehicles Stellantis develops for this platform. Certain applications will have either a 400-volt or 800-volt system, while the company says it can also accepts “future energy storage technologies when they reach production readiness”. With all the hubbub surrounding solid state batteries as the next leap forward for EV range and charging capability, that’s probably a smart move. Stellantis is targeting an actual driving range of up to 500 miles (800 kilometers) for sedans, though it’s unclear at the moment what sort of numbers we’d be looking at for larger, heavier SUVs. The “initial generation” of powertrains, the company claims, can potentially deliver a sub-2-second 0-60 time, and charging capabilities of 4.5-kWh per minute to an 800-volt battery pack.
On the internal combustion side, Stellantis’ announcement tracks with earlier rumors that the 2025 Dodge Charger would get an internal combustion engine option after all. In all likelihood, the ICE powertrain that Dodge, Jeep and other brands will mate up to the STLA Large platform is the 3.0-liter Hurricane I-6. In its current applications, at least, that engine can deliver more than 500 horsepower, and the automaker has repeatedly emphasized that it can easily comprise part of a hybrid powertrain setup, which may bring even more power.
Between the EVs and gas vehicles, Stellantis promises a level of performance greater than that of today’s Hellcat V-8s. The Dodge Charger SRT Daytona Banshee concept, for example, debuted with prospective power levels between 456 and 670 horsepower, with the potential to run well beyond that. After all, it’s not like the engineers behind the Hellcats, Redeyes and Demons of the world are going to just sit on their hands, even if the Charger did exclusively launch as an EV. We’ll still see some berserk high-horsepower machines, though it does appear the gas engine isn’t totally out of the equation just yet.
After Dodge and Jeep make their first launches, the platform will expand to Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Maserati models. Particularly with the Italian brands, we’ll almost definitely see some solid performance out of the STLA Large platform. That said, while this announcement piques our interest, we still need to see the fruits of Stellantis’ labor (the actual cars) to truly see what this next generation of performance truly feels like.
