Chrysler has been a brand hungry for product in recen years. The Pacifica minivan continues to be its strongest selling porduct with the van also being the only product it currently produces after years of slowly axing the rest of its model lineup.

It’s no surprise that this current state of affairs is not good for long term sales and is also not good when you’re under the evaluative microscope of Stellantis bean counters looking to see if your brand is worth saving. A new affordable vehicle reportedly being developed might help change things.

Affordability for the people

The news came from an interview the Detroit News did with a local Pennsylvania dealer named Dave Kelleher. Kelleher revealed that Stellantis reps last fall teased a new model to the assembled dealers called the Pronto. The Pronto allegedly shown was a part of a wave of other affordable models planned for Jeep and Dodge and would be the most drastic response yet to persistent complaints about the high pricing for most of its models.

The Pronto nameplate is also a throwback with the moniker first making its debut in the mid 1990s on the Chrysler Pronto Cruizer concept. That Pronto was a small sports car and was originally penned as a possible product for Plymouth before the brand was axed forcing the company to do a last minute name change ahead of its Geneva debut.

This time around, the Pronto would be used for an entry-level model which would reportedly start in the $20,000 range. The projected price range would be a stark contrast to the Pacifica’s price tag and it would also be a sharp pivot away from prior plans to make the Chrysler brand a premium mainstream destination.

Will lightning strike twice?

If the Pronto is indeed heading for production, it would seem that Stellantis is also attempting to make lightning strike twice. The last time we saw the company make a bold play in the affordability market was in the 1990s with the Neon. While Chrysler didn’t get a derivative until later due to the demise of Plymouth, the Neon was a breath of fresh air and allowed the old Chrysler company to post strong sales for alot of its run thanks to an unconventional marketing approach and the platform’s flexiility.

With the succeeding Caliber model being anything but a strong seller, the Pronto would have very big shoes to fill. It would undoubtedly be less crude than the old Neon but the company could use some of that model’s playbook to help promote it as a strong budget pick for urban buyers.