Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ plans to move the next-generation Chrysler 300 sedan to the Alfa Romeo Giulia platform have reportedly been scrapped. However, rumor is that the Chrysler flagship may add a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine to the lineup and that, on the other end of the scale, the 707-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 from the Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcats could show up in the 300 at the end of 2018.
According to Automotive News, the 300 will undergo an extensive refresh for the 2019 model year. The updated 300 will continue to use FCA’s aging LX platform as a base. The company, though, is expected to integrate additional weight-saving technologies to help fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, a rumored four-cylinder 300 would probably use the same turbocharged unit that is slated for the all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler. (The LX-platform-based Dodge Charger and Challenger will also see the 2019 updates before being replaced in 2021, according to the report, with new models based on the Maserati Ghibli platform.) An FCA spokesperson contradicted that report, telling Car and Driver that the company currently has no plans to produce a 300 variant featuring the Hellcat supercharged V-8. Still, we’ve been misled by FCA before, and we’ve even published spy photos of what looked like a 300 Hellcat test mule. We wouldn’t put money on Chrysler offering a 707-hp 300, but we can’t rule out the possibility. Remember, though, that the ...