Chrysler 300 History
History
The modern Chrysler 300 arrived for 2005 as a full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan on the new LX platform, which borrowed components from Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W210) and S-Class (W220) architecture from the DaimlerChrysler era — giving the big domestic sedan unusually composed handling.
Styled as a modern take on the 1955 C-300 with a tall grille, long hood, and low roof, the 300 was a hit, especially with the available 5.7-liter Hemi V8. The first generation (2005–2010) offered a sedan and a station wagon (the wagon dropped after that generation).
The second generation (2011–2023) ran on the updated LD platform as a sedan only. Production ended on December 8, 2023, closing a nameplate that had revived the historic 'letter car' identity for the 21st century.
Generations
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First generation · LX
The original Mercedes-derived LX car — bold grille, available Hemi V8, offered as a sedan and a station wagon.
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Second generation · LD
Photo: “2013 Chrysler 300 (LX MY13) Limited sedan (2018-07-30) 01.jpg” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Restyled and updated (LD platform), sedan only; ran to the end of 300 production on December 8, 2023.
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2012 Photo: “2012 Chrysler 300 (19804341903).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
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2013 Photo: “2013 Chrysler 300 (LX MY13) Limited sedan (2018-07-30) 01.jpg” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Body styles
- Sedan
- Station wagon
Notable special editions & performance variants
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300 SRT8 / SRT
Hemi-powered performance flagship — a 6.1-liter (later 6.4-liter '392') V8; discontinued in the US after 2014 (it continued in some export markets).
Related models