Chrysler 300

The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car designed by Ralph Gilles. There have been many vehicles using the name, starting in 1955 and continuing to this day. The current 300 is a full-size sport/luxury sedan which was first shown at the 2003 New York Auto Show as a concept car and first introduced in the spring of 2004 as an early 2005 model. Its design was clearly inspired by the 1957 Chrysler 300C, the headlights and grill being the most obvious design cues taken from its ancestor. Designed by Ralph Gilles, the new 300 was built to bring a high performance, sporty sedan. The 300C is also sold in Australia, the first large Chrysler sold there since the Valiant was discontinued in 1981. The 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Magnum all share the Chrysler LX platform, which features components derived from the discontinued W210 Mercedes-Benz E-Class of 1996 to 2002. Such components include the suspension design, front seat frames, wiring harnesses, steering column, the 5-speed automatic’s design, and a derivative of the 4-Matic all-wheel drive system. Some European versions will get a four-wheel drive version; the UK will probably not. The basic 300 comes with standard 17-inch wheels with wheel covers, four-wheel disc brakes, traction control, and a four-speed automatic transmission. It uses a 2.7 L EER V6 making 190 hp (142 kW). In Canada, it comes standard with the Touring model’s 3.5 L V6 engine. The basic 300 model was renamed to LX for 2008.