Chrysler CEO Olivier Francois took to the stage in Detroit Michigan at the 2011 North American International Auto Show and introduced the world to the 2011 Chrysler 300. This is the first major redesign for the LX-based 300 since it was introduced, and despite meeting some resistance from the 300 faithful, Chrysler pursued its own vision of its new flagship sedan.

After working through the opening lyrics of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” Francois announced to the gathered crowd that Chrysler had invested some $1 billion into the redesigned car. So do you see a billion bucks worth of work?

The biggest change had to be to the iconic 300 grille. Chrysler even went so far as to poll 300 owners on what they thought of the changes. Many were resistant to the new design, but Chrysler went with it anyway. Then there are the headlights, with the C-shaped LED running lights and smoother lines. A lot of money went towards refining the interior too, to make it feel less like you might get murdered, and more like going to the ball. The whole look is less aggressive and gangster, more shapely, classy, and dare we say arrogant?

The other big news was that as expected, the 2011 Chrysler 300 would be getting the new Pentastar V6 engine, good for 292 horsepower and up to 30 mpg when mated to an upcoming eight-speed transmission. Yes, eight speeds. That Chrysler 300 would also be available with the 5.7 liter HEMI engine, but oddly, no word on the 6.4 liter 392 HEMI engine found under the hood of the Challenger. While a lot of words were spent trying to convince the crowd of the bevy of improvements, we’ll hold off on judgment until we get a ride in one. So how does the new 2011 Chrysler 300 shape up to your expectations?