boxfullofjoel
All Star
This dude should be an inspiration to all. he will currently oversee designs for
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram,Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Wednesday that it has promoted Ralph Gilles to serve as head of global design and has named him to the company's influential Group Executive Council.
Previously, Gilles, 45, was head of design for all of the automaker's U.S. brands, which include Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram. Gilles succeeds Lorenzo Ramaciotti who is retiring.
The move now puts Gilles in charge of designing new cars for Fiat, Maserati an Alfa Romeo.
Alfa Romeo is in the midst of a $6 billion expansion plan between now and 2018 that will include the development of a number of new models.
Maserati, meanwhile, also is on track for a massive expansion plan that includes the development of several new models.
Those two projects along put Gilles in charge of a number of key product introductions for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and a chance to shape the future look of the world's seventh largest automaker.
Gilles also will have a seat on the Group Executive Council -- a decision-making body within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that makes product development, manufacturing and other major company decisions.
Gilles is among the few top talented executives who has remained with the automaker through its ownership by German automaker Daimler and later private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Auto designer Ralph Gilles aims to set trends
During the Great Recession, as Chrysler climbed out of bankruptcy, Gilles and a team of designers quietly worked on reviving the Dodge Viper at a time when the company really couldn't spare the money to develop it.
"The history of Viper runs deep. The private equity guys tried to snuff it out, but it's like the weed that keeps growing back," Gilles said in 2012 when the supercar was unveiled.
Over the past 18 months, Gilles has overseen the design development of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler 200.
Both have been applauded for their design. The Cherokee veered far away from the boxy Cherokee with a bold, gutsy design that Jeep owners fell in love with in the 1980s and was immediately criticized by enthusiasts. The redesigned 200, meanwhile, evokes elegant American style but is more restrained than some hoped for.
But both vehicles have proved to be sales hits. Car designers, Gilles recently told the Free Press, should see themselves as trendsetters and must anticipate future cultural and design trends.
"Can we be tastemakers? That's one word I love a lot," Gilles told the Free Press. "Tastemaking. Can we set the tastes of the future?"
Gilles also previously served as CEO – Motorsports; President and CEO – SRT Brand and CEO – Dodge Brand for FCA US, in addition to his leadership role in design. He joined the Company in 1992.
Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely.
Ralph Gilles, 45
Title: Head of design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
What he does: Oversees the design departments for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and specialty vehicles as well as for Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
http://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...of-design-fiat-chrysler-automobiles/70775986/
