Gilles continues to work his magic at Chrysler

Just about everyone knows about Chrysler’s 300 success—the model won Motor Trend’s car of the year award in 2005—some even know that Ralph Gilles was the moving force behind the design team that developed the car. What most don’t know is that Gilles was so intent on becoming a car designer that he sent sketches to none other than Lee Iacocca. The Chrysler head was so impressed with Gilles’s work that he suggested some design schools to attend, which Gilles did.

In 1992 when Gilles received his BSC from the Center of Creative Studies in Detroit, he joined Chrysler as a designer. He quickly moved through the ranks to director in the design office in 2001. He spearheaded the design team on the development of the 300 and the rest is history.

In 2005 Gilles was named directory of the Truck Exterior/Interior Design Studio before ascending to his present position as Vice President, which is a notable achievement for a 30-something. During that time Gilles and his team developed the all-new Ram: a vehicle which Chrysler calls a game-changer.

We got to get up close and personal with Gilles in Phoenix at a press preview of the Ram and the new Dodge Journey. Gilles talked about how the design shift in ’94 to the big rig look was very polarizing. I was one that didn’t care for it. The new truck is very refined, however, and much more appealing to me and for the hard core Dodge truck people, the original dropped fender big rig look is still there. But, the new Dodge Ram is a whole lot more than just a pretty face.

When talking about pickups, aerodynamics is rarely discussed, and yet changes in design are a noticeable improvement. Reworking the hood, grille and even the side view mirrors made a big difference, and air dams help direct air around the vehicle and improve engine cooling. I won’t bore you with the drag coefficient specifics but, suffice it to say, they’re pretty happy with the improvement.

The HEMI powerplant delivers an impressive 380 horsepower and, more importantly, 404 lb-ft of torque and delivers an estimated 13/19mpg in the 2WD iteration on mid-range 89 octane fuel.

I was very impressed with Ralph Gilles long before meeting him. After talking with him and seeing his true passion for designing exciting vehicles that not only look good but perform extremely well, I have even more respect for him. I know he doesn’t like to be called a genius, but what he’s accomplished in his relatively short career is groundbreaking. I'm betting that Gilles will be a very important part of the automotive industry along the lines of Harley Earl, Bob Lutz and, of course, lee Iacocca, for a long time to come.

There is a lot more to the all-new Ram and we’ll be talking more in depth when we drive the press vehicle later this year.