![\"Gilles wants Chrysler products to have a more \'organic\' look. He pointed to concepts like the Dodge Zeo electric sports car and the Chrysler ecoVoyager as hints of how future Chrysler vehicles might look.\" (text via autonews,com, snap from chryslerweblog.com)](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dodge_zeo8.jpg "\\"Gilles wants Chrysler products to have a more \'organic\' look. He pointed to concepts like the Dodge Zeo electric sports car and the Chrysler ecoVoyager as hints of how future Chrysler vehicles might look.\\" (text via autonews,com, snap from chryslerweblog.com)")
If you want your brain to melt, ask a car designer to explain… anything. When it comes to torturing the English language and obfuscating meaning, these guys are the masters (these are not the Hoffmeister kinks you want). Ralph Gilles is different. Chrysler's freshly-anointed Design Chief is a man of the [Canadian] streets. OK, yes and an Art School grad. But when Ralph talked to Automotive News [sub] about his employer's new design direction (they have vehicles to design?), all we got, thankfully, was "We're done with the 'Edge' look." So it's in with "organic shapes." Like… the 300? Or those two-day-old moldering vegetables I no longer buy? I kid. Anyway, meanwhile, good luck getting that "monkey off our backs on interiors." And the following pledge (as reported by The Detroit Free Press): "With the Nissan project we're working on, we've got designers stationed there… and you'd never know it was based on a Nissan." Oops! I guess that cat's out of the bag!
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Oh no! Does this mean we are going back to the molten jelly bean look?
Will they be doing more than slapping their own fascias on Nissans?
So does this mean Chrysler interiors will continue to look like Playskool, while the exteriors become like Cauliflowers?
Just wonderin’
I thought I would take a break from the sarcastic comments.
This is good news. Trevor Creed’s “retirement” (he is rather young to be retiring, hint, hint, and the fact that Giles is rather young (38) to be an SVP tells you all you need to know) was long overdue. I would rather see Tom Gale come back but Giles will be a step up in the right direction. One of Giles recent assignments was to take the reigns of interior design. Seen the new Ram interior shots? The Challenger interior? The steering wheel sucks – they were saving money by using the “corporate wheel” but rest of the interior is better than it’s stablemates. Seen the shots of the revised Patriot and Compass interiors? This is all because of Giles. It’s not Audi, but they are finally heading in the right direction. Now we’ll have to see what they do with the exteriors. The minivans were a letdown.
Well so long as it’s all carbon-based…
How did ‘organic’ come to mean anything we want it to mean? How does the term apply to cars?
I agree that he couldn’t explain the word organic, as it’s just a feel-good buzz word these days. However they do need a new look and he knows it. I have always liked their bold look on their trucks and bigger vehicles, but not on their cars (other then the current 300 which I love the look of even tho’ it’s getting old).
Most of the other sedans on the market have what I would call that Euro look to them with softer lines; which is probably what he’s talking about.
And I’m all for Chrysler doing better as I’d like to buy from them again.
Styling is just a small piece of the puzzle. When you slap them together like your job is about to be pulled out from under you using components manufactured as cheaply as possible (regardless of quality) by suppliers getting bent over (sans lube, one would assume), even if the styling is spot on, it’s a one legged dog no matter how good it looks.
I assume that what Gilles is talking about is a return to the more rounded and aerodynamic look of the Tom Gale era. No more weird, chunky designs like the Nitro. Man, they sure did waste a lot of money on some pretty crappy designs.
Go back, go forward, do anything but stand still. Who would have ever thoguht that the Neon would look good (make that great) compared to it’s replacement Caliber. If not for the Aztek it could be number one in ugly.
Is that as in ‘organic’ which they can charge you more for as its the latest fad, but you dont really get any better benefits from it. Tastes the same as the regular so whats the point?
“Organic” as in “self-healing”?
If so, they could ditch the “lifetime warranty” scam.
If it means “smooth lines” then apply to the Avenger – STAT
When I hear “organic” I think curvy. Sounds like they plan on further feminizing the overall shape of the vehicles, just like the rest of the industry.
Seen the shots of the revised Patriot and Compass interiors? This is all because of Giles.
Ugh. The new interiors for the Patriot and Compass are horrible. They look worse than the originals. One thing that screams CHEAP! to me is a gray dash matched to an otherwise tan interior. Why not just put a little sign on the dash that reads “We were too cheap to make a dash in tan, so we just threw in the one that was designed for the gray interior.” It’s a blatant cost-cutting measure and it looks bad.
Will replacement body panels be available at Whole Foods?
Organic? If they actually make a profit they’ll be orgasmic!
John
ChryCo’s got money to spend on designing new cars? Who knew. Will they be around long enough to actually get a new design to market??
Hmm, the last organic car was the Trabant, I believe, with body panels made out of dried and compressed carrot greens, held together with water and flour resin glue and painted with diluted woad for that delightful light blue and green color.
Of course these days organic means non-GM (er, Gene Manipulated) amongst other things, so Monsanto will be disappointed. A GM hybrid corn husk floor mat will not be an option. Too bad.
The use of organic is simply dangling a carrot at potential buyers!