Ralph Gilles: the man behind the 2005 Car of the Year

Jet, March 7, 2005

DaimlerChrysler Product Design Director Ralph Gilles has heard some refer to the Chrysler 300C as luxurious while others call it sporty. But the reference that is most pleasing to his ears is the one that Motor Trends magazine has given it: the 2005 Car of the Year.

Gilles, the creative force behind the 300C, led a team of talented artists, designers and engineers to create a vehicle that has proven to be appealing to grandparents as well as hip-hop superstars. He signed on with Chrysler in 1992 and is one of a handful of Black designers in the company.

During his youth Gilles enjoyed sketching cars and thinking of ways to improve them. After his aunt saw his sketches, she suggested he turn his hobby into a career. She wrote a letter and sent some of Gilles' sketches to the Chrysler Corporation's then chairman Lee Iacocca. After reviewing his work the car company wrote back with recommendations of four of the country's top industrial schools.

"Ironically, the man who wrote back is the same man I ultimately ended up working for," says Gilles, a graduate of the Center for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit. "It's a full circle story."

Now a husband and father of two, Gilles, 35, is currently developing the next generation minivan. He says that coming up with a top-selling vehicle design can be a daunting challenge, especially when you have to be two to four years ahead of everyone else.

"The secret to that is making sure that it's a timeless design to start with and that it isn't overly trendy. I think the 300C is a classic design that will look good for years to come."

Gilles admits that things at work have changed slightly for him since the success of the 300C.

"It's opened doors in a way that I don't have to spend quite as much time justifying my statements," he says. "Now people tend to want to hear what I have to say a little bit more."