2013 Chrysler 200 Series Touring Convertible on 2040-cars

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Ralph Gilles talks minivans, Millennials, mobility, and kissing Alfa Romeos

We sat down with Ralph Gilles, the global head of design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. The veteran stylist has worked for the company for 25 years, and oversees the design of all of the products in the FCA portfolio – everything from mobility pods to Maseratis. This serves Gilles just fine, as his personal automotive interests are exceedingly diverse. The FCA stand was unusually quiet (until Vice President Joe Biden stopped by at the end of our time there) and Gilles was willing to weigh in on a wide range of subjects. Autoblog: We're seeing all of these autonomous mobility pods like Portal being presented at auto shows like CES or NAIAS, but we're not seeing any adoption of this kind of small vehicle in the market. What's your perspective on our pod-like autonomous future versus our truck-centric present? Ralph Gilles: Obviously I pay attention to the industry as much as your readers and yourself, and everyone has a take on the future. We had a debate, we could have done a supercar or something for pure sex appeal [ apparently that's also in the works], but we chose something practical, to really look at the future in a different perspective. We have these Millennials, a huge swath of people born between 1982 and 2004, and the oldest ones are turning 35 right about now, and a lot of them are having families later in life but when they have them they have a little more buying power, so it makes for an interesting cocktail. The one stipulation we had on the Portal project was that everyone had to be a Millennial to be on the team. So that excluded me, I had more of a coach role on the team. And to your point, the Portal in its current state as you see it is not going to be on the road tomorrow. But there's a lot of ideas, a lot of connectivity ideas, a lot of styling ideas, even lighting and technologies that will absolutely find their way into vehicles in the next few years. AB: Being a Detroiter, all of this attention we've had recently in Vegas, CES – I heard that they're maybe going to be running the show at the same time next year. Do you feel a little protective of the Detroit Show? RG: Yeah, it's something to watch. I hope it's not an aggressive thing on their part, by moving the shows on top of each other. They're both important shows. CES, I've been going to for the last five years, and it's changing. There's a lot more automotive content, but there are a lot more start-ups too, and it's interesting to watch.

2015 Ram 1500 Rebel is rugged, oddly styled

Feeling rebellious? Ram has you covered for 2015 with its new 1500 Rebel model, which, though nowhere near as focused as the Ford F-150 Raptor with which you may think it competes, is skewed toward the always-nebulous "outdoor lifestyle" set that marketing teams the world over seem to covet so much. For such hiking/camping or otherwise outdoorsy types, the Ram Rebel offers an extra inch of suspension travel over regular-grade 1500 models, along with 33-inch tires, a new bumper that affords a better approach angle, tow hooks and a center skid plate. Those are the kind of upgrades many buyers consider mandatory for basic off-road capability, and it's nice that Ram has baked them into a single model. We're less enthused by the in-your-face styling of the rebel, particularly up front, where the traditional crosshair grille has been replaced by a protruding proboscis that's nothing if not unique. There's also massive RAM lettering on the tailgate, just in case you weren't sure who made the Rebel... The show truck's red exterior is mimicked inside, and the leather seats are embossed in a tire-tread pattern. Subtle, it is not. Buyers will have the choice of a 3.6-liter V6 or 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine, mated to an automatic transmission and the choice of two- or four-wheel drive, though we don't understand why anyone would choose a Rebel without 4x4. In any case, check out the live pics above and the press release and videos below for more details. New 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel Makes a Statement 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel takes advantage of exclusive air suspension in order to offer increased ride height Standard 33-inch tires provide capability and rugged looks First time 3.92 axle ratio available on 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine Equipped with factory lift, skid plates, tow hooks and other off-road-ready features New front grille design a significant styling departure for Ram Truck brand New interior colors and materials, including Radar Red and Black seats with tire tread-matching pattern January 13, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The new 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel brings a one-of-a-kind off-road design to the full-size truck segment. "Offering an off-road-style package on the Ram 1500 has been on our to-do list for some time but the right combination didn't present itself until now," said Bob Hegbloom, President and CEO - Ram Truck Brand, FCA US LLC.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Marchionne's health crisis forced succession scramble

Former Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne for more than a year assured investors that he and the automaker's board were working on an orderly succession plan ahead of his expected departure in 2019. But a health crisis that left 66-year-old Marchionne incapacitated in a Swiss hospital set off a transition last week that was sudden and rushed, banking and industry sources said. The company announced on Wednesday that Marchionne had died, succumbing to complications from surgery. It emerged that Marchionne's successor was far from settled. Indeed before last week's crisis, many company executives remained in the dark, four banking sources who spoke to Fiat Chrysler executives told Reuters. The scramble to replace Marchionne led to the resignation of a senior executive who was passed over for the top job, the sources said, and exposed fissures between the Italian and North American sides of the world's seventh-largest automaker. Fiat Chrysler Chairman John Elkann named Michael Manley, head of the company's Jeep and Ram truck divisions, to replace Marchionne at an emergency meeting in Turin, Italy on Saturday. In doing so, Elkann followed Marchionne's wishes to appoint Manley his successor, two sources said. The company has portrayed Manley's appointment as the product of lengthy deliberation. "Sergio and John have always been totally aligned on the choice of Mike Manley," Fiat Chrysler's main spokesman Mike Keegan said on Tuesday, when asked whether there were differences over the succession. Elkann's office declined to comment. Manley could not immediately be reached for comment. This description diverges from what Marchionne himself told investors on June 1 during a day-long strategy presentation in Balocco, Italy. Marchionne said that he and Elkann "from time to time have these chats" about succession, but the issue would not be decided until next year. "It's a 2019 issue," Marchionne said. "So it's not going to happen until we close '18. It just won't happen." He went on to say that the company's board would not engage in a "rubber stamp process." Some analysts have also expressed skepticism that a final decision had been made. "My view is Marchionne and Elkann were still arguing about succession and had different views on the right candidate," Sanford Bernstein analyst Max Warburton said in a note on Monday, referring to the June 1 presentation.