Chrysler Group Assigns 300 Designer to Truck Division

In other words, there's a great deal of work for Mr. Gilles to do, and his newfound status as the design guru behind

There's a great deal of work for Mr. Gilles to do, and his newfound status as the design guru behind Chrysler's amazingly successful LX cars gives him a great deal of clout within the company. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Chrysler's amazingly successful LX cars gives him a great deal of clout within the company, and hopefully enough to spur on the truck division in a direction that garners similar results as the full-size car lineup.

And what's expected in the near future? There has been much talk about a new compact Jeep sport utility, said to be inspired by the Compass concept introduced in 2002, while a compact Dodge SUV is also expected. Dodge also showed its Nitro SUV at this year's Detroit auto show, which may see production. Jeep will also be coming to market with a replacement for its aging TJ (Wrangler). And just why doesn't the iconic 4x4 brand offer a pickup truck? It has in the past, with its compact Commanche and J-Series, and its Gladiator concept shows that the brand is at least considering such.

Of course, Gilles wouldn't have had any say in the design of anything already shown, nor of those vehicles Chrysler Group is

DaimlerChrysler has plenty of stunning concepts to draw future designs from. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

currently hiding behind closed doors to debut at upcoming auto shows. It is also unlikely he will be able to influence such new designs, at least in the short term. But nevertheless it will be interesting to see where he will take Chrysler Group's truck division, whether he will look to the past with new concepts like has been done in recent years, such as the Dodge M80 or Jeep Rescue, or focus on a more modern interpretation of the brand, following the styling trends started by the new Dakota and Durango.

A first sign of his recent work will be seen when the redesigned Chrysler and Dodge minivans are introduced next year.