Ralph Gilles getting Lifetime Achievement award—from Tom Gale

Tom Gale will present Ralph Gilles with the EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award, which celebrates automotive design excellence.

Ralph Gilles

The honor has been given out for 36 years, and is selected by previous winners. Gilles’ most famous design is likely the original 21st-century revival of the Chrysler 300, but many know him as the friendly public face of Dodge and other former Chrysler Corp. marques, because he has often gone out to meet owners and fans at car shows.

The award will actually be presented on June 16, 2023, at the former Dodge Viper plant in Detroit, now dubbed Conner Center. Ralph Gilles is now head of design for Fiat Latin America, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Maserati.

16 thoughts on “Ralph Gilles getting Lifetime Achievement award—from Tom Gale”

  1. “Gilles’ most famous design is likely the original Chrysler 300”
    Wow!!! Ralph Gilles is really Virgil Exner in disguise… I never knew that!

  2. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gilles way back in 2004 at NAIAS. He was very nice and had a level of enthusiasm for automotive hardware that’s hard to match. He’s created some wonderful products over the years and it is very pleasing to see his peers recognize him.

  3. “Gilles’ most famous design is likely the original Chrysler 300”
    Wow!!! Ralph Gilles is really Virgil Exner in disguise… I never knew that!

  4. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gilles way back in 2004 at NAIAS. He was very nice and had a level of enthusiasm for automotive hardware that’s hard to match. He’s created some wonderful products over the years and it is very pleasing to see his peers recognize him.

  5. Ralph Gilles is a smart, articulate and talented man and deserves this award. He is a credit to Chrysler and a car guy in my sweet spot. To be honest, some of his team’s work has been rather unimpressive, but what has impressed has been trend setting. Ralph has a major challenge ahead with Charger, Challenger and Chrysler, but I’m betting that with his oversight and the traditions of our brands being carried out by the Dodge and Chrysler design teams, good things will happe. Congratulations!

  6. Ralph Gilles is a smart, articulate and talented man and deserves this award. He is a credit to Chrysler and a car guy in my sweet spot. To be honest, some of his team’s work has been rather unimpressive, but what has impressed has been trend setting. Ralph has a major challenge ahead with Charger, Challenger and Chrysler, but I’m betting that with his oversight and the traditions of our brands being carried out by the Dodge and Chrysler design teams, good things will happe. Congratulations!

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