Chrysler Group Assigns 300 Designer to Truck Division

Dodge and Jeep Brands Desperately Need to Expand Light Truck Lineup

Youve got to wonder just whats up Chrysler Groups sleeve, with the latest move of transferring Ralph Gilles, previous head of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Dodge Charger design team, from his more recent posting overseeing the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivan replacements to the leader of the light truck division design department.

Its not like Dodge particularly needs to come to market with bolder styling, as the Ram and Dakota still offer brazen big rig overtures resulting in a more distinctive brand appearance than any rivals, but the automaker doesnt want to rest on its laurels either.

After all, the Ford F-150 is still the runaway leader with a target of about 850,000 sales this year, which is actually down on 2004 by 50,000. Nevertheless, its the top selling vehicle in the country. GMs Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra duo are second and Dodge still lags behind in third, ahead of Toyota and Nissan with their relatively new Tundra and Titan respectively.

But the light truck segment also includes SUVs, and when such are factored in Chrysler Group lags further behind. As of July 2, 2005, sales of light trucks in the U.S. (and that includes so-called heavy duty models such as the Ford F-350, Chevy Silverado 3500 and Dodge Ram 3500) were up 3 percent, despite all the chatter about changing buying patterns instigated by rising fuel costs, for a total of 4,596,369 units compared to 4,497,435 last year - incidentally the only vehicle segment to drop in sales volume, by 2 percent, is European vehicles, thanks to regular fumbling by the once powerful Volkswagen brand. Contrarily, Asian vehicle sales are up 7 percent, if you were wondering which continent was making headway.

Of course, that means that Asian trucks are improving in unit sales numbers. Toyota is up 2 percent, due to strong volume of the new Tacoma and Sienna minivan, plus steady volume of the RX and GX models in its Lexus luxury division. Honda has improved by 15 percent, because the Japanese powerhouse now has a pickup truck for the first time ever, while volume for the redesigned Odyssey minivan is bullish, plus the Acura MDX continues to be relatively popular among premium buyers. Meanwhile, Japans number two automaker, Nissan, is up 25 percent so far this year, due to strong Titan sales, a new Frontier midsize pickup, new midsize Pathfinder SUV, new compact Xterra, and even greater interest in its odd but fun to drive Quest minivan. Murano is also still very competitive despite being one of the older crossover SUVs in the segment, and the automakers Infiniti luxury division has experienced steady FX sales.

Which Japanese automakers are suffering? Mazda is down by 15 percent, due to a lack of new products, Mitsubishi is down by 39 percent, which is more of a reflection of the brands overall sales decline, Isuzu has dropped by 48 percent, which must hurt significantly being that the brand no longer sells cars in the U.S., Subaru truck sales have fallen off by 4 percent, a number that should pick up as a face-lifted Forester hits the market and the new B9 Tribeca starts to woo the brands loyal clientele, and last and as far as sales numbers go, least is Suzuki, which is seeing a 3 percent reduction in light trucks sales, with a new Grand Vitara expected to boost this in the fall.

What about the South Koreans? Sales are way up, of course, mirroring a Hyundai and Kia overall new vehicle delivery increase of 10 percent and 6 percent respectively, the former automakers light truck sales are up 26 percent so far this year, mostly due to the critically acclaimed Tucson compact SUV, while Kia light truck sales are up 12 percent also due to the same reason, strong sales of its new Sportage compact SUV, a model which shares its basic architecture with the Tucson.

In case you were wondering, BMW light truck sales are up 15 percent so far this year, driven by steady X5 volume and more interest in the X3 compact model, Mercedes-Benz is up 18 percent in the segment, and that doesnt even factor in a new M-Class that is experiencing unprecedented growth in Europe as well, while Land Rover is seeing a 12 percent increase over last year, all due to its new LR3. Volkswagens Touareg is actually one of the brands bright lights, maintaining a rather flat year-to-date sales increase of 0.1 percent while the automakers total U.S. sales are down by 16 percent.

The only Europeans to see falling light truck sales are Volvo, with a slide of only 1 percent, and Porsche with a 23 percent decline in Cayenne sales.

So where does this leave Chrysler Group? While the Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands outsell Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep in light truck volume, the former group is falling by 8 percent while the latter is on the increase, up 4 percent. But while its growth seems to be on the upswing, 4 percent pales in comparison to Asian rivals that are only just beginning to warm up to the segment. Chrysler Group is also glaringly missing a compact SUV of any sort, instead relying on the PT Cruiser to attract crossover buyers.

In other words, theres a great deal of work for Mr. Gilles to do, and his newfound status as the design guru behind Chryslers 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 whats 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 years 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 doesnt 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 wouldnt have had any say in the design of anything already shown, nor of those vehicles Chrysler Group is 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 Groups 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.