Tag Archives: Ralph Gilles

Automobiles

Report: Ralph Gilles responds to Dodge rumors, says brand is 'here to stay'

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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This is why we love Ralph Gilles. While in Italy hanging out with a group of Viper Club members in Europe, the SRT boss took the time to respond to a question directed at him on Instagram in regards to the future of Dodge.

Recent reports have painted a bleak picture for Dodge, but Gilles defended Chrysler’s full-line brand by stating that the rumors are, “all rumors, Dodge is here to stay! It may get more focused going forward but not killed!” The idea of a “more focused” Dodge brand could lend some credibility to reports that the Grand Caravan and Durango are on their way out, which would leave Dodge solely as a car, or car-based, automaker.

Ralph Gilles responds to Dodge rumors, says brand is ‘here to stay’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: SRT's Ralph Gilles addresses the infamous <i>Motor Trend</i> Viper vs. ZR1 test

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By Jeremy Korzeniewski

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In one of the most interesting roundtable discussions we’ve seen in quite some time, the boys from Motor Trend, along with pro racing driver Randy Pobst, sat down with SRT head honcho Ralph Gilles to discuss the 2014 Viper. And the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, naturally. As you may remember, Motor Trend has filmed two videos pitting the latest Viper from SRT against the standard-bearing ZR1, with the Viper losing the first battle but barely eking out a victory with the upgraded TA model in the second.

A few interesting tidbits sneak out regarding the Viper, such as the fact that an ACR model isn’t ready “yet,” as well as the story of how the TA model came into existence after the first test by Motor Trend. Apparently, that test also resulted in a slight softening of the regular Viper’s suspension for production. Interestingly, Gilles doesn’t seem ready to admit defeat even in that first testing session, saying that the Viper used by MT was a pre-production model and that it had been out of alignment – that said, he does offer up an apology of sorts for “throwing gas on the fire” on social networks after the video hit the web.

Moving away from the Viper toward the end of the discussion, Gilles touches on the new Camaro Z28 and mentions that “the Challenger is under the knife as we speak… and we’re going to come with an answer to [the Z28] and an answer for our friends at Ford.” That sounds mighty intriguing… though Gilles also admits that a Cuda isn’t coming “anytime soon,” but that it is “a couple years out” on a different platform than the Challenger. Fortunately, it sounds like the next-generation of the Challenger SRT will make an appearance in New York in 2014.

There are plenty more interesting tidbits in the video, so we suggest you take about 20 minutes of at the end of your day to watch it yourself. Scroll down below to watch it, along with the two MT videos comparing the Viper and ZR1 at Laguna Seca.

Continue reading SRT’s Ralph Gilles addresses the infamous Motor Trend Viper vs. ZR1 test

SRT’s Ralph Gilles addresses the infamous Motor Trend Viper vs. ZR1 test originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Jeep Cherokee faces on-sale delay

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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A report in The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the obstacles to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee that go beyond its mootable yet “very contemporary” looks, almost all of them based on Fiat’s financial position. Starting with that sheetmetal, in defense of it SRT president Ralph Gilles and Jeep design head Mark Allen said they wanted to “make sure the design still looks modern five years from now.”

The WSJ piece doesn’t cite longevity as a factor, instead saying that its features originated in a design for an Alfa Romeo, the transformation into a Jeep design meant allowing Chrysler get it to market more quickly and save “hundreds of millions of dollars” in engineering.

The need for Fiat to save money while it weathers the European situation has cut budgets for development, engineering and the pace of retooling the Toledo, Ohio plant to build the Cherokee. In a familiar case of snowballing at work, among the effects will be pushing back the Cherokee’s volume sales date and delaying updates to some of Chrysler’s other products.

Things will get better when Chrysler can work through its program and get the Cherokee to dealers in bulk – especially if it finds it really can sell 250,000 per year – but the hurdles won’t help the financials in the short term.

Jeep Cherokee faces on-sale delay originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

First SRT Viper Production Run Ends

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By Kurt Ernst

2013 SRT Viper - image: Chrysler Group LLC

2013 SRT Viper – image: Chrysler Group LLC

If you’d hoped to get your hands on one of the first new SRT Vipers built, we’ve got bad news for you: the full production run of 800 units sold out quickly, and those lucky (and fast) enough to get orders in will be seeing delivery in the very near future. First batch production of the new Viper has officially ended.

In an interview with Wards Auto, SRT boss Ralph Gilles said that some 80-percent of the first batch models were the range-topping Viper GTS variant, while just 20-percent were the more affordable base model. Affordable is a relative term here, since even the base model has a starting point north of $99,000. Opt for the Viper GTS, and the price of admission begins at over $122,000.

While that may seem ambitious for a domestic sports car, Gilles is quick to point out that the car’s handling and top speed over 200 mph make the $99k price of admission a relative bargain. Detractors would be quick to point out that similar money could likely buy you a ZR1 Corvette, which also boasts a 200 mph top speed off the showroom floor.

Oddly enough, Gilles doesn’t see the new Corvette (which has yet to be priced) as competition for the Viper. The Corvette is a volume car, while the Viper is a halo car that will never see more than 2,000 units produced per year.

As for the issue of when (or if) a Viper convertible will launch, Gilles was non-committal, saying only that he hoped to see it in the next few years. The Viper’s current body structure is rigid enough that cutting off the top won’t require additional bracing. While it’s likely that a Viper convertible (which is how the product line began) is in the works, we’d stop short of calling it a certainty given the financial woes of SRT’s parent, Fiat.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

SRT Viper Convertible Is In the Pipeline, According to Report

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By John Lamm

It makes sense, of course, that there should be a convertible version of the new-generation SRT Viper. Earlier iterations were launched with open tops, with the hardtop version following thereafter. This time around, SRT’s opening act, so to speak, is the closed model, but SRT boss Ralph Gilles has told WardsAuto that there will be a convertible version of the new Viper. Considering it took roughly three years to add the SRT10 coupe to the third-generation Viper stable, we could be in for a wait. But, Gilles said, “We won’t wait that long,” telling Wards that he hopes the topless snake will arrive “within a few years.” He then added that, “The car was designed to be a convertible. Under the skin is a convertible chassis. It’s already there—the stiffness is there. It’s extremely easy should that come, but we’re not in any rush.”

It’s understandable why SRT chose to launch the coupe first with this generation when considering that the previous-gen Viper sales were split 60/40 in favor of the coupe. It also illustrates just how valuable the convertible is to the car’s sales.

Beyond sales, there’s another element behind SRT’s decision to lead off with the coupe, and that will become evident when the Viper race car hits Sebring next month for the first round of the 2013 American Le Mans Series championship. Racing is an important element in Viper history, with GTS-R versions having scored overall wins at Daytona, Spa, and the Nürburgring. Then there are three class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and five FIA GT championships. However, the Chrysler Group’s performance arm has been unable to add anything to the Viper’s trophy case for nearly a half-decade, so one can understand SRT’s desire to get back in racing to underscore the car’s potential. That point is particularly poignant considering the long, strong race record of its crosstown rival, Chevrolet’s Corvette.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Report: SRT Viper's initial allotment sold out, convertible still a ways off

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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The launch of the 2013 SRT Viper marked the first time the car has been introduced as a coupe rather than a roadster, but that didn’t matter to buyers. According to Wards Auto, the initial run of 800 Vipers has already sold out with deliveries starting next month, and, even more impressively, SRT president Ralph Gilles reportedly said that more than 80 percent of those sales consisted of the sportier, more expensive Viper GTS model.

Gilles indicated that a convertible version of the new Viper could be available within a few years, and it won’t be hard to produce since the current car was designed with a topless model in mind. Two of the likely reasons behind the SRT Viper reversing the trend of launching as a convertible was that the outgoing Viper was selling 60 percent coupes and 40 percent roadsters when production ended in 2010. Further, the SRT team wanted to get back into American Le Mans Series racing, which necessitated a hardtop.

SRT Viper’s initial allotment sold out, convertible still a ways off originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Jay Leno Welcomes Ralph Gilles Bringing along a few New SRT Vipers to his Garage: Video

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By Malcolm Hogan

jay-leno-ralph-gilles-srt-viper-garage

Lately Jay Leno has welcomed some of the most sought after vehicles Jay Leno‘s Garage” href=”http://www.automotiveaddicts.com/tag/jay-lenos-garage”>into his garage and taking each one for a nice ‘spin’. The latest vehicle to grace his infamous garage is the all-new SRT Viper along with VP of design and CEO of SRT at Chrysler, Ralph Gilles.

Touted as a true car guy heading up design and the SRT brand, Ralph Gilles has a long car-centric resume but a down-to-earth perspective that just about any level-headed car enthusiast would appreciate. Ralph Gilles has set out on a 5,000-mile cross-country journey in the new SRT Viper and stops to see Jay along the way. Gilles and Leno hit it off once again to go over the new SRT Viper and later take it for an exclusive test drive to see what she can really do on the local streets and later on the track at Willow Springs. Hit up the full 2013 SRT Viper GTS review on the latest Jay Leno‘s Garage” href=”http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/”>Jay Leno’s Garage episode.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

Report: 2014 Chrysler 200 to set design tone for brand

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By Steven J. Ewing

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Chrysler 200

Speaking with Wards Auto at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, Chrysler design chief Ralph Gilles said that the next-generation Chrysler 200 will launch a whole new styling direction for the brand when it arrives for the 2014 model year. Gilles did not reveal any specific design cues or elements that will be found on the next 200, only saying that the new car “shares no surface language with any previous Chrysler we’ve ever seen.”

Indeed, the current 200 isn’t exactly setting the world on fire with any sort of clever, emotive design, but Gilles knows that. “The current Chryslers on the road today certainly don’t reflect where we’re headed,” he told Wards Auto. Instead, Gilles said that “we are deviating from where we are today, completely. It’s a very different feeling (and) look.”

The launch of the new Chrysler 200 will officially mean the death of its Dodge Avenger counterpart, though Gilles says that the company is working on an all-new product to replace that vehicle down the road. Still, Chrysler will need a successful player in the popular midsize segment, and Gilles fully expects the new 200 to be up to the task. “I think it’s going to be a beautiful and relevant vehicle.”

2014 Chrysler 200 to set design tone for brand originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #316

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By Dan Roth

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2013 Detroit Auto Show recap featuring Corvette, plus Ralph Gilles interview autoblog podcast logo

Episode #316 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Chris Paukert and Michael Harley talk about the sights that have been seen at the 2013 North American International Auto Show, especially the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette. Plus, Dan and Zach recorded an interview with Ralph Gilles, head of SRT and design for Chrysler, and we share that as part of the podcast as well. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #316:

Topics:

In the Autoblog Garage:
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
2013 Chrysler 300 SRT8
2013 Buick Enclave

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, Michael Harley

Runtime: 01:50:11

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Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #316

Autoblog Podcast #316 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

SRT Delivers The First Production Viper: Video

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By Kurt Ernst

On June 23 of last year, Oklahoma tooling company owner Scott Thomas paid $300,000 for a new SRT Viper. It wasn’t just any Viper, however, it was serial number 001, and the proceeds went to benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation, a charity that helps fund research into curing pediatric cancers. In other words, it was an historically significant car, with the money spent going to a worthy charity.

Thomas’ Viper was delivered in a recent ceremony at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, where all new Vipers will be put together. Ralph Gilles, president of SRT, gives the key to Thomas after saying a few words; in a moment of comic relief, Gilles accidentally hands off the keys to his own car, a Chrysler 300 SRT8, by mistake.

Even Fiat and Chrysler chairman Sergio Marchionne gets in on the action, boldly stating that “Viper defines Chrysler.” The most touching moment in the video, however, is when Gilles dedicates the Trim and Chassis Final Line to Dan Knott, a senior vice president at Chrysler who once served as director of the SRT division. Knott died of cancer last April, but his words regarding the approval of the new Viper are now immortalized on the sign honoring him.

“Today,” Knott wrote in a message to Gilles, “we are a real car company again.”

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts