The Modern Era: Reinventing Chrysler Design

Beginning in 1985, when Tom Gale became Vice President of Design, Chrysler began a process that eventually resulted in the company once again becoming the dominant force in American automobile design.

Along with John Herlitz and Trevor Creed, both of whom worked with Gale and who later succeeded him as leaders of the product design team at Chrysler, Tom Gale developed the 1988 Portofino concept car, and sold it to management as the blueprint for the future. It was all that and more, with its "cab forward" design contributing directly to the development of the Chrysler Concorde and the other LH cars that continue to set the standard for automotive styling.

But that was only the beginning. The Gale-Herlitz-Creed team hit one home run after another, including the legendary Viper, the retro Prowler, the Neon, and the wildly popular PT Cruiser - all of which were based on concept cars developed by the team. They put them into production using an accelerated platform team concept that tore down the "walls" separating design, engineering, production, and marketing. More importantly, they proved that automotive design will thrive best in an atmosphere in which designers are free to follow their dreams.

Among the latest dreams are the Chrysler Crossfire, a sporty two-door that debuted as a concept car in 2002 and is due to be produced as a production car for 2004, and the Chrysler Pacifica concept, a hybrid of SUV, minivan, and sedan that was built from the ground up to fit the proportions and needs of its occupants.