After taking the US by storm, DaimlerChrysler's hot new sedan is now being aimed squarely at Asian and European markets.
Hailed as a "Baby Bentley," the aggressive, athletic stance of the powerful Chrysler 300 made it a must-have in the trendsetting hip-hop crowd -- it even showed up in a Snoop Dogg video -- while its classic lines made it a hit with middle-aged men.
The buzz surrounding the brash styling in what is generally a staid segment has even spread to the 300's chief designer, Ralph Gilles.
PHOTO: AFP
With his movie-star good looks, Gilles, 35, became the public face of the sexy sedan. He's appeared in ads, at auto and award shows and in countless interviews. Dubbed the "Bling King" by Time magazine, Gilles was featured in a GQ photo spread and graced the cover of Black Enterprise.
The fuss doesn't suit Gilles' understated Canadian sensibilities. He seems almost embarrassed by it, though quick to admit it's been good for the company.
But his marbled green eyes shine when he talks about the ability of good design to get people excited about ordinary objects.
Exciting design
"It can be a simple thing like home furnishing and fixtures," he explained as he leaned across a paper-strewn desk in his Auburn Hills, Michigan office.
"All it does is deliver water to your cup. The reason someone says `it's a nice faucet, man' is because someone took the time to sweat it," he said.
Sweating it is exactly what Gilles and his design team did with the 300. Most cars take three years to make it from the sketch pad to the assembly line. The basic style can be traced to the 1998 Chronos concept car but the 300 didn't make it to the market until last year.
The wait was worth it.
Named Motor Trend's Car of the Year, the award-winning 300 also helped to revitalize a brand that had become tired and confused after its 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz AG.
"It's not only generating sales for itself, but it's having a flagship effect of getting people into dealerships," said auto analyst Jeff Brodoski of J.D. Powers and Associates. "It's done wonders for the car side in terms of sales and it's done wonders for the group as a whole."
In its first year on the market, around 114,000 of the loaded cars were sold in the US, making the 300 the hottest selling car in several classes. That trend is expected to continue this year, with J.D. Power forecasting sales of 140,000 vehicles in the US.
Sales in Europe have already reached 5,430 vehicles and are expected to increase when the new diesel model is released later this year. Chrysler also has high hopes for the reception the 300 will receive when a right-hand drive model is launched at the Tokyo motor show in October.
The strength of the 300 is that it can be so many things to so many different kinds of people. Something that's increasingly important in the highly fragmented auto market.
"The trick [is] how do you do a unique, huge volume product," Gilles said. "You want someone to feel `they built that car just for me,' because it anticipates their needs so well."
Innovation
Chrysler has a history of innovative design. Gilles was drawn to the company by the Dodge Viper roadster and stayed because the atmosphere encouraged risk-taking.
The goal is to bring tension to design. To create trends rather than follow them. To craft with confidence and rely on timeless styling.
"A car can be an appliance or it can be an escape," Gilles said. "That's the underlying mission of a designer -- to get the romance back."
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
RSS