#HTE

Review: The Automotive Design Episode of Netflix’s New Design Series

I’m absolutely thrilled that Ralph Gilles was chosen as the subject for the auto design episode of “Abstract: The Art of Design.” Partially because I knew so little about Gilles beyond his work and his reputation, and partially because he’s that rarest of designers—a business-savvy one. (Gilles got an MBA from Michigan State in the early 2000s.

As for that reputation: Since graduating from CCS in 1992, Gilles was snapped up by Chrysler. He was subsequently promoted to Manager within the design office, then Senior Manager, then Director. By 2008 he was VP of Design, then Senior VP; By 2009 he was President and CEO of Dodge. 

Following the merger with Fiat, Gilles was promoted in 2015 to Head of Design, Global, for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Involved early in his career with Chrysler’s groundbreaking 300 and later the Dodge Charger, among other models, Gilles now overseas the design for Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati and Ram.

Series creator Dadich does a masterful job of unpacking Gilles’ fascinating backstory while following along with the high-stakes venture unfolding on camera: Gilles leads a team to develop, against the clock, the radical SM-1 concept car to be presented to FCA boss Sergio Marchionne. If greenlit, the SM-1 could literally be the future of the company.

The sheer pressure of undertaking such a venture is unique to the auto design industry. To develop an entirely new car from scratch can cost a billion dollars and take five years. The car must continue to look fresh throughout the first three to six years of its service life, meaning Gilles and co. are essentially trying to design for 11 years into the future.

As with the footwear design episode, there’s plenty of eye-candy on show here, from Gilles at Italy’s famous Mille Miglia race poring over drop-dead gorgeous vintage Italian exotics; pursuing his track passion back home with an SRT Viper; and Gilles and the design teams’ sketches and full-scale mockups.

Among other illuminating moments, Gilles covers how cars transcend design and impact society, moving into the realms of tastemaking and pop cultural consciousness, as well as spawning communities of enthusiasts around particular models. And he reveals his own inner conflict with the inevitable rise of autonomous cars.

Some of the things you’ll learn about by watching this episode:

- Game-changing auto design history tidbits

- Why “interiors have become the new battleground” between brands

- Automotive designers, too, have to deal with Jimmy-Kimmel-worthy Mean Tweets

- The letter he received from Chrysler as a 14-year-old boy that later changed his life

- Why he watched “The Dukes of Hazzard” religiously

- The challenges of designing for Millennials

- What an auto design crit looks like at the corporate level

There’s plenty more, of course, but I don’t want to spoil the viewing. In addition to the look behind the curtain, I found the human aspects of this episode very compelling. With that I’ll say no more and encourage you to go watch it.

(This is not a paid plug for Netflix, but I feel I must point out, as I would to any of my friends, that Netflix is offering a free one-month trial. Plenty of time for you to check this episode out without having to commit to signing up. Watch it, you won’t be sorry.)