Stellantis reshape continues
Krugger given reins to Stellantis North America design
Scott Krugger, formerly of Dodge and SRT design leadership, has been given an expanded North America role
The changes continue to ring at Stellantis with Scott Krugger taking a new position that closely resembles the role formerly handled by new global head of design Ralph Gilles.
Krugger will be responsible for the creative direction of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, reporting directly to new CEO Antonio Filosa, former COO for Stellantis North America. The news follows the announcement last week that Gilles Vidal will also be joining Stellantis.
Krugger, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, has spent much of his design career with the brands that now sit within Stellantis' umbrella, spending nearly a decade at Daimler-Chrysler and a good five years with Jeep and Alfa Romeo. Since 2022 he has been head of Dodge and SRT design.
Gilles' appointment, overseeing design on a global level, adds a new layer to the broader Stellantis design structure but there remains a defined split between Europe and North America. The former is being handled by ex-Renault design boss Gilles Vidal who replaced Jean-Pierre Ploué this month. Together it forms a strong trio of design leaders, each bringing significant experience to the table in their respective markets.
In his previous role, Krugger worked closely on the design of the first fully electric Dodge performance car, the Charger Daytona SRT. He was also an engaging panellist on our recent livestream that focussed on the influence of aerodynamics on design.
Whether his recent experience with a performance-first brand will feed into the rest of the North American portfolio is unclear, but there is clearly scope to do so. Perhaps most interesting to follow will be the development of Chrysler, which has been described as "an open book" in an earlier interview with Ralph Gilles.
"With Scott’s immense design talent and proven leadership in North America and Gilles’ award-winning track record in Europe, we are opening a new chapter of creative excellence with the roll out of our organisation,” commented chief design officer Ralph Gilles.
Krugger was an expert speaker at Car Design Dialogues Detroit 2024, where he spoke about designers being "the glue" that brings multiple departments together. That event returns this October, which you can register for here.
