FCA Design Boss Posts Futuristic Charger/Challenger Design Sketch, Trolls Splitter Guard Trend

Like many across the world right now, FCA global head of design Ralph Gilles is self-isolating and working from home. To an extent, though, it seems to be business as usual - Gilles noted in an Instagram post that his team is still having “virtual design reviews”.

He even - breaking with normal convention - posted a design sketch of what looks like a next-generation Challenger or Charger which was apparently rejected. The reason? “The designer decided to make the yellow spoiler guards a permanent part of the theme,” Gilles said.

There’s quite a lot to unpack here. What it looks like Gilles is doing is having a cheeky dig at the trend for new Dodge owners keeping fitted the yellow splitter guards their cars are delivered with, while also giving some hints about Dodge’s future styling direction.

Or perhaps it’s just the former and not the latter. But either way, it’s prompted a discussion about the brand at a time when car news is starting to dry up, while also providing a bit of humour at a tricky time for the automotive world.

It’s well known that Dodge isn’t keen on the whole splitter guard retention thing, going so far as to change them from yellow to pink earlier this year in a bid to deter owners from keeping them. It isn’t just a question of taste, either, with the pieces capable of causing paint damage in the long run.