Audi A4 Embarrassed Chrysler Into Fixing Its Cheap Interiors

Chrysler’s Cheap-Interior EraStellantis’ current challenges center on its powertrains, particularly the now-discontinued 4xe plug-in hybrid models, as well as its overestimation of electric-vehicle demand, including products such as the all-electric Dodge Charger. However, before Fiat took control of Chrysler following its 2009 bankruptcy, the automaker faced a very different problem: poor interior quality. That issue was one of the key areas veteran Chrysler designer and current Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles sought to address.Automotive News reported that Gilles described Chrysler’s interior design heading into the 2009 bankruptcy as “water-pistol grade,” recalling his frustration by asking, “Why does ours look like plastic and t …