High school students in the U.S. will have the chance to design “their own personal vision of a future Chrysler vehicle,” and potentially win an internship with Ram Trucks, as part of Chrysler’s ‘Drive for Design’ competition.
Among the celebrations for Chrysler’s 100th anniversary in 2025, the ‘Drive for Design’ competition will be held for the 13th time this Spring, and invites students currently attending high school in Grades 10, 11 or 12 to design and submit their designs for a futuristic Chrysler, be it the overall look of the vehicle or the cabin. The grand prize-winner will receive a summer internship with the Ram Design Studio, while two further finalists will receive scholarships for a three-week long summer program at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies as well as a “virtual network opportunity” with Stellantis’ main design team.
Further details and entry guidelines can be found HERE. Entries must be received before Friday 25 April.
Educating Young Artists About Careers In Automotive Design
Launched under the FCA Group umbrella in Detroit in 2013, and now run annually nationwide, the Drive for Design program aims to promote a creative way to educate young artists about careers in automotive design. Tellingly, two outright winners of the contest – Ben Treinen (2016) and Dongwon Kim (2015) have since gone on to work in the Ram Truck Interior Design Studio and the FCA Group’s Advanced Design Studio respectively.
Previous outlines for the contest include calls to design a Dodge SRT Hellcat for 2025 (2015), the “ultimate electrified Ram truck” (2023), a Jeep Wrangler for the year 2030 (2018), a dream Stellantis vehicle for 2040 (2020), and a Dodge vehicle 30 years in the future (2017).
Drive for Design as it exists today was apparently inspired by Ram Truck and Mopar’s senior vice president Mark Trostle, who won a similar program back in 1987.
“To this day, I love to draw cars and trucks, so without a doubt I was genuinely inspired by the opportunity early in my career to create my own version of a cool futuristic car,” Trostle said. “Every year, we’re excited and proud to be able to enlist the promising young talent and to enlighten their parents about automotive design and the many opportunities this type of career path can offer.”
– Mark Trostle, Drive for Design
Submitted applications will be scored by a panel of judges comprising members of the Stellantis North America Product Design Office. Points will be awarded for ‘Craftsmanship,’ ‘Design Quality,’ ‘Illustration’ and ‘Originality’ in equal measure.
Inspired By 2028 Chrysler Halcyon Concept
Inspiration provided by Chrysler for applicants include renders of the SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo concept, and, most notably, the 2028 all-electric Chrysler Halcyon sedan. Unveiled in February last year, the Porsche Taycan-esque Halcyon represents how a luxury Chrysler e-sedan could look in the not too distant future. Notable elements of the design include the rear suicide doors, flip up roof panels for easier ingress and egress, and bucket seats front and back. Since Chrysler has envisioned the Halcyon with Level 4 autonomous capability, the yoke is designed to retract out of the way, while the glass roof and main windshield double up as an “augmented reality display” – essentially a big TV screen – for passenger entertainment.
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