How the Trailhawk took flight
 | An early sketch of what would become the Jeep Trailhawk - one of the many revisions that Nicho Vardis submitted to Chrysler's design competition. |
THE REALITY BEHIND A CONCEPT
How the Trailhawk took flight
Once-rejected Jeep sketch gives design team chance to show off vision of new Wrangler variant
Leslie J. Allen | | Automotive News / January 8, 2007 - 1:00 am
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Here is an inside look at how the Trailhawk emerged from a vague idea to take its place on the auto show floor. Nicho Vardis had been a car enthusiast since childhood. He was artistic, adventurous and gregarious. The 31-year-old designer already claimed a major achievement: In his previous job, at General Motors, he had helped design the Saturn Sky concept. Now he was at the Chrysler group's Advanced Product Design office in Auburn Hills, Mich., which works on vehicles that are slated for production but may be years away. |
This watch is not just about beauty, he thought. It's about function. Even its colorful face had a meaning. "The yellow is the last color you see when you descend in the water," said Vardis, a certified diver. A Jeep, he reasoned, is about utility - but also adventure, the wind in your hair, a feeling of openness. He started sketching. And before he knew it, he had veered off his original production assignment. Vardis had created a brawny-yet-stylish vehicle with a hard line stance, bold wheel flares and a slight scowl. Its signature feature: removable glass panels on the roof, sides and back, to allow riders to enjoy the open air. He was excited, but what would his bosses think? Just as he had feared, they said his idea was a bit too futuristic, not quite ready for a production program. Then his bosses threw him a bone - they agreed to evaluate his idea for a possible concept vehicle. |
The timing couldn't have been better. It was the fall of 2005, and Chrysler's annual concept competition was under way. It was an open invitation for everyone who could pick up pen and paper to submit sketches for the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Designers loved the competition. Sketches had been pouring in from all over the company. Vardis even had submitted a few. Submissions were mounted on 20-foot-long Velcro boards for review by senior managers. "It's a draw to want to be here, because you know you're going to get a chance to contribute - and you may be the 'American Idol,' in effect," said Don Renkert, senior design manager in the Product Design Office. Over in the executive offices, Trevor Creed, the Chrysler group's senior vice president for design, disliked the Jeep sketches he'd been seeing. "There's restyled Wranglers; there's redone this and redone that," he recalls thinking at the time. "I'm disappointed in what I'm seeing here. I don't really see anything." |
Creed, who had seen and admired Vardis' sketch, issued a challenge: Create something on the Wrangler Unlimited platform that looks nothing like a Wrangler, and make it part of the sketch competition. He said he wanted something more posh - "something that has a lot of emotional appeal." At first, Creed's request left managers scratching their heads. John Sgalia, director of the Jeep studio, was one of them. Even Chrysler star designer Ralph Gilles, newly named a vice president, was surprised. Then they thought about it. The Wrangler Unlimited JK platform is pretty cool, Sgalia reasoned. It has a decidedly "romantic" proportion, he said. Vardis' sporty, open-air vehicle - which harkened back to the 1998 Jeepster concept and the Willys Jeepsters of the late 1940s and early 1950s - had set the bar for the competition. |
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Like his colleagues, an anxious Vardis often checked the wall of sketches to see whether any managers had placed little dot stickers on them. Each colored dot meant someone in authority liked that sketch. The more dots, the better. A dot from Creed was a major achievement.
One of the decision-makers was Gilles. "You pick the sketch that seems to push as many buttons as possible," he said. "But the ultimate thing, no matter how much we try to be pragmatic about it, it really comes down to the emotion. Does the sketch jump off the wall more so than any of the other sketches we've seen?"
He also knew that when it came to Jeep entries, they had to balance innovation with maintaining the brand's DNA.
The reviews continued for weeks, during which Vardis redrew his Jeepster II concept several times.
Finally, the decision was made. Vardis' supervisors in the Advanced Product studio pulled him aside. He had won the competition.
Vardis was relieved. He went out with friends that night to celebrate over dinner and drinks. Since concept cars are top secret, he couldn't tell them anything specific.
In the midst of the revelry, Vardis felt the weight of the task ahead. There's an amazing amount of work yet to come, he said to himself.
Doug Quigley, head of concept-vehicle design engineering, was in charge of figuring out the chassis. Quigley met with Creed and Gilles. They agreed that the concept would be a good way to showcase the new 3.0-liter diesel engine, which would debut in the 2007 Grand Cherokee.
Gilles recalled the discussion: "We always have to imagine these (concept) cars could be in our portfolio, so what would be the approach? It didn't take us long to realize this would have to be a diesel. … It's the perfect engine for a car like this - lots of torque. It's great for off-roading."
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