Hot off a year ago when the financially-troubled car manufacturer Chrysler decided to jump on the "American cars need to be designed better!" bandwagon by returning to their old logo and promising to really focus on design stuffs, they've made another big change by replacing their head of design with Ralph Gilles, the designer who helped keep the company afloat with the manufacturer's only really widely successful car, the 300C. Trevor Creed, the former head, is retiring at the end of the month and was an interesting designer, somehow talking the company into releasing his more off-the-beaten-path cars like the PT Cruiser and the Dodge Viper, but it makes sense that, under current economic disasters and troubles surrounding Chrysler for the past few years, now probably isn't the time to continue on with dramatic experimentation. Here's a bit about Gilles' plans for the company's look:

The new design chief hopes to transfer the attention to detail paid to the Ram to other Chrysler vehicles. Designers, he said, labored over details such as sculpted headlamps, insetting the exhaust pipe into the rear bumper, and a softer, richer interior with small amounts of chrome and brushed metal finishes.

Chrysler probably will abandon its more angular designs in favor of a swooping, aerodynamic look that Gilles says will be "penned with a wind-swept feeling."

Rounded designs may not be more aerodynamic than the angular ones, but people perceive them to be more fuel efficient, Gilles said.

"If you can satisfy that a little bit, it helps," he said.