Did Ralph Gilles Call the Corvette a “Disposable Device”?

By Manuel Carrillo III - January 28, 2014

Ralph Gilles, CEO of SRT and Chrysler LLC’s Vice President of Product Design, has been known to be outspoken. In 2012 on Twitter he told Donald Trump “You are full of shit!” after Trump said Chrysler was going to send all Jeep manufacturing to China.

“We’re trying to build a custom show car that you can own. This is not a disposable device here.”

In 2013, also on Twitter, he asked Edmunds.com’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Oldham, “Why are you being an A##[?]” after Oldham gave Gilles a hard time about a Viper press car cancellation. Now Gilles has said something that may irk Corvette fans.

In an interview, Gilles told Automotive News, “[…] we are not Corvette. We’ve never tried to be Corvette. We never will be. We’re handmade. It takes 18 hours to paint the stripe on a Viper. We color sand the entire car, inside and outside. All the panels are beautifully finished. We’re trying to build a custom show car that you can own. This is not a disposable device here.”

I’ll leave it up to you as to whether Gilles called the Corvette a disposable device. To offer Gilles some redemption with Corvette fans, he has said, “The Corvette is a stellar piece,” so go easy on him, Internet.

Head over to the Forum to see what members are saying about Gilles’ statement. >>