1500

Make
Ram
Segment
Sports Car

The current Ram 1500 has only been on sale since the 2019 model year, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is already looking for design inspiration for the next Ram truck. And Mark Trostle, Head of Ram Truck Design at FCA, wants to find the next generation of talented automotive designers with FCA's annual Drive for Design contest.

Aimed at US high school students in grades 10-12, the 2020 Drive for Design contest challenges inspiring auto designers to sketch their vision of a future Ram truck. FCA will pick three winners from all valid designs that are received. Trostle won a similar contest when he was a high school student, which led him on a path to his current position at FCA as Head of Ram Truck Design.

"The landscape of automotive design has changed and today's automotive designers not only sketch cars, they create some of the most advanced user experience systems, work with 3D technology, research color trends and create interior spaces that are multifunctional and beautiful," said Trostle. "As the field of automotive design grows, it's vital that we increase awareness and educate students and parents about the career opportunities available."

Returning for a second year as a guest judge will be Josh Welton, writer, artist and owner of Brown Dog Welding LLC fabrication and art studio in Detroit, who will review submitted sketches and choose the winners.

All design entries will need to be submitted by May 1, 2020. The three winners will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the FCA Product Design studios in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and get to meet leading automotive designers.

They will also receive a scholarship to attend the Precollege Summer Experience Transportation Design program at College for Creative Studies, a leading art and design college in Detroit. Go figure that both Trostle and Gilles also graduated from there. The inspiring automotive designers will learn the skills required for gestural sketching, drawing automotive concepts in perspective, and translating designs into 3D models.

If you're interested, get to it!