Chrysler Group LLC is on a roll. They’re released some neat commercials in the past month, most significantly Chrysler’s Super Bowl spot with Eminem. With 16 new vehicles set to hit the streets through next year, it’s an exciting time in Auburn Hills and quite an about-face from two years ago.

John McElroy of Autoline Detroit recently chatted with three folks who can give us an insider’s perspective at Chrysler: Joe Dehner, head of design for Dodge and Ram; Christine Barman, vehicle line executive for Chrysler’s full-size cars; and Klaus Busse, head of interior design for the Chrysler Group. Here are some musings:

On Chrysler’s new E-segment (300, Charger, Challenger) cars:
Significant exterior and interior changes have been made – the cars are practically brand-new. This was necessary to make them more competitive. Benchmarks were the BMW 5-series and the Lexus 460 (presumably, the GS series). The features that are being brought into Charger’s character are for more spirited driving; the engineers looked at the chassis to see how they could make it better for improved dynamics and a higher fun-to-drive quotient.

Image: Chrysler

Even though the sheetmetal has been changed, it’s an evolutionary design because the design staff (and much of America) consider the Charger and 300 icons. For the second generation, there was an opportunity to mine some of the history of the past (1968-70 Charger), which shows in the “Coke bottle” curves and the scallops on the side and the hood. This is in contrast to the first-generation neo-Charger, which was not originally designed as a Charger but later named as such, so the second time around the inspiration was there.

On Chrysler interiors:
Chrysler has made dramatic improvements. What’s different this time? Why has it improved so much? It took the customers, the media, and the bankruptcy to realize what was done in the past was not competitive enough. Especially with the latter, it made them ask themselves, “What went wrong? What needed to be changed?” and the interiors were at the top of the list. The new cars show this improvement. More money certainly has been spent on materials, but that’s not the only reason for the improvements – what works is being more clever and more passionate. What was done was to create a team that’s passionate about interiors and works solely on interiors. That makes the difference! Sure, the money helps, but it’s the people working on it. It goes all the way to the details.

On the bankruptcy:
Listening to the radio and hearing the bad news was one thing, but then walking into the studio and seeing these things that were being worked on, the bad news in the media was just noise. The people who were at Chrysler wanted to be there. The energy was there for the people who were working on the product, and they put their heart and soul into it, which can be seen in the product. Anyone working at Chrysler could have accepted a nice chunk of money with the buyout, but no one left the design team because they knew Chrysler was going to succeed with the quality products that were being worked on. This is all about the passion at Chrysler.

On Sergio Marchionne’s blackballing the media:
What it is like now at Chrysler compared with before is that there is a certain confidence, which is why no one needed to talk to the media. Today, everyone’s ideas are flowing, and information is flowing much better than before. You’ve got the whole team understanding everyone’s needs – all cylinders are firing.

On more brand separation:
Chrysler is more brand-focused than it has for a long time. Now that Ram and Dodge are separated, Dodge can concentrate having an identity that allows it to move past the cross-hairs, so probably they will be less prominent and mechincal-looking in the future. There’s more cross-functional teams, and decisions are made much quicker.

This is in contrast to the cross-platform system of previous years as the cars are now more brand-centric. This reduces the cross-pollination where the different brands may end up looking the similar.

Fundamentally, the same components will be the same, but each product has its own DNA because the Charger and 300 have different target customers. The chassis of the Charger is tuned to be different from the 300’s. The Charger feels light and nimble, and the trade-off is the ride. For the Chrysler 300, the ride is more comfortable like for touring – still very nimble, but comfortable.

On the Chrysler brand:
Chrysler may be the biggest challenge, but it’s the biggest opportunity. It’s a very aspirational brand. Bringing American craftsmanship is an influence that’s being worked on – there’s such a wealth of American craftsmanship from the past, and there’s no need to look at Europe for inspiration because it’s of a different essense. Condense all that into one product and you’ve got the Chrysler brand.

Where does it go from here?
The first step is done – establishing trust for good design and quality. Next phase will allow the Chrysler Group to have some fun with the next round of products.