The Designers Behind Our Favorite Modern Jeeps Have Moved On

Mark Allen is Mr. Jeep, the brand head designer who preserved Wrangler legacy while expanding the lineup to include premium Grand Wagoneers and tiny electric Avengers. Ensuring top-shelf interiors, for Jeep and the rest of the North American brands at Stellantis, was the equally talented Chris Benjamin. Both men have left the company, leaving a big gap that the rest of the team has been reorganized to fill. Allen announced his retirement after 30 years and Benjamin left to become design chief for Scout Motors, the revitalized U.S. brand of the Volkswagen Group devoted to electric off-road vehicles.

Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles has already rejigged his team. Taking over responsibility for Jeep exterior design is Vince Galante who has been with the company since 2005. His long list of assignments includes the Grand Wagoneer concept and Chrysler AirFlow Vision concept, which is currently being redesigned. He spent 12 years in the Jeep design studio working for Allen.

Another change promotes Leandro Pinto to head the Global User Experience (UX) overseeing Uconnect as part of the overall user experience in Stellantis vehicles around the world. He is a newcomer to Stellantis, joining in 2019.

Allen contributed to many brands over his career but will always be associated with Jeep. The man lived and breathed the brand. His enthusiasm never waned—if anything it grew with each year and model launch. And there were a lot of them as the brand ballooned from a lineup of only three models in 1984 to a global powerhouse now. He was fiercely aware of the need to preserve Jeep heritage when styling icons such as the Wrangler while expanding the brand into new looks and segments.

Under his tenure, Jeep added small and urban SUVs including the Renegade and Compass, brought back a pickup with the Gladiator, and resurrected the Grand Wagoneer on a fullsize three-row premium SUV that is the flagship for its own sub-brand. Allen also saw Jeep enter the electrification age with popular 4xe plug-in versions of the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, and the brand has gone full battery electric starting with the Jeep Avenger in Europe, to be followed by the Jeep Recon, a pure electric vehicle billed as a brother to the Wrangler but not as capable, and the Jeep Wagoneer S (real name not released yet).

Allen is also known for his delight in creating Easter eggs, hidden design gems in his vehicles for customers to find and enjoy. In addition to the production models, he leaves his mark on a bevy of concepts. Attendees of the annual Easter Jeep Safari were treated to a half dozen new looks every year. And Allen’s huge smile—he loved the off-road event and meeting Jeep customers and aficionados.

“I would like to thank Mark Allen for his indelible contributions to the Jeep, Dodge and Ram Truck brands. I hope that when he looks back on his career, he feels the way we do, which is gratification for the legacy he helped to create that will be enjoyed by the world for years to come,” Gilles said in a release announcing the changes.

Benjamin embraced the EV age, working on the Jeep Recon, and Wagoneer S that expands the Wagoneer family with a midsize two-row electric SUV. Among his parting gifts is the updates to the 2024 Jeep Wrangler which concentrated on a more premium and comfortable interior.

Benjamin recently left the automaker to join Scout Motors which resurrects an old name from its International Harvester roots for a new American brand. Plans call for a rugged all-electric SUV and pickup truck, starting in 2026. Benjamin and his team will be based in Michigan. The designer started his career at Mercedes-Benz where his first project was the interior of the Vision GST Concept, a precursor to the R-Class. His next stop was BMW Designworks, followed by Volvo. He joined Stellantis in 2013.