BREAKING IN: Next Up: Christopher Benjamin

Next Up: Christopher Benjamin

2015 Chrysler 300 Interior

Christopher Benjamin is the Chief Designer for Chrysler Brand Interiors for FCA North America, a position he has held since March 2013. In this role, Chris is responsible for the design language of all Chrysler Brand vehicle interiors and works closely with the User Interface and Color and Materials teams. Previous to joining Chrysler, Chris gained broad industry experience in a series of different roles in both the U.S. and Europe. He started his career as a designer with Mercedes-Benz in Irvine, California and was shortly thereafter asked to join the design team in Sindelfingen, Germany.

Over his four and a half years in Germany, Chris worked on several production and concept projects and was responsible for the 2002 GST Concept Interior, the exterior of the 2006 Ocean Drive Concept, and the Interior of the 2010 GLK. In 2006 Chris joined BMW Designworks in Newbury Park, CA as a Lead Designer. In addition to working on BMW interior projects, Chris took the lead on several 3^rd party projects including projects for Kenworth and Boeing. Chris joined Volvo’s Concept and Monitoring Center in Southern California in the spring of 2007 as a senior designer. He was relocated to Gothenburg, Sweden after 6 short months to design the exterior of the 2012 V40, a very important product for the revitalization of the Volvo Brand.

In 2010 Chris was appointed as the Design Director for Volvo’s studio back in California. In that role, he and his team were responsible for the key development of the vehicle proportions for Volvo’s new SPA platform. In the summer of 2011 Chris was recognized for his leadership abilities and his contribution to the European automotive industry when he was awarded as one of only 30 Rising Stars by Automotive News Europe.

Chris’ passion for the industry started with humble beginnings as an art student and lover of cars. From a very young age, he was educated in the fine arts, learning a variety of techniques such as photography, lithography, lost wax jewelry making, pottery, and classical renaissance painting methods. Those skills were honed over a decade before attending university at the College for Creative Studies, from which Chris Graduated in 1999 with a BFA in Automotive Design.