Person You Should Know: Reid Bigland

"I've always been interested in cars," Bigland says. But he says he's "more interested in things with wheels on them."

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iven the changes that have enveloped Chrysler since the company entered a managed bankruptcy in 2009, running Dodge, the company's most mainstream brand, can't be an easy task. Especially as Dodge transitions into a more performance-oriented role.

Reid Bigland, who replaces Ralph Gilles (Gilles is now heading up Chrysler's SRT brand) as the President and CEO of the Dodge brand, might just be up to the task.

Reid Bigland, CEO of Dodge, introduces the Dodge Dart.

Bigland's career path has been a little bit different than many automotive-industry execs, as he has a background in both the airline and heavy-duty commercial truck industries.

"I've always been interested in cars," Bigland says. But he says he's "more interested in things with wheels on them."

Bigland's first car was a 1979 Chevrolet Impala, but he's a Chrysler man now. His mission is a dual one: get Dodge back on par with its mainstream Detroit competition (Ford and Chevrolet) while also snagging buyers away from import brands like Honda and Toyota. Oh, and he needs to do so while focusing a bit on performance.

Despite being a mainstream brand, Dodge no longer presents the full lineup of vehicles that Ford and Chevy do. Ram trucks have been spun off into their own brand, and Chrysler has also turned its SRT performance arm into its own brand, with certain performance cars--such as the 2013 SRT Viper--being sold under that umbrella. Dodge still has minivans, of course, along with the Durango crossover and Journey people mover, but its marketing has definitely taken on a sporting theme. Even the commercials for the Durango have hinted at race-day swagger to sell traditional SUV virtues such as towing capacity, using performance as an overall theme. In the Durango ads we've seen, there hasn't been much talk about the Durango's family-friendliness, despite the fact that it seats seven.

With the Chrysler brand taking the luxury role within the Chrysler group, and Jeep maintaining its focus on SUVs, it comes down to Dodge and Italian partner Fiat to appeal to the biggest slice of buyers. Fiat, though, won't have quite the same product portfolio as Dodge--many of Fiat's products might be affordable for the average consumer, but they'll be marketed toward a niche audience. So Dodge will have to continue to be aimed at the broadest segment of the market.

It's one thing to reinvent a brand's purpose, but it's another to fight off the bad stigma of a government-controlled bankruptcy and years of subpar models. Dodge--along with all of the Chrysler group's brands--has to prove to consumers that its products are competitive. It also has to get them in the door, and part of Bigland's job is to change perceptions.

He plans to bring the brand forward by reminding consumers of its history. "[Dodge] has a great future because it has a rich past," Bigland said.  "When you look at the car side, you have great performance."

Although his vision is for continued growth, Bigland calls Dodge's heritage a "unique advantage."

History aside, technology is moving forward at a relentless pace, and given high prices and a growing awareness of green living, consumers (and the government) are asking for more fuel efficiency. This presents yet another challenge for Bigland, since hybrids and other alternative powertrains haven't been a big part of Chrysler in recent years. So not only is Bigland focusing on increasing overall fuel economy without increasing costs, as he told us, but his brand will be doing it with traditional powertrains, at least for a while.

"What we're seeing today is that hybrids and electrics have stalled the past eight years," Bigland told us. He also says that consumers haven't noticed what he calls "massive" improvements to traditional powertrain components.

For Dodge, that means there will be a focus on technology such as gasoline direct-injection, turbocharging, and supercharging. These technologies can increase fuel efficiency without too much of a performance or price penalty, and other automakers have already made great strides with these systems. For example, Hyundai has used gasoline direct-injection to increase fuel economy in many of its products, and Ford's EcoBoost engines use the above tech to increase miles per gallon without sacrificing power.

Bigland reminded us that Fiat is bringing out an all-electric 500 by the end of 2012, and despite his comments about increasing efficiency from traditional gas engines, we wouldn't be surprised to see Dodge offer a hybrid or two in the near future, if only to keep up with the competition.

Either way, Bigland has a big task in front of him. But the man who once ran Chrysler Canada may have the chops to help Dodge reclaim its place in the market.