Appointed managing director on Wednesday evening, Luca de Meo’s successor took the floor for the first time this Thursday morning.
Change in continuity. Appointed on Wednesday director general of Renault, François Provost said this Thursday that he would not call into question the main dogmas posed by his predecessor, Luca de Meo. “We will always give priority to value rather than volumes”explains, during his first speaking, this Frenchman who has worked in the group in the diamond for 23 years. One way to take up the terms that have marked the turn of the Carlos Ghosn era towards the five years of Meo, of which it was one of the architects: Renault gradually abandoned entry -level cars and massive sales to target easier buyers, even for its Dacia economic brand.
The group will therefore continue to favor cars with assertive design like the electric R5, which are sold well but mainly generate high margins. Second creed: “The product is and will remain at the heart of the group’s strategy. And that means in particular to succeed in a second cycle of products ”underlines this manager, who has been working in the group in the diamond for 23 years. The electric Renault 5 and the Renault Rafale SUV, recently launched, are illustrations of this will. Likewise, he remains attached to the idea of making Alpine the group’s Premium Premium brand. “This is the right strategy, he says. Now you have to execute it. “
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This does not mean that the new operational boss will systematically register in the footsteps of Luca de Meo. For the president of Renault, Jean-Dominique Senard, “François Provost embodies a form of continuity, but with open eyes, that is to say a continuity that allows us to understand what to keep, what to amend”.
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The electrical Renault Twingo, which must be launched in 2026, “Has been developed in 21 months and the challenge of the coming years is to be able to extend” these processes “To the whole of the company and obviously to all of our suppliers”underlines the new boss, who was so far in particular responsible for purchases. And to specify that he did not wish “Delocating engineering in China”.
To develop internationally, where it has become weak, Renault will keep among its “Priorities” South America and India, but will not be interested in China or the United States, underlines François Provost. The presentation of the new strategic plan which must succeed the project «Renaulution»delayed for a few months, is now planned for the first half of 2026.
Before projecting in the medium term, the new commander -in -chief of the car manufacturer must deal with the problems of the moment. “Our results of the first semester, in a difficult market context, were not online with our initial ambitions”recognizes François Provost. If the automaker has recorded an increase in turnover of 2.5% to 27.6 billion euros, it saw its profit plunge from 69% to 461 million euros. The rise in sales of electric cars on which the company earns less money partly explains this phenomenon. When you include the unraveling of its participation in Nissan, it is even a loss of 11.2 billion that the French manufacturer has conceded. Suddenly, François Provost decided on a savings plan. Thus, hires are frozen this year, except those of factory workers.