Katrin Adt, Dacia's new CEO: "We are at a turning point in our relationship with cars, both due to technological changes and evolving social expectations."

Luca De Meo's departure from Renault has caused a minor earthquake in the group, with departures, comings and goings that seemed endless. Until now. The last top-level position remaining to be filled in the group was that of CEO of Dacia. Until now, the position was held by Denis Le Vot , but following his voluntary departure, Katrin Adt will take his place at Dacia . The executive, with experience in the automotive industry, has just been announced by the French group with great fanfare.

François Provost's arrival as Renault's CEO ultimately precipitated Le Vot's departure from Dacia. The executive had aspired to his position after his outstanding performance at Dacia, but the group's decision was to opt for another direction, and Le Vot ended up leaving the company "in French style," with no known destination as of yet. With his position vacant, Provost took the step of bringing in Adt, a senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in the automotive sector. She previously served as CEO of Smart and became vice president at Mercedes-Benz , a company where she worked for more than 10 years, until 2021.

Upon her arrival, Katrin Adt formally introduced herself on the work-related social network, LinkedIn . In a three-paragraph letter, she thanked Renault for the opportunity and even dedicated a few words to her predecessor: “I am truly delighted to be joining the Renault Group and assuming the leadership of the Dacia brand , which has undergone an impressive transformation under Denis Le Vot over the past five years. It is a true privilege, and a great joy, to contribute to writing the next chapter of this inspiring success story, alongside a passionate and dedicated team,” her letter began.

What won't change is Dacia's work philosophy and its objectives, which include consolidating its position as the Renault Group's "low-cost" or entry-level brand : "Dacia continues to demonstrate the strength of its vision: bold, intelligent, and accessible mobility that responds to people's real needs," Adt acknowledged in his formal presentation on LinkedIn. Or to put it another way, "if something works well, why change it?"

This doesn't take away from all the challenges Katrin Adt will face upon joining Dacia: "What motivates me is creating meaningful projects with a vision for the future. Today, we are at a turning point in our relationship with the automobile , marked by both technological advances and evolving social expectations," emphasized the new CEO of the French brand.

In the midst of the transition to electric cars , Dacia still has a lot to say, and the coming years will be crucial to determine whether they're able to maintain their leadership position in terms of sales in Europe. And by the way, ADT led Smart's transition to a 100% electric car company, something Renault revealed in the press release announcing its arrival. So it seems Dacia's roadmap is clear .