Provost (Renault Group): "Strategy of continuity with Luca de Meo. We are focusing on electric and hybrid cars in parallel."

My strategy is clear: continuity with the Renaultlution launched in 2021. M will be gradually adapted to the changes that are occurring and will occur in the automotive world." François Provost, CEO and President of Renault Group since July 31, outlines the program after Luca de Meo. The new head of the French group, which includes Dacia and Alpine, spoke at a round table restricted to a few members of the industry press on the sidelines of the presentation, in Munich, of the sixth generation Clio, which has historically been a pillar model of the diamond brand. A car that has long been at the top of the sales charts in Europe. "And the fact that it is hybrid or LPG," explains Provost, "clearly indicates that we intend to continue with a strategy based on two pillars: a range of electric cars and one of hybrid internal combustion vehicles." But not only that: with Clio 6, Renault is relaunching in the B segment, the base of the market where historic models such as the defunct and lamented Ford are now missing. Fiesta. "Renault," he says, "is Clio: this model is in our roots, and we want to continue producing affordable, high-volume vehicles. The new Clio, built in Bursa, Turkey, is therefore the combustion-electric counterpart to the R5 and symbolizes Renault's dual-track policy for reducing CO2 emissions.

Provost, like other CEOs of large European automotive groups, is facing a systemic and epochal crisis in the auto industry, pressured by increasingly stringent EU emissions regulations that will culminate in the controversial (and questionable) ban on internal combustion engines set for 2035.

"It's clear," Provost explains, "that the context has changed: the industry has taken a different direction than expected with 100% electric vehicles. We're therefore focusing on flexibility; we must adapt to market demands with products that meet demand. We're obviously continuing to focus on electric vehicles, but now we need to focus on two product lines: Ice and Bev."

In this challenging environment, where cost pressure is enormous, partly due to the price war triggered by the Chinese, Renault is trying to respond, on the one hand by expanding its presence in key markets like India and Latin America, but on the other by leveraging accelerated development of models, powertrains, and batteries. "For example, we developed the new Twingo in less than 24 months; this is one of our responses to keeping operating costs low and convincing stock market analysts of our value (in recent months, Renault has lost a third of its value)."

Renault, in revising the industrial plan outlined by Luca de Meo, is focusing on technical alliances. This is where Horse, the division for internal combustion and hybrid engines, created in a joint venture with the Chinese group Geely, comes into play.