Renowned designer Patrick le Quement will retire Oct. 30 from French automaker Renault SA after 22 years
As a senior vice president and member of the Renault management committee, le Quement, 64, dramatically elevated the status of design at the French automaker.
He will be succeeded by Laurens van den Acker, previously general manager of design at Mazda Motor Corp. in Hiroshima, Japan. Before that, van den Acker was chief designer of strategic design at Ford Motor Co.
Van den Acker: New design boss
Van den Acker, 43, will join Renault on May 15. He will report to COO Patrick Pelata.
Raised in England, le Quement established his reputation at Ford in Europe and Detroit with designs such as the Ford Cargo truck and the aerodynamic 1982 Ford Sierra. Former Volkswagen Group Chairman Carl Hahn hired him in 1985 to establish an advanced design and strategy center.
In 1987, former Renault CEO Raymond Levy recruited le Quement. The designer insisted that the design staff be doubled in size, that the department get a seat on the executive board and that he answer to Levy rather than the engineering department.
Under le Quement, Renault's design language developed a distinct look. Individual models took on a family resemblance that made it easy to recognize a Renault at a distance. Le Quement's design team is perhaps best known for the Twingo small car, Scenic minivan, Kangoo commercial vehicle and 1994 Laguna.
