Renault CEO Luca de Meo told the Automotive News Europe Congress how ripped up the automaker's product plan on the second day into his job.
“When I came into the design room in 2020, there were 20 concepts. I think three quarters of them were small cars for very exotic markets,” he said.
De Meo, a former Toyota, Fiat and Volkswagen Group executive, told the Congress audience how he quicly overturned the company's product strategy to revive Renault, which was sturggling in the aftermath of the Carlos Ghosn scandal.
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Automakers have been packing their cars with more and more technology, but it might be time to start cutting back on features that are not useful to buyers, Stellantis CTO Ned Curic said.
"There are now safer cars, more reliable cars, but at the same time we’ve overcomplicated so many things," Curic told the Congress. Curic said Stellantis will introduce a less-complex user interface in its vehicles when new technology platforms such as STLA Brain and STLA Smart Cockpit appear.
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In this episode of the Ally All Ears Podcast, Aaron Lee, Senior Director at Ally Dealership Insurance, discusses the growing threat of cyberattacks on dealerships and the importance of staying vigilant. He shares essential tips for safeguarding against these risks and highlights the need for specialized cyber insurance coverage to protect your business.
Ford is reducing its retail network and moving to an agency direct-sales model as it prepares to become an electric-only brand in Europe.
"Our ideal network is smaller than today but still large enough to serve our customers everywhere in Europe," said Ford Europe's passenger cars boss, Martin Sander.
Ford is introducing a so-called agency direct sales model in Europe, which means moving from wholesaling cars to dealers to selling directly to the customer. "I'm deeply convinced agency is the future" of auto retailing, Sander told the Congress.
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Toyota Europe Chief Operating Officer Matt Harrison hopes that "some pragmatism will prevail" inside the European Commission in regard to the upcoming Euro 7 pollution standard. Toyota and its rivals say the new rules are an unnecessary burden as they invest heavily into electrification.
Harrison explained how Toyota will meet the European Union's tougher emissions regulations and he talked about the automaker's plans to introduce more all-electric cars.
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Hyundai Europe will not follow Tesla and cut the prices of its full-electric models because the brand wants to preserve residual values.
"You have to have a logic in your pricing," Hyundai Europe CEO Michael Cole said. "Our logic takes into account competitiveness, sales targets and profitability."
Cole also talked about how Hyundai will roll out new battery-electric models in Europe and explained why a slow down in orders is not a bad thing for the brand, which has been rapidly growing its European market share.
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Smart Europe CEO Dirk Adelmann talked about future sales and product plans now that the brand is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding.
Smart has a new factory in China exporting cars to Europe. The brand is rolling out the #1 small electric crossover and its next model, the #3 compact crossover, will make its European debut at the IAA in Munich in September.
Adelmann said the brand has "something special" planned to replace its original model, the ForTwo.
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VinFast's plans to launch in Europe have been delayed because of "challenging safety regulations," the automaker's Chairwoman Le Thi Thu Thuy said.
But the Vietnamese automaker still plans to sell at least four models in Europe and could also build cars in the region. Thuy told the Congress audience that she was visiting some possible production locations in Europe before she returns to Vietnam.
Thuy also talked about how Vinfast has had to do more in-house to keep pace with its ambitious timelines to launch the brand in Europe and the U.S.
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Renault sees untapped potential in the Alpine sports-car brand, which was reborn in 2017 with the A110 coupe.
The brand's full-electric hot hatchback will go on sale next year. It will be followed by sporty electric SUVs, and a new A110. Looking ahead, Alpine hopes to enter the U.S. market.
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said the value of the brand has risen to 500 million euros from 50 million, thanks in part to exposure gained from its Formula One racing team.
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Nineteen young and talented automotive executives have been honored as Rising Stars within the automotive industry by Automotive News Europe.
The winners include young executives form automakers including Toyota, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover and Hyundai, along with rising stars from suppliers such as Valeo and BorgWarner, and up-and-coming sales and retail managers.
- See the full list here
- See the full list here
- here
- To see a profile on each winner, click here
- To see a profile on each winner, click here
- click here
