It was an unexpected blow in the automotive world: on December 1, Stellantis announced the departure of its boss, Carlos Tavares. A resignation “with immediate effect”, one year before the end of his term.
“Performance psychopath”, “car nut”, Carlos Tavares is not like other bosses in the sector. But who is he? In our new podcast “The saga of Carlos Tavares”, Valentin Grille and Hedwige Chevrillon, journalists from BFM Business, trace their journey through archives and anecdotes.
From his birth in Portugal to his first car, passing through his passion for motorsports, Carlos Tavares will continue to be “a UFO” in the world of the great captains of French industry, as Hedwige Chevrillon explains:
“Carlos Savares is a kind of sociological anomaly among the French, even Parisian, elite.”
And yet, this “car guy”, “neither financial nor commercial, but capable of revolutionizing his engineers, we will say that he has gasoline in his veins”, as Valentin Grille relates, will reap the greatest successes.
From Renault to PSA
His time at Renault with Carlos Ghosn will be marked by the rebirth of Alpine, the restyling of the Mégane, the sale of more than four million examples of the Scenic, but also by the dismissal of his rival Patrick Pélata. He will become number 2 for the Diamond brand, eclipsing it after an incredible affair of economic espionage.
In 2013, he provoked the wrath of Carlos Ghosn and landed at the head of his rival: PSA, where he will apply his strategy of cost reduction and “pricing power.” The self-described “performance psychopath” will apply austerity to PSA and, with his “Back in the Race” plan, will save the group. Carlos Tavares, described as “a killer with a smile”, will be right in his bet: the margins skyrocket.
So why this departure in 2024? Is the electrical fault? To Covid? Why did “the miracle of Tavares” collapse? For our journalist Hedwige Chevrillon, “he is losing the thread on a human level”, the results are no longer there and whoever “always wants to be the master of his destiny”, “will still press the button and suddenly resign.” .
Episode 1: Carlos Tavares, the car nut who came from far away
Carlos Tavares is one of the most brilliant bosses of the French company, but his profile stands out from that of other great captains of the industry. In this first episode we return to the origins of this purely Renault product.
Episode 2: From engineer to number 2, the Renault years
“A very brilliant topic.” These are the words of Louis Schweitzer, president of Renault from 1992 to 2005. This is, of course, Carlos Tavares, who left Centrale in 1991 and found himself immediately hired at the Renault test center in Aubevoye, in the Eure. He was immediately discovered and pushed his pawns until, in 1998, he was entrusted with a major project: the restyling of the Mégane and its derivatives, including the Scenic, of which it sold more than four million copies. Then, in 1999, his career took a new turn.
Episode 3: Peugeot saved from the waters
“We have become performance psychopaths.” Carlos Tavares readily admits that he has his obsessions. And among them, reduce the costs of the companies it manages as much as possible. When he arrived at Peugeot-Citroën in early 2014, austerity loomed for the brand. On the part of the unions and employees, this desertion of the competitor is worrying.
Episode 4: Electric Farewells
On January 16, 2021, Carlos Tavares dealt a heavy blow: PSA officially approached Fiat-Chrysler. The chairman of the supervisory board, Louis Gallois, then celebrated “the largest merger in the automobile sector since its origin.” Stellantis will finally be caught in 2024 by the flaws of the Tavares method. The precious margin falls below 10% for the first time in years. The boss is pushed towards the exit.
Source: BFM TV
