It has been more than a year since Luca De Meo thought about it, but his departure was a surprise. The general director of Renault will leave his duties in mid -July and is expected to lead the Kering luxury group. According to our information, he announced his resignation to the president of the group last Thursday, after a meeting on his future strategic plan.
Before the Renault Board of Directors, he made a stage of his road map, called “Futurama”, by 2026. Around the table in particular, the representative of the state of the shareholders (15%), Alexis Zajdenweber. At the end of the presentation, he asked to see Jean-Dominique Senard to tell him the news.
The sources in Italy had also brought the same noises for almost a month … In the process, the head of Renault called on the secretary general of the Elysée to warn him. Emmanuel Moulin, in Bercy, contributed to his appointment for the head of Renault at the beginning of 2020.
Never more than five years in the same position
“When we understood that Luca would not go to Stellantis, at the beginning of the year, we thought it would remain,” acknowledges a Renault frame a bit in shock. In Renault, his desire for change was known. Luca de Meo, 58, had been campaigning since early 2024. He had just announced record profits of 2.3 billion euros by 2023. Four years after the trauma of the Ghosn matter, Renault straightened.
The Italian relaunched the R5 after successively resurrected the Fiat 500 and the seat brand (during its visit to the Volkswagen group). The most realistic had already warned. “Luca de Meo will leave before Renault is backed by a new partner,” said the manufacturer’s executive a year ago.
Renault Héros, Luca De Meo was actually maneuvering for a year. In 2024, he was in a position of strength to win a second mandate of managing director. However, negotiations on their remuneration were bitter with the Board of Directors. Renault did not want to revive the controversy after the super side of Carlos Ghosn.
At the end of 2023, Luca De Meo campaigned to present Renault specialized in electric vehicles in the stock market. According to our information, the Board of Directors has been strengthened in this project since the summer of 2023. But the manufacturer’s head insisted, also aimed at the position of the CEO of this subsidiary. “I was aimed at a great assessment of amps and actions on actions!” A frame that worked on the project persists.
Renault had been preparing for his departure for a year
Luca de Meo was pointing to high, much taller than Renault. While negotiating his second term, he was already looking at Carlos Tavares who was playing with the rival Stellantis. Surfing in his record results, he invited himself in the game, without denying or confirming his ambitions. In Renault, no one was deceived.
The president of the group was preparing for the transfer window. According to our information, I already had in the viewfinder, a year ago, number two of Stellantis, Maxime Picat. But after not successful in Carlos Tavares, he is still a favorite today to take care of Renault.
Luca De Meo also tried his image until you send a communication agency in Italy to keep his network in Milan and Turin, the Fiat strength. He refined his line to get better to the screen. At the end of last year, he organized and participated in a documentary in his glory, revealing while straightening Renault. Anatomy of a return (Transmitted to Amazon Prime Video), referring to the Golden Palma of the Cannes Festival 2023 Anatomy of a fallHe had to erect him to the “pantheon of the bosses” of the car and definitely turn the page of Carlos Ghosn. This “star” caused the teeth to shudder in Renault and withdrew the bad memories.
Source: BFM TV
