In bushido, which dictates the principles of honour for samurai, there is a phrase to remember: ‘Use your enemy to defeat him, and you will be powerful.’ Did Gilles Vidal use Renault to defeat Stellantis and become more powerful?
“Hello Gilles. First of all, I hope you’ll allow me to be on first-name terms with you, as I’ve done in all our interviews. The announcement of your return to Stellantis brought back memories that weren’t necessarily happy ones for all of us. Flashback: it’s 2020, we’re in the midst of the Covid pandemic, and you make a decision that will have major consequences for your career: after 24 years of loyal service, you leave Peugeot’s design department and the PSA Group to join your enemy Renault. About your long journey at PSA, you told me that ”it’s a long marriage, yes, there are designers who are more restless than me, that’s for sure!” Well, that was for sure until 25 July 2025…
When you left Peugeot in 2020 to join Renault, it was to do the same job as brand design director. You’re so bold that you told me you didn’t feel nervous when you announced it to your friend Jean-Pierre Ploué, your direct superior in design… You simply said, “These are strange times. Jean-Pierre and I are close; it’s not just a professional relationship. It’s like with the team, with Matthias Hossann – who is replacing you as head of Peugeot design – we’re friends outside of work. So yes, it’s a bit strange, but it went very well because Jean-Pierre himself has changed manufacturers several times in his career…” And let’s not forget that you joined the PSA Peugeot Citroën group in 1996, almost four years before Jean-Pierre Ploué arrived… So you didn’t kill the father. Phew!
But that’s all in the past now! So, first of all, congratulations on your return to Stellantis because your new position is no small thing! You’re no longer a designer, you’re no longer the manager of a team of designers, you’re no longer the design director for a brand, but you’re now responsible for overseeing the various design departments of Stellantis Europe’s brands, ensuring the right strategy for each of them and that they all work well together. That’s quite a challenge! Returning to Stellantis, you’re taking over the position of your friend Jean-Pierre Ploué, pictured below with the Legend concept car model. Was that your initial goal?
From the outside, there was nothing illogical about it… Even if you said in 2020 that “I‘m not necessarily chasing the “bigger job”. What interests me about this change (from Peugeot to Renault at the time) is the appeal of the job as it is. And it’s already exciting. I’m not looking to climb even higher at any cost; that’s not an end in itself.” An end in itself – it ended up happening – which is a new great start to a great career. And it’s also true that Jean-Pierre Ploué had no reason to give up his position five years ago. It’s like a fight: you have to go out and win. Was it to move faster that you chose to leave your Peugeot design teams and join Renault in 2020? The fifteen kilometres between Guyancourt (Renault) and Vélizy (Stellantis) must not have disrupted your daily life, unlike the challenges Luca de Meo has set you.
And while some people were surprised that you left Stellantis in 2020 to do exactly the same job, just across the street, I personally found it bold, and your fanfare-filled debut sparked the famous “he’s doing a Peugeot on us” comments on ‘anti-social’ networks… You had to move fast, and the Scénic, R4 and Rafale bore your mark. And while Stellantis’ communications now say that you’ve won five Car of the Year awards, let’s be clear – and you’re the first to admit it – that you weren’t behind the R5 E-TECH.
Then came the second stage, as desired by a brand’s design director: asserting its identity with the first renewal of the range. Above, your Emblème concept car unveiled the stylistic themes of these future Renaults and… and then nothing. You threw away your virtual reality headset, put away your meeting schedule, turned off your strategy and unplugged the diamond logo. Was it tattooed on your heart like the Lion once was? I doubt it… And just like that, you took the opposite path, five (intense) years after your arrival.
Leaving another team, abandoning projects that were supposed to embody your philosophy, and returning to square one: Stellantis. In two months! Two months: a pitiful non-compete clause when you consider that you know everything there is to know about Renault until 2030. But you already had an answer for me when you arrived at Renault, right after you left Peugeot: “When you join the competition, knowing the strategy and product plan is not an advantage because you’re not going to have the same strategy or the same types of products anyway. Every manufacturer has its own approach in terms of design strategy, so ultimately it’s not really an advantage. It’s actually more of a handicap. You have to force yourself to forget the past, because relying on that experience would be a mistake. You have to rid yourself of that knowledge!“
So, you’re back in the pollution again, this time with Renault, after getting out of Peugeot. I hope the reset(s) weren’t too painful. What happened to make you leave Renault? Was it the appeal of this royal position, which I imagine is financially – and logically – rewarding? Problems getting along with the Renault design team? Were Luca de Meo’s severance pay too rancid for your taste? Or was it the potential arrival of Maxime Picat at the helm of Renault, with whom you wouldn’t want to work? From the outside, it seemed like you were the strong man of the diamond brand on the design side, reporting directly to Luca rather than Laurens van den Acker.
When I heard the news on Thursday 25 July that you were returning to Stellantis, I immediately thought of Gérard Welter (above), who remained loyal to Peugeot for over 40 years! Yes, I know, I’m an old man, but I thought of Gérard because he turned down quite a few offers, including one from Honda to go to Japan. It’s true, it was a little over 15 kilometres from Thorigny, where he had built his home, but he remained loyal to ‘his’ brand and ‘his’ guys. Like Gaston Juchet at Renault, despite all the insults he had to swallow, and like Bruno Sacco below, who was unshakeable at Mercedes. Ancient history, of course. It’s a discourse that smacks of a fantasy world, because our society has long since changed its ways. Perhaps. And you can always tell me that you too have remained loyal to your Peugeot team. Except that you abandoned them in 2020 for their sworn enemy.
And that was great, because you had carte blanche and, above all, you put the future Renault range, based on your Emblem manifesto, into the pipeline. As a result, you’re leaving before you’ve even had a chance to prove your expertise under another logo: the future Renault range will be launched without you even having touched the latest clay model. That’s not a criticism, just an observation. All this will be behind us on 1 October, when you take up your new position with as many brand logos emblazoned on your jacket as medals on the lapel of a distinguished military officer.
Less than an hour after the announcement of your arrival at Stellantis (the announcement of an arrival before a departure, well well…), the messages on social media from your future ex-colleagues, designers and technicians at Stellantis, are all euphoric and full of praise! Some are very corporate, sometimes too much so, but that’s the world we live in today. It’s rare for a woman who’s been cheated on to open the door wide to her ex and welcome him with pastries instead of a rolling pin… You’re lucky – and you deserve it – to have left such a positive mark at Peugeot.
People say you’re an excellent manager, capable of getting your ideas across to senior management and gently persuading them to adopt some of them… You confirmed to me in 2020 that “the first thing to do in management is to explain things clearly… When you put your arguments into perspective and take a step back from internal issues, everyone ends up agreeing with your choice. And you motivate and unite everyone. We show a story that is disconnected from everyone’s individual problems or daily hassles, for the good of the company and to design the best possible product for our customers.” That’s the kind of class that not all managers have, and I’m not just talking about Stellantis!
There is no doubt that you will be able to enhance this behind-the-scenes profession with your design talents. Not to mention your intuition for predicting the uncertain future of the automotive industry. Hats off to you for that. And what a team! You will be reunited with so many people you know and have worked with between 1996 and 2020. Even your boss, Jean-Philippe Imparato, was head of Peugeot, and together you gave us the legendary Legend, designed by Nicolas Brissonneau. What a concept car! Speaking of concept cars and early stages, did you pack the excellent Sandeep Bhambra (below) in your suitcase for your return home? Or does he have the potential to take over from you at Renault? They say you win a war by weakening your opponent, and Sandeep is strong… So, are you going to replicate the famous bushido!?
You have two months of holiday left before returning to the walls of this ocean liner that is the DNA of Vélizy Villacoublay. Holiday? I doubt it: it’s not just Peugeot that’s eagerly awaiting you, but also the diabolical management of multiple design and strategy departments for Stellantis’ European brands. With so many questions on this side of the fence, from enthusiasts of Lancia, Fiat, Citroën, Alfa Romeo, Opel, Peugeot and even DS Automobiles…
You know better than anyone how to get this attractive project off the ground. Project in the sense of ‘work’, not ‘messy’! Although… What energy will you bring to Lancia or DS Automobiles, to take just two examples of brands that only have Europe to grow in? Will a two-month clause be enough to give you time to fill your notebook with all sorts of notes so that you can tackle this new challenge fully armed? Life is made up of cycles. Unexpected, desired or provoked. You are the perfect example of this.”
Sincerely
Christophe Bonnaud – LIGNES/auto
PS: Gilles, please allow me to take this opportunity to salute two men connected to your current situation. Like you, they have helped develop the LIGNES/auto website with their availability: Jean-Pierre Ploué for his incredible career and his dedication to helping LIGNES/auto magazine when it was sold in newsstands (2008-2009), and Laurens van den Acker for his mastery of his craft, his discretion, and his kindness. Thank you all three…
