Renault is 'FutuREady' to continue turnaround

New boss says products are at the heart of brand's mid-term plan to build on record profits

- Phil McNamara [e-mail]

RENAULT has vowed to build on landmark cars such as the new Twingo, Renault 5 and Scenic EVs, when it unveils its fresh midterm plan on 10 March.

New CEO Francois Provost has revealed the new strategy will be called 'FutuREady', a huge hint that the firm will reinvent its cars, tech and how it works over the next four years, to drive down costs and fight competition from Chinese brands.

Provost rose to the top seven months ago, succeeding Luca de Meo whose 'Renaulution' plan took Renault from a seven billion Euro loss to record profits. Provost, the former chief procurement officer and a 23-year company servant, plans to drive the leaner Renault forward.

The CEO is signalling the need for the design and engineering teams to maintain the levels that successfully revived the Renault 5 hatchback and recreated the Twingo as one of Europe's cheapest EVs ahead of rivals including Volkswagen.

Provost is in the studio twice a week overseeing the next generation of cars, design chief Laurens van den Acker told us. “The CEO knows product is what has saved us in the last few years, and he’s been appointed because he wants to continue the dynamic. This is extremely important, because it can get diluted very quickly.”