After five years at Renault, where he arrived under Luca de Meo, designer Gilles Vidal has just been appointed design director of Stellantis, for the group’s European brands, assuming the new position as of October 1.
The decision, officially announced this Friday, July 25, marks a strategic turning point for the design activity of the Stellantis Group in Europe, and is part of a series of recent changes at the highest level of the company, following the appointment of a new CEO Antonio Filosa, and the reorganization of brand management.
Design is no exception: Ralph Gilles is now the global design director, and Gilles Vidal will be responsible for the design of the European brands, from Citroën to Fiat, including Peugeot, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Maserati, Opel, and DS.
Before joining Renault, Gilles Vidal was a key figure in Peugeot’s design strategy for over two decades, being responsible for the designs of the 208, 308, and 3008, all of which won the European Car of the Year award between 2015 and 2019.
In 2020, he joined Renault as part of a major renewal of the management team led by Luca de Meo. At the French brand, he was responsible for contributing to the redefinition of the design of Renault models.