New boss Reno wants to shuffle a roadmap for the development of the company until 2022

18 October 2019

Interim CEO of Renault Groupe Clotilde delbos urgently change the development strategy of the company

As reported by Automotive News online less than a week after taking office, the interim CEO of the Renault Clotilde Delbos questioned the strategic road map for the development of the French automaker until 2022.

On Tuesday 15 October in a video message to employees, Ms. Delbos said Renault will review its development plan, because the market has changed over the last two years, i.e. since when was adopted the current "road map".

A new, albeit interim, CEO of Renault Groupe – the Clotilde Delbos immediately took a cool start

In an interview with Bloomberg News, she said "unfortunately, the situation has not improved over the summer, and we need to return the Renault in the right direction," and added: "We need to adjust the strategy".
Ms. Delbos not waste time being appointed interim CEO only last Friday after the dramatic resignation of former CEO Thierry Bollore.

Thierry Bollore did not justify their high confidence

Now she intends to take on the revision of 6-year strategy "Manage the future" and takes on part of the heritage of the former "big boss" Carlos Ghosn. At the same time she may need additional authority if intends to stay at the top position in the future. The delbos categorically stated "We need to make a choice", pointing to huge losses Renault in the first half and the very high costs of research, development and investment. She also called for greater honesty and transparency in the company.

The press-Secretary of the Renault refused to comment on the internal communication of the company.

Exactly two years ago in October 2017, Carlos Ghosn with great fanfare announced a strategy called "Steer the future", promising to expand the global operations of Renault, to deepen operational ties with Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co. and simultaneously increase profitability. In parallel, the French automaker, in his opinion, was hard to invest in electric and Autonomous vehicles.

Ms. Delbos told the employees that the downturn in the global automotive market, the implementation plan may be too difficult. She was supported by her two Deputy – Jose-Vicente de Los Mozos and Oliver Murg.

The Alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi received loss on performance in the first half of 2019 due to the poor performance of the company Nissan the collapse of sales in emerging markets such as Turkey and Argentina. The French carmaker owns a 43% stake in the Japanese company, which in turn suffers from falling sales in the United States and of the obsolescence of the model line.

While Renault-Nissan has reduced the planned income for this year, but he kept the profit forecast. As CFO Delbos is preparing to release figures on revenue in the third quarter on October 25. MainFirst analyst Pierre-Yves Quemener expects that figure will be slightly lower – around €11.4 billion ($12.7 billion) due to a decline in sales of Renault in Europe.
By the way, Delbos waved at a press conference on Friday from the question of whether she wants to stay CEO on a permanent basis continue. According to the insider, familiar with this question, to search for the right candidate permanent CEO of Renault had hired at least one highly skilled bounty hunter.

From the time of the arrest Ghosn in Tokyo in November last year on charges of financial crimes, which he denied, Renault and Nissan had almost collapsed. Chairman of the Board of Renault Jean-Dominique Senar insisted on a full merger, which Nissan is actively not wanted, and then continued negotiations about the obyedinenie with the concern Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), did not inform about their partner. These negotiations failed in June.

The delbos reiterated the position of Canarda that Franco-Japanese Alliance should "fix" before you can consider any combination of Alliance with the FCA.
She said, "If there's a way to implement it, of course we would be interested, but first we need to take care of me and our Alliance."

PS Although the Clotilde Delbos and changed suddenly former CEO Thierry Bollore

Under the brief leadership of Thierry Bollore the Alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi suffered some of the losses

which is less than year of his reign, after the end of the "era of Carlos Ghosn" has managed to avoid a 50% drop in the company's profit in the first half of 2019, and to commit follies in the personnel policy, but not too cool Ms. "interim CEO" takes the bull by the horns? Let's see what will be able to obtain the successor on a post of the head of one of the world's largest automakers such cavalry assaults, and even in conditions of almost divorce with its strategic partner – the Japanese "half" of the Nissan-Mitsubishi. In any case, the global trend on e-mobility definitely became a staple in the global car industry, it won't change, but save where you don't need, can be easy to lose position in the emerging market of electric vehicles and to remain forever an outsider, which can lead to further loss of the strategic position of the Alliance that, quite frankly, scarier than any temporary loss of operating profit. As "Caliph for an hour" can make some cases (this is devoted almost most of these stories in the world literak, but then rake them would have been the successor.

P. P. S. by the Way, will be interesting to see how sharp on the Japanese were used to androgennoe top management of the Nissan-Mitsubishi will communicate with Ms. CEO Renault?.