Unlocking Power: Is Upgrading Your Rocker Arms Worth the Effort?
Renault’s Leadership Shakeup: Luca de Meo Steps Down After Transformative Tenure
French firm starts hunt for new CEO after shock departure of de Meo after five years
Luca de Meo has stepped down from his role as the CEO of Renault Group after five years in the role.
The Italian joined the French company from Seat-Cupra five years ago, quickly launching the bold Renaulution business plan, involving the revival of the Renault 5 as an EV, an influx of new SUVs and the transformation of Alpine into an electric performance brand. The 58-year-old's plan helped revive the firm's fortunes.
The Renault Group said that de Meo had decided to "pursue new challenges outside the automotive sector", adding that the board has agreed he would depart on July 15. He will continue in his role until then. A hunt for a new group CEO "based on the already defined succession plan" has already been launched.
In a statement released by Renault, de Meo said: "There comes a time in one’s life when one knows the job is done." He added that "the result speak for themselves: they are the best in our history.
"We have a strong team and an agile organisation. We also have a strategic plan ready for the next generation of products. That is why I have decided it is time for me to hand over the baton."
De Meo, who won the top Issigonis Trophy at the 2024 Autocar Awards, added that he felt he was leaving "a transformed company" that was "poised for the future".
Renault Group chairman Jean-Dominique Senard described de Meo as "an exceptional captain of industry", adding that "the entire company joins me in thanking him for all these years and all the collective challenges successfully met".
De Meo: how to save the European car industry
De Meo's departure is a major surprise, given that when he had been linked to the role of Stellantis CEO – which was recently filled by Antonio Filosa – he had denied any desire to leave Renault, saying late last year that he still "had a job to do".
As well as being CEO of Renault, de Meo has recently served as president of the ACEA, the European automobile manufacturer's association, in which role he has advocated for a class of small European city cars to take on cheaper Chinese rivals.
Understanding Air Shocks and Air Suspension: Key Differences Explained
Build a Better Car: Ditch the Drive Modes for True Performance
Is It Safe to Add Oil to a Hot Engine During Your Road Trip?
Keep Your Ride Cool: The Case for Transmission Coolers
Avoid These Years: The Hidden Pitfalls of Cummins Diesel Engines
DS No8: The Bold New Contender Redefining Luxury EVs
French brand's segment-bending flagship goes after Audi and BMW with plush cabin and 466-mile range The DS No8, then, is what this brand was always supposed to be. With its not-so-distant past as essentially a vendor of posh Citroëns swept under the rug, Stellantis’s boutique French brand is pitching its bespoke new flagship squarely at Europe’s fearsome executive market, where it has lofty ambitions of luring would-be BMW, Audi and Mercedes buyers away from the segment stalwarts.On first encounter with this genre-bending saloon-fastback-crossover – with its lofty ride height, fastback roofline and limo-like rear doors – rivals don’t immediately spring to mind, but the Polestar 4, Mercedes GLC and Audi Q6 E-tron are cited as key benchmarks. Importantly, though, DS says that while the Q6 E-tron is an example of a direct contender in terms of size, price and capability, it has priced the No8 more in line with the smaller Q4 E-tron to give it an edge when it comes to value-for-money. The unavoidable truth, though, is that the premium EV segment is a notoriously tough part of the market - particularly for a new-ish brand that’s still yet to demonstrably crack the UK in the same way that, say, Polestar and Cupra have in the same sort of timeframe.The No8 indirectly replaces the plug-in hybrid 9 saloon as DS’s flagship exec, and if that car’s performance is anything to go by – nine sales last year, and just 139 in the four years it was available – it’s going to have a tough time luring fleet buyers down the road to the diamond-clad DS dealer on design and equipment alone.It’s got more than a fighting chance on paper, though, courtesy of its more crowd-pleasing crossover-ish styling, plus some properly compelling performance and equipment attributes. But can it prove itself more than a recommendable left-fielder?
Tesla Faces Class-Action Lawsuit as 10,000 Owners Report Phantom Braking Fears
Rediscovering the Silver Seraph: Rolls-Royce’s Overlooked Gem and Its Rising Appeal
As Rolls-Royce prepared for a post-Bentley future, it quietly released its first V12 since the 1930s
Just before BMW and Volkswagen had their fight for ownership of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, the small Crewe-based subsidiary of the Vickers engineering company had been attempting to design the latest version of the best car in the world. It was a bit like asking a yacht-maker to build a destroyer.
But producing underfunded contenders for the “best car in the world” title had long been the company’s task. Rolls-Royce had been saddled with this mission ever since it really had made the best cars in the world, 60 to 70 years previously, and had proudly proclaimed the fact. By the late 1990s, the Spirit of Ecstasy had been flying aboard the radiator grille of essentially the same car – the Silver Spirit – for almost two decades. Vickers, a somewhat troubled aviation and shipbuilding company, struggled to pay for a replacement, the project occasionally stalling for lack of funds.
The result was an almost decade-long development period. The Silver Seraph and the identically bodied Bentley Arnage appeared in 1998, equipped with only some of the technology needed to compete with the best from Mercedes and BMW. That they had any of this kit at all was because some of the best of BMW could be found aboard the new Seraph. The Munich company supplied help and hardware that included its 5.4-litre V12 engine, the 5-speed automatic that came with it, an electrical architecture, and plenty more.
Disappointingly, given the Seraph’s price, some of the BMW-sourced components were visible inside, where the crisply formed matt black switchgear of a 7 Series’ electric window and seat controls jarred against the chromed baroque extravagance of Rolls-Royce’s toggles, knobs, and organ-stop switches.
The Seraph was thus the first V12 Rolls-Royce since the 1939 Phantom III, the company abandoning its 6.75-litre pushrod V8 from the early 1950s. It was an advance that seemed great in theory, the BMW V12 vastly more modern and efficient. Trouble was, it was built for cars of sporting temperament, doing its best work at revs unseemly for a chauffeur-driven Rolls.
The five-speed auto didn’t help either. Ambling in fifth might have been more economical, but if an instant gobbet of thrust was required to overtake a serf in a Ford Fiesta, you were going to have to wait for the transmission and engine to respond before imposing your authority.
The Seraph powertrain was undeniably modern, but not so effective in a car of old-fashioned requirements. These needs were rather too evident in the chassis department. The Seraph’s quest to ride without rippling the open pages of the Financial Times caused it to teeter uncertainly through turns. Familiarity and a certain amount of reckless abandon would uncover a chassis more able than it first appeared, but this was a car that you’d happily leave your chauffeur to conduct.
That would at least give you time to savour an interior almost awash with timber and animal skin. The extravagant T-shape of the dashboard and centre console left the impression that you were handling a large piece of antique furniture. Given the Seraph’s timidity with bends, this was not an inappropriate sensation.
There were other disappointments too, such as an unexpected shortage of rear legroom. Yet despite all this, the Seraph felt special, secure, calming, expensive, and a cut above. Given the tiny automotive outfit that Rolls-Royce and Bentley were back then, this was some achievement. A short-lived one in the Seraph’s case, however. The splitting of Rolls-Royce from Bentley ended its life prematurely after only four years and 1,570 units.
Which is beginning to make an appealing oddball of the car. It was the last Rolls-Royce produced out of Crewe – indeed, the final 170 were limited editions marking the fact. It’s much rarer than the Arnage, which Volkswagen had Bentley re-engineer for the old 6.75-litre engine to live a 10-year life, and it’s much smaller than the 2003 Phantom. So prices of this once unloved Rolls are stabilizing, and may yet start to rise.
As of now, though, you can buy a used example for under £35,000, and a super-low mileage minter for under £60,000.