Blog: Meeting the new kids on the block

I love motor shows. Yes, I’ll wander the halls moaning that I’ve got motor show ‘glow’ (does any convention centre have working air conditioning?) and days later my feet will still ache, but a motor show is like a month’s worth of Auto Express coming to life. And some.

But these days my motor shows are as much about who you see as what you see. And at Paris, I got to meet a few newbies – the motoring managerial merry-go-round has been in full swing.

Most wide-eyed of the lot was new Bentley boss Dr Wolfgang Schreiber. He’d barely had a chance to visit the staff canteen in Crewe before being paraded in front of the world’s media. And following in the footsteps of the characterful Wolfgang Dureheimer, a man who put his own firm stamp on the British brand, is a tough gig.

Schreiber dodged questions about sales numbers like a seasoned politician – not bad for a bloke who kept reminding us that he’s an engineer. My guess is he’s been put in place to deliver a plan that’s pretty much decided on – including getting the infamous Bentley SUV project over the line.

Much has been said about the EXP 9 F, not least because its designer, Dirk van Braeckel, has been on that managerial merry-go-round, too, replaced by former Lamborghini and SEAT designer Luc Donckerwolke.

Schreiber was quick to point out that van Braeckel’s departure had nothing to do with the, er, mixed reaction to the EXP 9 F. But did he think it was a beautiful Bentley? “It’s one approach, but we need to look for something that’s more Bentley, too. More graceful perhaps.” That’ll be a no then.

Next it was on to Renault – unusual to not use the adjective ‘troubled’ in that sentence. There I met Stefan Mueller, a man who’s been around the automotive block (BMW, Ford, Volvo, VW…). Mueller now runs Renault in Europe – another tough gig, but he’s full of enthusiasm after only a few weeks in the chair and excited by what he sees as “a formidable challenge”. He’s not wrong.

He wants Renault to produce “high quality, desirable products with a higher profile that distinguish Renault from the competition.”

He has an interesting view of rivals, talking about VW and Hyundai/Kia. And of Alliance partner Nissan, with whom Renault will have more synergies in the future, and Mercedes – a newer partner for Renault.

He bristles with excitement when you talk about Dacia, as any man who’s inherited a success story would. He’s not afraid of Renault/Dacia crossover, but Dacias will always be priced lower than Renaults. Let’s hope the push for greater Renault quality doesn’t push prices up, too – that’s not where Renault needs to be.

On to Chevrolet and European boss Susan Docherty – an old timer, having been in her role since January this year. Chevrolet, like other Korean car makers, is on a roll with big sales hikes. Hang on, did I say Korean? Many of its European cars may be made in Korea, but this is a global brand, which Docherty wants to help get Chevrolet into the top three of car companies.

That all comes down to product, which I’ll admit is heading in the right direction. But how does she square the juxtaposition of cars like the Spark and Corvette in the same showroom? “Chevrolets are cars for life’s journey,” she says, “For everyday heroes. People like our American values, if not the politics.” Ouch.

Docherty also has the hot potato of Cadillac in her hands, but she talks confidently about its European future: “We have a bridge strategy that takes us where we want to be. We need to be able to compete on level terms with the likes of BMW, but we’re three to four years away from that and an appropriate four-cylinder diesel powertrain.”

Cadillacs won’t be sold from the same dealerships as Chevrolets, she says, and there are already dealers lining up to represent the most famous of American car brands.

Another designer switching brands is Pierre Authier, riding the crest of the wave that is the new Peugeot 208 – our current favourite supermini. Now he’s finished the 208 family (the 2008 Concept is, apparently, 98 per cent of the production car, while a wry smile crossed his lips when I discussed a 208 convertible…), he’s off to Citroen to inject a little of his magic into cars like the C3 Picasso. That car revealed its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it facelift in Paris but Authier will be part of the team that tries to make Citroen famous for Citroens again, not just DSs.

But it wasn’t just new management launches at Paris - there wasn’t a shortage of new model launches, either. But such is the time needed for these new guys to effect change, it won’t be until the 2014 Paris Motor Show that we’ll see the fruits of many of their labours. I can’t wait.