New Renault Group boss François Provost has said legislators should focus on how to reduce the cost of electric vehicles, rather than forcing manufacturers to sell them in ever-greater numbers.
The Frenchman was recently named CEO of the French car giant, succeeding Luca de Meo, who was instrumental in implementing a recovery plan that involved reviving the Renault 5 and 4 as small EVs.
Provost sat down with a select group of journalists, including Autocar, at the Munich motor show to outline his vision for the firm and answer questions on a range of topics – including the EU’s planned 2035 ban on the sale of non-zero-emission cars.
While the professional, slightly conservative Provost might seem a sharp contrast with the sharp-suited predecessor de Meo, they are similar in how they answer questions: Provost speaks with a brisk directness and a pleasant candour not so different from de Meo.
He launched immediately into the most important of declarations: “I’m a continuity man,” he said. “Our central task is to promote the Renaulution plan [introduced by de Meo in 2021], to build a strong line-up in Europe and then to renew it. Of course, we must be ready to react if internal factors change – but we have the Ampere and Horse divisions [spin-off firms that focus on EV and ICE development respectively] to help with that.”
When it comes to dealing with the Chinese model offensive in European markets, Provost pointed to Renault’s attempts to speed up its model development to less than two years and added: ”We are also capable of very strong and emotional designs and we have proved it.
“We are better at this than our competitors – especially the Chinese. We are also busy improving our customer engagement: we respect our dealers and we aim to bring our own special values to the customer experience.”
When asked about the EU CO2 targets, Provost gave a thoughtful response. “We should not focus on 2035,” he said, “even if it makes a nice hook for your headlines.
“The fact is that EV prices now are far too high for people – right now – and because of that, we are producing more carbon than we need to. We must make it clear that the industrial logic in Europe is wrong. What is needed is less regulation, which would allow car prices to be more affordable. Technology neutrality that pushes EVs forward should be the way.”
Asked what he was doing to push that message, Provost said: “First, I will focus on what I can control, so I’ll keep working on costs. Then I will go to the European authorities with my colleagues [other industry leaders] to enhance their sense of urgency. They should know that the job of stimulating the EV market cannot fall on car manufacturers alone: as well as the wrong European logic, we have issues with charging infrastructure and the price of electricity across Europe.”
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