Lancia gets design lift from longtime PSA executive

MILAN -- Lancia will get some top-level styling help for its next-generation models from Jean-Pierre Ploue, who is chief design officer at the Italian automaker’s parent, Stellantis.

Ploue, 58, who started his career at Renault in 1985, “will personally supervise” the creation of Lancia’s new products along with a “lean and focused team” of young designers based at Torino Centro Stile studio in Turin, Stellantis said in a release.
 
After a decade at Renault, where he contributed to the designs of the first generations of the Twingo and Megane, as well as stops at Volkswagen and Ford of Europe, he joined PSA Group in 1999.

He started as head of the Citroen design center, where he was responsible for rejuvenating the brand's image. At Citroen he oversaw the launch of models such as the C4 compact, the second-generation C5 midsize family, the C6 large sedan and the DS 3.

He was promoted in 2009 to director of design for the PSA Group. Following the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in January, which created Stellantis, Ploue was named global head of design for the automaker’s European volume brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Lancia, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot.

Reviving Lancia, which only sells the Ypsilon small car in Italy, “is a truly exciting challenge,” Ploue said in the release, promising to restore the brand “to its central historical position in Europe, leveraging on its huge potential.’’

Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano said in the release he is happy that the automaker “can leverage such a diverse team of professionals.”

Lancia has been suffering for years from a dearth of new product. An attempt to expand its range following Fiat’s 2011 takeover of Chrysler by rebadging Chrysler products as Lancias failed badly.

Last year only 43,080 Ypsilons were sold in Europe, a 27 percent decline from the previous year. Sales have rebounded in 2021 with a total of 18,231 units sold through April, up 42 percent from 2020.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has grouped Lancia with Alfa Romeo and DS to create synergies. Speaking to financial analysts in March, Tavares said Lancia embodies “Italian elegance” and he believes it has great potential to succeed in Italy “and neighboring countries.”

Stellantis Chairman John Elkann added in March that brands such as Alfa Romeo and Lancia stand to benefit from the Stellantis merger because for years FCA “could not invest or give resources as much as we wanted.”