Stellantis has appointed Gilles Vidal as the new head of design for the Group’s European brands, effective Oct. 1. Vidal succeeds Jean-Pierre Ploué, who will leave the company. In his new position, Gilles Vidal will lead the creative direction and design strategy for Stellantis’ iconic European brands, which include a wide range of vehicles from city cars to light commercial vehicles. With a career of more than 30 years in automotive design-twenty-five of them spent between Citroën and Peugeot-Gilles Vidal is recognized for his talent and ability to combine innovation and respect for the brands’ historical heritage.
He joined Citroën in 1996 and has played a key role in the development of some of the most popular models of the past decade, including the Peugeot 308, 3008 and 208-all of which were awarded European Car of the Year between 2015 and 2019. Over the course of his career, Vidal has received ten awards, five of them as part of the European Car of the Year competition. He rejoins Stellantis after five years with the Renault Group.
“I am excited to get back to basics by joining Stellantis again. In a world where technology and design must go hand in hand to transform the customer experience, I am ready to face the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead. I look forward to working with Jean-Philippe, Ralph and their teams,” said Gilles Vidal. “Gilles’ experience will be instrumental for the future of the Group. He is a designer of the highest caliber, whose designs have won five European Car of the Year awards in the past decade,” added Ralph Gilles, Chief Design Officer of Stellantis.
