Confidential coach: the renaissance of Renault, the happy VW camper van and more Car News

In this week’s auto gossip roundup, Luca de Meo explains how he embraces adversity, Cupra talks about driver assistance systems and more.

The renaissance of Renault

When Luca de Meo took over the management role at Renault in 2020, the company was dealing with the fallout from the arrest of ex-president Carlos Ghosn and had well-known money issues and a conflicted relationship with the partner of the Nissan Alliance – all of that, he said, was part of the appeal of the role. “If you look back at my career, I’ve always tried to go where there was something going on and where I feel I can make a difference,” he said. The Italian’s mission is now to make Renault “the greenest brand in Europe” by 2030.

Happy VW campers

German car designers are often a pretty serious bunch, so it was refreshing to hear Albert Kirzinger, designer of the new Volkswagen Multivan, explain how he tried to make the seven-seater happy. “It wouldn’t be a Multivan without a really charismatic and sophisticated but still sympathetic face,” he said. “I call it smiley; it is a smiling face. So friendly and so sophisticated, but it packs a punch. There is a happy camper.

Cupra will not kill drivers’ cars

Think advanced driver assistance systems will kill cars that are fun to drive? Not if Cupra can help him. R&D boss Werner Tietz wants to keep driving pleasure as long as possible. “We are going to introduce all the features on the autonomous side that are necessary or useful for customers, like highway pilot and overtaking assistance, but our cars will be primarily for drivers,” he said. “We don’t want to sleep in the car or let it do everything from home to the office and back again. Our cars are for people who love cars and want to drive.