The new Renault boss wants more cars, better quality and no new regulations for 10 years

After the sudden departure of charismatic CEO Luca de Meo in June, Renault has a new boss. TopGear.com asks Francois Provost about his plans.

De Meo had put in place a hugely successful new-car lineup – 5, 4, Twingo, new Clio. He left the car biz to head Kering, a luxury goods empire that includes Gucci, YSL, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen. TopGear.com has a slight suspicion De Meo timed his departure carefully as he might have predicted Renault's ascendency couldn't continue.

So we ask Provost what he will do – more new cars, or just cost-cutting and housekeeping? "Product is the top line of my new mid-term plan. A second cycle of new cars to extend our lead. We have an advantage over old rivals and China." He says Renault has been cyclical in the past, with every burst of new-car activity being followed by a damaging lull.

He adds that he wants quality to hit Toyota levels. (He doesn't actually mention Toyota, just says the letter T.) Renault is actually well on the way at the moment.

It's worth mentioning that Provost was purchasing boss at Renault, and very much instrumental in executing the turnaround of the past five years.

The Twingo was developed in half the time of other Renaults. That's critical, he says, not just in saving the expense of that phase, but because you can then launch a car that's effectively more modern and gets the latest tech.

Renault did it by combining efforts of teams at the French HQ and in China, a place renowned for rapid action. Provost says all the vehicles done in France will now use the same techniques to launch just as fast.

The new Twingo is a very attractive, versatile and roomy small EV that'll sell for usefully less than £20,000 in the UK. Versus the R5, it uses a cheaper, smaller LFP battery, an off-the shelf permanent-magnet motor, and a simple torsion-beam rear suspension.

Provost goes on to map out other ways he thinks Europe's car business can survive against the Chinese low-cost onslaught, and against the increase in regulation that makes sub-£20k European cars an endangered species.

He points out that if fewer people can afford new cars, the whole car fleet gets older. The result is the reverse of what the politicians want. "The parc is ageing so there is no decarbonisation or safety improvement. And it's destroying the industry, a social muscle for Europe." Each time a factory shuts, something like 5,000 to 10,000 people lose their jobs.

Other manufacturers have lobbied to be allowed to build smaller cars that dodge much of today's safety regulation. They're calling them E-Cars. The European commission has pledged to announce something in December 2025.

But Provost has a different take. He believes in EVs. "EVs are good for the customer. People won't go back."

He doesn't want existing regulations to be cut. He wants no new ones, at least on cars up to Renault 4/Captur in size. At the moment, he says, there are proposals for 107 upcoming rules. "I just want 10 years without new regulations. A quarter of our engineers are busy catching up with regulations, and we have to apply them retroactively to existing cars. If we stop that we can cut cost."