Asked to clarify why now is the time to retrace his steps, he elaborates: “Well, there was a big change of management. Also, Jean-Pierre Ploué, my predecessor and previous boss, was retiring; obviously they were looking for someone to replace him.
“I think we’ve done great stuff at Renault, and [former group CEO] Luca de Meo left at the same time. In the context of all these things happening all at once, it just felt right. Look at the potential of this company.
“I know some people are doubting: ‘you have 14 brands, isn’t that too much?’ – but why would it be?”
With all the pieces finally in place, Vidal is now toiling away with the designers at the 10 brands for which he is responsible – Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot – under the guidance of global design boss Ralph Gilles and European CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato.
We may come to understand his vision sooner than expected. “That is the challenge; the big piece of work we are attacking and proposing to show you very soon,” says Vidal. “At the Paris motor show [in October], when we meet again, I hope there will be a ton of things to show you.”
The lion in the room
Among the most striking pieces from Vidal’s past is the 2018 Peugeot E-Legend concept, a revival of 1969’s 504 Coupé. It seems no coincidence that, here in Stellantis’s design studio, it has been parked front and centre as Vidal outlines his manifesto.
“When I [joined Stellantis], I had a lot of calls from French journalists asking: ‘Are you going to build the E-Legend now?” he says. “Wait, I’m not even at the company yet!” It turns out it was all but ready to be made into a production car, only for a last-minute change of heart: “It was actually feasible as you see it. It would have been like that. It was the right balance between everything [radical design and production viability].”
More broadly, Vidal seems to have closed the door on reinventing classics: “This [the E-Legend] would have been great. The Renault 5 is great. The Fiat Grande Panda is great – maybe less retro but still great. But it’s not always a good idea. It’s not right for every product.”