Exclusive: Pierre Leclercq on his surprise move to Opel-Vauxhall

Think of Citroen design in the modern era and it is Pierre Leclercq who springs to mind. It came as a surprise then to learn he would be shifting to a new brand within the group, replacing Mark Adams at Opel-Vauxhall as head of design as of 2 November 2026.

Speaking to CDN from his home this week, Leclercq emphasised his love for that French brand and put the move down to nothing more than professional curiosity: “I'm a Belgian nomad and I always look for new adventures. I love Citroën and I've been there for eight years, but I wanted to take on a new challenge.”

Leclercq joined Citroen as head of design in 2018 and oversaw a raft of success stories under his tenure, most notably the dinky Ami quadricycle, fourth generation C3, third generation C4 (and e-C4) and second generation C5 Aircross with its innovative winged tail lamps. Numerous exploratory concepts were also well received, from the spaceship-like 19_19 concept to the award-winning Oli and more recently the ELO and 2CV (the latter of which is heading to production of course).

Indeed, the return of one of the brand’s (and industry’s) most iconic nameplates at this year’s Paris motor show was a huge feat. Changing jobs before that car makes production feels jarring, but Leclercq sees it is a solid note to end on: “The 2CV was fantastic, it is 90% the production car. I like to do big projects and to move mountains. That’s why earlier in my career I chose to leave BMW for China [with Great Wall Motors], for example. I don’t think you should fall in love with your business card. Right now at Opel there's a lot of exciting work, that's what interests me and I'll start right away. It’s going to be good.”

The move may have been accelerated by the fact that long-term Opel-Vauxhall design chief Mark Adams was due to retire. Upon learning of Leclercq's desire for a new challenge, European design boss Gilles Vidal deemed him a strong replacement for the outgoing British designer. “Mark has done a fantastic job for 20-plus years,” notes Leclercq, “and I’m really excited to get over there and meet everyone.”

Earlier comments from Vidal now sit in a slightly different light. Speaking to CDN in April, he noted that he has ambitious plans to make Opel “the most creative German brand,” while retaining that typical German focus on quality and execution. Clearly, he views Leclercq as the right figure to deliver on that goal.

There are strong parallels between Citroen and Opel-Vauxhall. Both have rich histories in the European car industry and a raft of past icons from which to draw inspiration. Both operate in the mass market and largely face the remit of attracting everyday drivers, and so Leclercq is very familiar with the mission. He has spoken about this previously.

“When we start a project, we know exactly what price our car should sell for,” Leclercq noted in his judge’s profile for Car Design Review 12, pointing to other industries where ‘mass appeal’ and ‘mass production’ dovetail nicely. “I have a lot of admiration for the designers at IKEA that do clever entry-level products that are super functional and that everybody needs in their life. I see our mission at Citroën a little bit like theirs.”

Now he is wearing slightly different colours, albeit still flying the Stellantis flag, will his mentality at Citroen play well with what Opel-Vauxhall is trying to achieve? “Those brands have a great history,” he agrees. “Opel and Vauxhall today are performing well in two of the biggest markets that are growing, the UK and Germany, but I think we could be even stronger and there is a lot of potential.”

But it is not all about affordable family cars. There will no doubt be opportunities to play here and there. Both Opel and Vauxhall have motorsport in their blood (just as Citroen does in the world of rallying, and more recently Formula E) and Opel in particular is not unfamiliar with the world of two-seater sports cars. The upshot is: this is a brand that should offer up plenty of creative opportunities for a designer with the right vision.

“There are exciting projects coming out and strong ones to work on. We should of course have fun with all our projects, but I do see some things that are not in the plan that could probably be explored. Let's see. ”

As for the practicalities of changing brands, Leclercq recognises that it is a significant step in his career but likens the experience to that of an actor. Someone who engrosses themselves fully in the role for a particular film, and then does the same for a different character next time. And so on. 

“An actor might star in a horror movie and then go to a rom-com. They are the same actor, but they adapt to the new role. For us designers, it's exactly that,” he explains. “When I was at BMW I did big SUVs like the X5 and X6, and I was a different designer to my time at Citroen where I worked on smaller cars. And here at Opel, I need to make sure that I fit the brand and understand the customers."

It will be interesting to see how Vauxhall in particular is treated under Leclercq’s design vision. Is it a separate brand, a British brand with German roots, or something else? Should it feel distinct from its twin? Like this writer, these are thoughts he is exploring and recognises that there is some research on his part to better understand the intricacies and nuances of those brands.

For now it is very early days and he will commute from France to Germany, but will eventually relocate near Rüsselsheim next year. It will feel vaguely familiar from his time at BMW, and he is excited about the adventure.

“I loved my time there [in Germany] and they have a great team at Opel so I’m really looking forward to it,” he says. “If I can look back after another eight years at what we've done, if design has helped Opel-Vauxhall to achieve better numbers, and we've done some exciting projects that reinforce those brands, then I'll live in peace. Plus, I love working on mass production; when I see my kids counting the amount of Citroëns on the road, that's what I think is cool. If I can do that for Opel, I'll be very happy.”