Jean-Pierre Ploué to lead Lancia’s revival
A somewhat forgotten brand, Lancia’s fortunes have flagged in recent years. Could its also-ran status be reversed under the tutelage of Jean-Pierre Ploué, Stellantis chief design officer?
Stellantis’ chief design officer Jean-Pierre Ploué (pictured above left) is to oversee Lancia Design at Torino’s Centro Stile, charged with leading a renaissance of the legendary Italian marque to ‘restore its central historical position in Europe.’ Ploué will draw on what the brand calls a ‘lean and focused team, rallied around young talented designers,’ to bring about a new era for Lancia.
Stellantis was formed via a merger between PSA and Fiat Chrysler, which saw Ploué, formerly design boss at PSA, become chief design officer for Stellantis’ European brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Fiat Europe, Lancia, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall.
A respected figure, Ploué is credited with restoring Citroen’s unique design character and innovative reputation when he took over the OEMs design centre in 1999. Citroen went on to produce fêted models such as the C4, C5, C6, and the launch of the premium DS Automobiles brand in 2014.
However, the designer has his work cut out to revive the Lancia, which currently only produces one model, the compact super-mini Ypsilon – a far cry from the Integrale glory years of the late 80s, early 90s.
Ploué said: “Lancia’s renaissance is a truly exciting challenge. It is an iconic brand, which will be restored to its central historical position in Europe, leveraging on its huge potential.”
Luca Napolitano, Lancia’s CEO added: ‘’I want to welcome Jean-Pierre Ploué. I am very honored we can leverage on such a diverse team of professionals to work together for the success of Lancia.”
