The primary focus of the Think Tank session was the evolving landscape of automotive distribution. Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo met with 37 multi-brand distribution groups on Thursday, January 23, at the Renault design center. The meeting, organised by the Karidea Think Tank, focused on the challenges and transformations within the automotive retail industry, particularly regarding the shift towards low-carbon mobility. The event showcased new products from Renault, Dacia, Alpine, and Mobilise brands, highlighting innovations in efficient and sustainable vehicles. This marked the first time the Think Tank convened at a manufacturer's site.
Renault Group opened its design center, located within the Technocentre, for the exclusive discussion. Attendees received presentations of new vehicles from across the Renault Group's four brands: Renault, Dacia, Alpine, and Mobilise. The presentations emphasised innovations addressing the increasing demand for environmentally friendly transportation.
Highlights
The primary focus of the Think Tank session was the evolving landscape of automotive distribution. Discussions centered on the necessary network adaptations required to navigate the industry’s ongoing transformation. This transformation includes meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing market and adapting to new consumer demands for sustainable vehicles.
The meeting provided a platform for Renault Group to reinforce its commitment to its distribution network. The group emphasised the network's strategic importance in the success of its brands. The company reiterated the value of direct customer interaction within the automotive retail landscape.
Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group said, “The automotive industry is facing an unprecedented transformation. Faced with these challenges, we consider our network and our partners more than ever as a strategic asset for the Group and for the success of our brands. There is no substitute for being physically present with our customers, in the field. At the beginning of 2024 we reaffirmed our strong partnership with the network, true to our win-win approach and while the Renaulution strategy has demonstrated its full potential for our dealers. This event with Karidea was an opportunity to reaffirm our desire to fully engage with our partners to seize the opportunities opened up by the changes in the automotive value chain.”
Renaulution strategy
This meeting followed Renault's reaffirmation of its partnership with the network earlier in 2024, emphasising a mutually beneficial approach. The company highlighted the success of its "Renaulution" strategy for its dealers. The collaboration with Karidea provided a forum for Renault to express its dedication to working closely with its partners. This partnership aims to capitalise on the evolving automotive value chain.
The gathering at Renault’s design center was a significant event for Karidea. It represented a novel opportunity to facilitate a direct dialogue between a major manufacturer and a large group of distributors.
“A big thank you to Luca de Meo for opening the doors of his design center and especially for this great first consisting of exchanging with the 37 European groups brought together by Karidea around the major challenges of distribution. It was an exchange of unique density and richness, as shown by the unanimously enthusiastic reactions of the participating Groups at the end of the meeting. Understanding the areas of transformation in distribution, moving from major trends to very concrete subjects, identifying the challenges but also the opportunities for distributors in the medium term, the exercise proved to be totally exciting,” mentioned Jean Triomphe, founder of the Karidea Think Tank.
The discussions during the meeting were reportedly in-depth and fruitful, addressing key distribution challenges and exploring future opportunities. Participants from the distributor groups expressed enthusiasm for the event and its outcomes. The discussions helped identify specific areas of transformation within automotive distribution. They also explored opportunities for distributors in the near future.
