New Design Directors Appointed at Peugeot and Citroën

Gilles Vidal and Thierry Metroz are appointed respectively Design Director for Peugeot and Design Director for Citroën, effective 4 January 2010. Both will report to Jean-Pierre Ploué, Design Director for the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group.

With the appointment of two experienced professionals widely recognised for creativity in automobile design, Mr. Ploué has demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the new organisation established in October 2008 and to pursuing the goal of clearly differentiating the two brands. Maintaining a lead in automobile design is one of the priorities announced by Philippe Varin, Chairman of PSA Peugeot Citroën. Peugeot Design Director Gilles Vidal, 37, is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design of Vevey in Switzerland. He joined the Group in 1996 and spent nine years working alongside Mr. Ploué to revamp the Group’s line-up. Since early 2009, he has been in charge of concept cars for Peugeot’s styling department. With the Peugeot BB1, which combines the features of a two-wheel and four-wheel vehicle, he broke new ground in the search for electric urban mobility solutions. He also helped to define Peugeot’s new identity, to be unveiled in early January. Citroën Design Director Thierry Metroz, 46, is a graduate of Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art (ENSAAMA). He has spent his entire career in automobile design. His professional experience includes setting up design and styling units abroad and managing international projects in Asia and Brazil. Backed by a strong capacity for innovation, he has left his mark on various vehicles that have reshaped the automobile landscape in recent years. His last position before leaving Renault last July was director of exterior design.