Renault Carlos Tavares held different positions within the Renault Group. He was director of the
Renault Mégane II project. Between 2004 and 2011, he worked for
Nissan, Renault's partner in the Renault–Nissan Alliance (now
Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance), first as programme director and then as vice-president, product strategy and product planning. By 2009, he oversaw Nissan's presence in North and South America. Tavares had much in common with Ghosn, as both were "raised in Portuguese-speaking environments. Both went on to graduate from French Grandes Ecoles and - perhaps less surprisingly - both like fast cars." However, on 15 August 2013, Tavares said publicly that he wanted to become CEO at an automaker. It was said that Tavares was ambitious and sought more responsibilities at Renault, however, Ghosn was only four years older and had no plans to step aside soon. Reportedly, Ghosn demanded that Tavares apologize to staff for the gaffe and Tavares refused. Instead he resigned from Renault on 29 August 2013.
PSA Group Tavares became CEO and chairman of the board of
Groupe PSA in 2014, replacing . In 2014,
DS Automobiles was established as a stand-alone brand under his leadership. As CEO, Tavares garnered praise for PSA's acquisition of
Opel and
Vauxhall from
General Motors, for PSA's record sales and profits, and for Opel and Vauxhall's subsequent return to profitability; however, PSA sales in China slipped. Furthermore, he led
PSA into its merger with
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. In 2023, the Stellantis board approved nearly $40 million in compensation to Tavares. While overseeing the Jeep, Chrysler, and Peugeot major car brands, Tavares faced criticism over that level of compensation alongside statements he made about rising food and automobile costs; specifically, his discussions about inflation included suggestions that consumers should simply expect to pay more for things (e.g., for "more expensive burgers") as a result of inflationary pressures.
Stellantis In January 2021,
PSA Group merged with
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form
Stellantis where he became its first CEO. At the Stellantis first press conference, Tavares said he planned to save 5 billion euros a year by way of investments, engine and platform sharing and development. He also announced that he wanted to relaunch the most fragile brands which could benefit from new investments. During the
2022 French presidential election, incumbent President
Emmanuel Macron and opposing candidate
Marine Le Pen both called Tavares' 2021 compensation package "shocking". The package was around 19 million euros ($20.5 million), plus a stock package worth some additional 32 million euros and long-term compensation of about 25 million euros. As the CEO, Tavares has raised concerns of an "invasion" from Chinese
EV companies and, along with the American carmaker
Tesla, are offering more affordable models compared to their European competitors. From 2021 to 2022, the European market share of Chinese EV manufacturers doubled to almost 9%. At the end of September 2024, the Stellantis board of directors launched a procedure to prepare his succession even though his mandate ran until 2026. On 1 December 2024, Tavares abruptly resigned as CEO, and the board accepted his resignation; a new interim executive committee, chaired by John Elkann, was established to identify a new CEO. Under Tavares's leadership, Stellantis's net profits fell 70% in 2024 and stock value fell by over 50% from its early 2024 peak, while its North American and European market share shrank by 5%.
Other activities Racing Tavares was an amateur racing driver since the age of twenty-two. In addition, Tavares runs his own team,
Clementeam Racing, named in recognition of his daughter. •
Airbus (between 2016 and 2022); and •
Total (between 2017 and 2020). == Awards and recognition==