Latest news with #LucadeMeo
India Gazette
14 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
India is country of opportunities, fastest beauty products market in world: L'Oreal chief
By Shailesh Yadav Paris [France], June 2 (ANI): L'Oreal's leadership has identified India as a strategic market with exceptional growth potential, describing it as one of the fastest beauty product markets globally and expressing plans to more than double their business in the country within the next few years. Speaking about the French cosmetics giant's expansion plans, L'Oreal executives emphasised their mutual ambition for the Indian market. 'India is a very strategic market for L'Oreal. We intend to more than double our business in the next couple of years,' Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oreal told reporters. The beauty conglomerate has established a significant manufacturing presence in India, with local production meeting the vast majority of domestic demand. 'We want to expand our factories, which are today manufacturing 95 per cent of what we sell in India, but also exporting to the rest of the region,' the L'Oreal chief explained. India serves not only as a consumption market but also as a regional manufacturing hub for L'Oreal's operations. The company currently produces half a billion units in India and exports hair and skin products primarily to the Gulf region. 'So it is a country of opportunities, one of the fastest beauty markets in the world, and a big priority for L'Oreal,' the L'Oreal chief executive added. The company views its Indian operations as just the beginning of expanded regional presence. 'We're manufacturing half a billion units in India, but we intend to increase that in the years to come. So it is just the beginning of a big adventure,' the L'Oreal chief noted. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal's visit to Paris included strategic meetings with several major French corporations beyond L'Oreal. He held discussions with Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, focusing on India's growing potential as an automobile manufacturing hub and emerging opportunities in the electric vehicle sector. 'Held a meeting with Mr. Luca de Meo, CEO of @RenaultGroup. Exchanged views on India's growing potential as an automobile manufacturing hub, along with emerging opportunities in the EV sector,' Goyal posted on social media platform X. The minister also met with Bernard Fontana, CEO of EDF, France's state-owned electric utility company, indicating discussions across multiple sectors including energy and infrastructure. L'Oreal's bullish outlook on India reflects the country's rapidly expanding middle class and growing consumer spending on beauty and personal care products. The company's strategy of local manufacturing combined with regional exports positions India as a key component of L'Oreal's Asia-Pacific operations. The beauty market's rapid growth trajectory in India, coupled with the country's manufacturing capabilities and skilled workforce, makes it an attractive destination for international companies looking to establish regional production bases while serving the domestic market. These business engagements underscore the broader economic cooperation between India and France, with major French corporations viewing India as both a significant market opportunity and a strategic manufacturing partner for regional expansion. (ANI)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alpine's Electric A110 Will Be Lighter Than Its Gas-Powered Rivals
An often-touted gripe against high-performance electric vehicles is how heavy they can be, lugging around a massive battery to power the motors for longer than a few minutes. However, Alpine is flipping the script with the next iteration of its venerable sports car. The French manufacturer claims that its next-generation A110 EV will be lighter than its internal combustion competitors when it debuts next year. This is the same car Alpine hopes to sell in the United States. Alpine revealed the A390, its second-ever EV, on Tuesday. While the A290 is an uprated badge-swapped Renault 5 E-Tech, the new tri-motor sport fastback is bespoke to the brand. The five-seater A390 produces 470 horsepower with a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.8 seconds and debuts a new active torque vectoring system. The fastback's 89-kWh battery will get 345 miles of range in Europe and is equipped with 190-kW fast charging. Don't worry if this all-wheel-drive car isn't agile enough for your taste, Alpine isn't abandoning its sporty roots. The French brand is gradually unveiling a seven-model electric "Dream Garage" lineup over the rest of this decade to revive the automaker's image. The A110 EV is believed to be the next car in the works, with Alpine developing a new electric sports car platform that will also underpin a four-seat A310 model. Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo told Autocar, "The next A110 will be lighter than a comparable car with a combustion engine but with no compromise in performance." De Meo compared how Porsche doesn't use the 911 platform for anything, but cars like the Cayenne and Taycan are shared with other models — like how the A390's platform is shared with the Renault Scenic. Read more: These Are The Cars You'd Buy If They Were $20,000 Cheaper Alpine becoming a French Porsche is an appealing idea, and the French brand has toyed with an electric sports car before. The A110 E-ternité concept was revealed in 2022 as a harbinger of its all-electric future. It attempted to replicate a traditional ICE A110 as closely as possible, but there was still a performance deficit. The E-ternité was 568 pounds heavier and had 80 miles less range, but was 0.3 seconds faster from 0 to 60 mph. One can only imagine the performance gains the A110 EV will benefit from when shifting to a completely bespoke platform. The only other question that remains is if we will actually see these new Alpine electric vehicles in the United States. It's fair to say that President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs have thrown a wrench in the plans of any European manufacturer considering an expansion into the American market. Alpine was in talks with AutoNation to distribute its cars across the country, but that was before "Liberation Day." Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Viewpoint: Your car shouldn't look like it pumped iron at the gym
Smaller cars are better for crowded cities and need less resources to build. PHOTO: CITROEN Viewpoint: Your car shouldn't look like it pumped iron at the gym Smaller cars are an obvious fix for crowded cities, limited resources and a warming planet. Yet, they have become an endangered species, as tougher regulations made them uneconomical to produce and people gravitated towards muscular sport utility vehicles (SUVs). A continent that built iconic, utilitarian and wildly popular city cars, like the Fiat Cinquecento and Mini in the 1950s, needs to make tiny cars appealing and affordable again. Smarter rulemaking and financial incentives can help. In Europe, the market share of small 'A-segment' cars – such as the Fiat Panda and Hyundai i10 – has shrunk to the lowest in at least 20 years, according to figures shared with Bloomberg Opinion by data provider Jato Dynamics. Automakers axed their smallest vehicles to protect profit margins and focused on larger, heavier and more expensive models, thereby denying their youngest and elderly clients a new ride. In the birthplace of autos, Germany, the average cost of a new car has soared to around €57,000 (S$82,830), more than the average gross income. Prices in Italy, Spain and France are not far behind. Larger, more expensive cars are partly a consequence of stricter safety and pollution rules, and hence all the technology modern vehicles must contain. (The number of people killed in road traffic accidents fell 16 per cent in the past decade, so tougher regulation has also been beneficial.) And, of course, they are also a result of the trend for high-riding SUVs, which now account for more than half of European car sales. This has created a vicious circle whereby car buyers worried about the consequences of colliding with an SUV buy one to protect themselves. For Americans, where a variety of ill-conceived fuel economy and tax incentives spurred the rise of gargantuan pickup trucks, the notion that Europe's cars are oversized must seem quaint. But the upshot of bigger, pricier wheels is a shrinking market. Just 13 million new vehicles of all sizes were registered across the European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway in 2024, or around three million fewer than prior to the pandemic. Manufacturers have threatened to close car plants or have outsourced production to less expensive countries. Meanwhile, consumers who cannot afford a new vehicle are making do with an older, dirtier one, hampering the goal of reducing emissions. The average age of vehicles on the EU's roads has risen to 12½ years. Speaking to French newspaper Le Figaro last week, Renault's chief executive Luca de Meo made a worthwhile suggestion to revive Europe's car market: less onerous regulation for small vehicles. 'There are too many rules designed for larger and more expensive cars, which does not allow us to make small cars under acceptable profitability conditions,' he said. 'Is lane-departure warning absolutely necessary in cars that spend 95 per cent of their time in the city?' Mr de Meo asked. He was referring to the so-called GSR-2 standards, a package of measures that came into force in 2024, mandating features like autonomous emergency braking and speed warnings in all new vehicles. These require sensors and on-board cameras that further inflate the cost of building a car. Mr de Meo also bemoaned how in crash tests, compact models also have 'to react like a high-end saloon with a hood three times longer'. I'm wary of the safety implications of a regulatory carve-out, but his idea should not be dismissed out of hand. Europe already has less onerous rules for so-called quadricycles like the Citroen Ami and Fiat Topolino, whose speed is limited to 45kmh. Both cost less than €10,000. In Japan, so-called kei cars that have a maximum 3.4m length and small engines and weigh only a few hundred kilos account for almost 40 per cent of new sales. Their success is explained by a variety of purchasing, maintenance and parking incentives, but in case you are wondering, these diminutive vehicles are also surprisingly safe and fun to drive. Establishing another regulatory category in Europe would likely be time-consuming, but there is no reason Europe should not consider similar financial incentives for buyers of small cars or penalise those who opt for a large SUV, or both. France has introduced weight-adjusted car taxes and parking charges, for example. Revising carbon-pollution targets to better reflect lifecycle emissions – in other words, including those generated in manufacturing and recycling – would also drive uptake of smaller cars. From a consumer standpoint, it is regrettable that Europe's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) have stifled a potential source of cheap imports. So, it is imperative European automakers find efficiencies and sell vehicles consumers can afford – if necessary by cooperating with Chinese manufacturers or seeking outside software expertise, as Stellantis and Volkswagen have done. Batteries are getting cheaper and these efforts are beginning to bear fruit. The Renault 5 E-Tech, which costs around €25,000 for the basic version, is a great example of the affordable yet stylish vehicles Europe needs (albeit as part of the slightly larger B-segment). There is even a 540hp 'mini-supercar' – the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, costing €155,000 – which deep-pocketed owners are encouraged to customise to the max. Smaller and much cheaper EVs are in the offing, including the Renault Twingo E-Tech and VW ID. Every1, which are expected to cost less than €20,000 when they go on sale in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Both will be produced in Europe. In other words, small cars look poised for a comeback. But they might need a push . BLOOMBERG OPINION This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Chris Bryant is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies in Europe. Previously, he was a reporter for the Financial Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
TimesLIVE
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Stellantis chair says fewer EU regulations would cut car costs
Stellantis chair John Elkann said on Thursday in a joint appearance with Renault CEO Luca de Meo that the EU needs to cut regulations that are making cars, especially smaller models, too expensive. 'If we have less regulations, we can make sure that we build cars that are less expensive and so they'll be more affordable,' said Elkann, appearing at the FT Future of the Car Summit in London via video link. Their joint appearance comes just more than a week after the European parliament voted to fast track softer EU CO 2 emissions targets for cars and vans that will allow carmakers more time to comply and reduce potential fines. Renault's De Meo said the French carmaker already 'doesn't make money' on some small cars, adding that between 2015 and 2030 regulations will raise the cost of a medium-sized Renault-built car by 20% and for small cars by 40%. 'Small cars still have a purpose and they could actually reboost the automotive market in Europe,' he said.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Is life a beach with the Renault 4 or another EV wipeout? We test the £27k practical electric family car - and its claim to swallow a surfboard
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside... especially at the start of a Bank Holiday weekend break. And where better to test drive the new Renault 4 E-Tech electric family car than on the edge of the wave-crashing Atlantic Ocean in sunny Portugal. Priced from £27,000, the new R4 is a contemporary reincarnation of the classic practical and economical flat-floored Renault 4, which in 1961 revolutionised the car market - selling more than 8 million in 100 countries up to 1994. Built on the same bespoke electric platform as its smaller (22cm shorter) - but funkier - 5 E-Tech supermini sibling, the new 4.14-metre-long R4 is the more practical option. From its very first unveiling by Renault CEO Luca de Meo in the presence of France's President Macron at last October's Paris Motor Show, bosses boasted of the R4's flexible seating that folds to extend load space sufficient to carry a surfboard. Ever up for a challenge, there was only one way to find out. So as well as driving it on the road, I've stopped off to test the bodacious claim... What's it like to drive? If the Renault R5 electric hatchback is the fun, funky and cheeky member of the Renault family, then the R4 is the bigger, more sensible and versatile sibling. I put it through its paces on a wide variety of roads and conditions – from fast-flowing motorways to twisty mountain routes via sweeping ocean-side highways – and found it an easy and delightful drive with enough energy to keep me fully engaged. Powered by a 52kW battery with 150hp electric motor, there is plenty of acceleration at your demand when needed – such as overtaking - with an official 0 to 62mph figure of 8.2 seconds and a top speed governed at 93mph. It also has a very good and tight turning circle of just turning circle is just 10.8m which makes for great manoeuvrability in car parks or doing U-turns. There are four driving modes including Eco, Comfort and Personal. Comfort is fine for relaxed driving. But my own preference was for Sport mode with the added engagement provided by sharpened responses and extra oomph. Paddles on the steering wheel control four levels of regenerative braking - helping keep your battery charged - with the last making it a 'one pedal' operation by acting as a brake the moment you take your foot off the accelerator. Personally, I love it and it makes for smoother and more efficient driving. There are also 26 advanced driver assistance systems. Official driving range is up to 247 miles – which should just about get you from London to Middlesbrough on one charge. But not the way I drive. The R4 even has its own 'nanny', which monitors your driving performance and gives a read out at the end. I was unsurprised that my 'eco' rating was a lacklustre 62 per cent. But my 'safety' rating was a satisfyingly high 88 per cent. I'll take that. The price is right Price-wise, the new R4 range is keenly pitched between £27,000 to £32,000 to attract potential buyers away from rivals in a highly competitive middle-market electric car segment. It goes toe-to-toe with cars including Tesla's Model Y, Mini's Aceman, Fiat's 600e, Citroen's e-C3, Kia's EV3, Jeep's Avenger, Vauxhall's Mokka and Ford's Puma. Exact prices will be announced later in May ahead of UK order books opening in July - first deliveries will land on these shores from September. Customers can pay £150 for a priority 'R Pass' to queue jump and pre-order a car two weeks before order-books officially open, and be at the head of the queue for deliveries. Keeping it simple Renault wants to keep things simple so there is just the one EV power option - 52kW battery with 150hp electric motor - with three trim levels: evolution, techno and iconic. A shorter-range 90 kW/120bhp version with a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery won't be offered for sale in the UK as Renault chiefs in Britain said experience from R5 sales showed demand was clearly for the more powerful longer-range example. The option of an open-top R4 with a retractable canvas roof – which opens at the touch of a button or by voice control - is set to follow later, even though it was unveiled at the same time as the standard hard-top at last October's Paris Motor Show and on show as a static example in Portugal. Renault calls the roof its 'plein sud' – translating to 'due south' – which is a nod to touring on the South of France. With roof open, the view of the sky stretches 80x92cm and extends so far back that it that can be enjoyed by all passengers, including those in the back. The entry level evolution trim runs on 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels with a large central display screen, keyless entry and a heat-pump. Techno gets an illuminated front grille, a 10.3-inch screen driver information display, a wireless smartphone charger, Google-backed sat-nav and services, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, paddle-shifter levers and 'one-pedal' driving. Top of the range iconic trim offers the full package including additional safety and comfort features such as blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, heated front seats and steering wheel and an electric tailgate. Charging to 100 per cent takes four and a half hours using an 11 kW AC charger, or 30 minutes to 80 per cent with a 100 kW DC device. The 11 kW AC bidirectional charger can replenish the batteries of your personal devices and (where possible) return excess charge to the grid when not required. The inside story Inside the smart interior I settled quickly into a comfortable driving position in sporty seats overlooking a pretty well thought out dashboard. Don't ask me about wind noise – for most of my drive I had the windows down with my elbow on the sill to enjoy the sunshine and the warm sea breeze. Yes, that relaxing. Dual horizontal screens comprising either a 7 or 10-inch digital driver information display and a 10.1-inch central touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to allow you to connect your smartphone. Google services provided with the R4 from mid-range techno trim include Google Maps, Google Assistant and a variety of apps from the Google Play store, along with wireless smartphone charging. Putting the boot in The new R4 benefits from a bigger boot than its R5 sibling. With the rear seats up there's a generous 420 litres, increasing three-fold to 1,405 litres with rear seats folded. There are also handy bag hooks and secreted storage cubby holes – including a 55-litre underfloor compartment. A low-loading sill makes it easier to lug shopping, packages or bags into the boot A hands-free power tailgate comes as standard on iconic trim models. As with the original R4, you can even sit on it – as I did – to watch the world go by or even have a picnic. But the big question to put to the test is: can it take a surfboard? I can categorically tell you that it can. And I did it myself to prove it – thanks to very helpful staff at the Surfcenter in Ericeira, which I spotted randomly on my drive. However, YOU won't be able to do it if you order a Renault 4 in the UK... Always one to go to lengths to test the claims of car makers, Ray attempts to get a surfboard into the electric Renault While it was a case of mission complete, Ray has some bad news for UK customers who are also surfing enthusiasts... Renault R4 E-Tech: Will it fit in my garage? On sale: Order books open from July 2025 First deliveries: from September 2025 Price: from £27,000 to £32,000 DIMENSIONS Length: 4.14m Width: 1.80m Height: 1.57m Wheelbase: 2.62m Wheels: 18 inch Ground clearance: 181mm Weight: from 1,410kg Boot capacity: 420 litres, extending to 1,405 litres with rear seats folded Loading height: 607mm Towing capacity: 750kg PERFORMANCE Battery: 52 kWh lithium-ion battery Drive: 110 kW/150 bhp electric motor Range: up to 247 miles Acceleration (0-62mph): 8.2 seconds Top speed: 93mph CHARGING TIMES To 100 per cent with 11 kW AC unit: 4 hrs 30 min To 80 per cent with100 kW DC unit: 30 min It does have a few niggles... The weirdest thing for me is the lack of a 'Park' button option on the drive stalk – which offers only Reverse, Neutral and Drive. To be sure of parking correctly, you have to manually pull on the electronic parking switch. Renault insists customers of the R5 (on which this system is also fitted) haven't complained and quickly get used to it. It'll also default to park automatically they said, insisting it was designed to make life easier, not to save a few bob on manufacturing costs. Me? I remain to be convinced. And I'll admit to slight paranoia every time I left the car on an incline in case it rolled away. Although there is plenty of headroom in the rear (85.3cm) once you get inside, you do have to duck down to avoid banging your head when getting over the lower than expected doorway threshold. Rear leg and kneeroom (given as 16.4 cm) still feels quite tight, especially if the driver and front passenger have set their own seats for maximum comfort. UK buyers will miss-out on the option of having a fold-down front passenger seat, which is not available here. That's a big shame. Renault should reconsider that decision. For now it means you'll have to slide that surfboard in sideways between the two front seats - or stick it on the roof. I've yet to test whether the R4 will take a ubiquitous 'Billy' book-shelf package from Ikea, but I'm hopeful. The Google-dependent sat-nav proved a bit glitchy at times, too. The Renault 4 E-Tech has real character and is still fun to drive. While it offers more practicality that its funkier R5 sibling, don't see it as a boring alterative The Cars & Motoring verdict The new Renault R4 E-Tech offers a very entertaining rounded-package for many motorists with a wide variety of demands, likes and needs. Not as funky as the R5, but almost as much fun and sufficiently more practical and flexible for the needs of modern families or leisure pleasure seekers. Small niggles aside, it's a car with real character that's fun to drive, offers more practicality that its funkier R5 sibling, but isn't so 'sensible shoes' that it becomes boring. It will appeal equally to beach boys and girls. And on that note: 'Surf's up!'
