New design chiefs for four Stellantis European brands

Two Stellantis design appointments, effective 2 November 2026, put Sandeep Bhambra in charge of Citroën and DS Automobiles design and move Pierre Leclercq from Citroën to Opel and Vauxhall. Mark Adams retires after nearly 25 years with the German and British brands, and DS Automobiles design head Thierry Metroz shifts to European design strategy.

Bhambra succeeds both Leclercq and Metroz, reporting to Gilles Vidal, Head of Design for Stellantis’ European brands, and joining both brands’ leadership teams under Chief Executive Xavier Chardon. Leclercq also reports to Vidal and joins the Opel and Vauxhall executive committee under Chief Executive Florian Huettl.

Bhambra, Vice President Design Strategy Europe at Stellantis since April 2026, previously led advanced design and concept cars at Renault Group from 2021. Before that he spent more than a decade at Peugeot Design, working on the second-generation 2008 and 5008, the Onyx concept and the Citroën Ami.

Leclercq takes the experience of renewing Citroën’s design identity to Opel and Vauxhall. Since November 2018 he has overseen models including the C3, C3 Aircross, Basalt and C5 Aircross, after senior design roles at BMW M, Great Wall Motors and Kia.

Vidal said the changes showed the depth of talent in the organisation and thanked Adams and Metroz for their work. Stellantis links the moves to Vidal’s strategy of sharpening each European brand’s identity, and to its FaSTLane 2030 plan.

Why this matters:

• Citroën and DS move closer. One design head for both brands, alongside a shared Chief Executive, suggests Stellantis is pooling resources across its French mainstream and premium marques, which could test how far DS can hold a distinct premium identity.
• Renault thinking enters Citroën. Bhambra’s years leading advanced design and concept cars at Renault, during its heritage-led revival, bring a rival’s perspective to Citroën as it develops its own retro-inspired 2 CV.
• Opel gets a design reset. Moving Leclercq from Citroën to Opel and Vauxhall after Mark Adams’s long tenure suggests Stellantis wants a sharper identity for its German brand, carrying over the approach behind Citroën’s recent line-up.