Retiring in April 2009, Patrick le Quément has catapulted himself to worldwide fame within the automotive industry for his designs at French car maker Renault throughout the years. While his designs may not have been the most practical or beautiful, they have certainly been influential and even ground-breaking.
In this interview at the end of his 22 year tenure at Renault, he discusses his personal favourites and flops throughout his career, how automotive design is changing in the 21st century, and many more topics.
Radical at the time of release and still to this day, the Avantime, Vel Satis, and Megane II in my opinion are perfect examples of both courage and polarising design. They are unique from anything else motoring around on European roads, maybe even too unique for markets such as North America in which the Renault brand is not even marketed (outside of Mexico). While the first two might have been commercial flops, it shouldn't be considered an excuse for a well executed design. The Megane II on the other hand, is a common sight and had been in the UK's top 10 sellers for it's entire model run from 2002-08. The "ass out" design and the mixture of geometric lines, planes and shapes had worked their way into half of the Renault range by 2004 and although viewed by some as "ugly," I honestly think the concept behind this design language is fab. Not only does it maximise boot space, but it has made for a memorable piece of modern art.
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