Laurent Rossi was replaced Thursday at the head of Alpine by a former Ferrari, the French Philippe Krief, responsible for accelerating the development of the sports brand in 100% electric, as well as restoring color to his Formula 1 team.
Philippe Krief worked for Michelin, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, before becoming director of engineering at Ferrari in 2016. Alpine recruited him in early 2023 as director of engineering and product performance, before promoting him to its head on Thursday.
Appointed CEO of Alpine in early 2021, Laurent Rossi will now focus on “special projects related to the transformation of the group”, Renault said in a press release.
In Formula 1, Philippe Krief’s objective will be to do better than the current 6th place in the Constructors’ World Championship. Alpine had finished the 2022 season in 4th place and intends to do at least as well in 2023 with French drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
The French brand is counting on Philippe Krief to oversee the explosion of its range, with seven electric models in the coming years, including a small sports car based on the Renault 5, a convertible and SUVs. It is aiming for rapid growth in its turnover of 40% per year.
“Laurent has laid down a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand (…) Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its deployment and to become a brand of the future,” said Renault CEO Luca de Meo.
A chassis specialist, Philippe Krief has notably worked on the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia as well as the Ferrari 458.
The brand founded in 1954 by driver Jean Rédelé in Dieppe (northern France), passed under the control of Renault in 1973, now dreams of competing with Lamborghini, then Ferrari.
The Renault group first exploded Alpine’s notoriety in recent years by putting its Formula 1 team in its colors (blue-white-red). These new models should now allow it to increase its sales tenfold, while its current single model, the agile sports A110, should barely pass the 4,000 unit mark in 2023.
The challenge will be to produce electric cars, with heavy batteries therefore, but agile, to respect the DNA of the brand. And above all to seduce internationally.
Alpine comes to crown the offer of the diamond group, which includes Dacia at the entry level and Renault repositioned “at the heart of the market” and soon 100% electric.