Citroen’s charismatic leader leaves to pursue “personal projects”; Stellantis sales boss steps in.
Citroën boss Vincent Cobée has left the firm to “pursue personal projects” just over three years since he was appointed.
Thierry Koskas, sales and marketing chief of Citroën parent company Stellantis, has been appointed as head of the French brand as it prepares to launch a range of accessible EVs taking their lead from the recently revealed Oli concept.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said: “I have full confidence in Thierry Koskas to carry out these strategic and valuable missions for our company so that Stellantis can lead the way the market moves while developing the iconic Citroën brand.
“Thierry’s dual responsibility is part of a logic of cross-functionality, as is already the case for other EVPs [executive vice-presidents] within the Stellantis leadership team.
“I would like to thank Vincent Cobée for having set the positioning of Citroën within the Stellantis brand portfolio and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Cobée became CEO of Citroën in January 2020 and oversaw its repositioning as an accessibility-focused brand. His prevailing mission was to boost the accessibility and sustainability of EVs, beginning with the launch of the Citroën Ami quadricycle.
More recently, when walking around the new Citroën ë-C4 X, Cobée outlined his plans to make EVs smaller, lighter and more fun.
His replacement Koskas joined the PSA Group – a precursor to Stellantis – in 2019, having worked in sales and marketing for the Renault Group since 1997. Between 2009 and 2013, he ran Renault’s EV programme, during which time the Renault Fluence ZE, Renault Twizy and Renault Zoe were launched.
It’s not yet clear whether he will be a permanent replacement for Cobée. When contacted, a Stellantis spokesperson declined to give further comment.