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As the top lieutenant to Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, Carlos Tavares admits he's unlikely to succeed his boss, who's just 59. So he wants to run General Motors Co. or Ford Motor Co. instead.
"We have a big leader and he is here to stay," said Tavares, who has just turned 55. "Anyone who is passionate about the auto industry comes to a conclusion that there is a point where you have the energy and appetite for a No. 1 position."
Tavares, who is Renault's chief operating officer, is hardly alone in his maneuvering for the top job at an American carmaker as GM boss Dan Akerson, 64, and Ford CEO Alan Mulally, 68, may retire soon.

Tavares said in an interview last year that he wanted to expand the Renault group's offerings by adding two upscale brands to the automaker. Renault has since announced plans to revive the Alpine sports-car marque and expand the Initiale Paris insignia into a luxury brand. Along with the namesake marque, the carmaker also own the Dacia no-frills make.

Tavares was also instrumental in pushing through a deal with unions in March to cut its French workforce 17 percent and freeze wages in exchange for not closing domestic plants for three years. Renault is pushing for more sales outside Europe to reduce reliance on its home region.

"I read he was offering himself publicly to other companies, so its not a big surprise," said Juergen Pieper, an analyst at Bankhaus Metzler. "It shows they have a very strong CEO personality. It's very difficult for other executives to get along with a strong CEO."

Renault will appoint a chief performance officer and a chief competitiveness officer to replace Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares, who stepped down last week.
The executives will lead two managing boards that will report to CEO Carlos Ghosn. One board will focus on developing and manufacturing vehicles, while the other will be responsible for marketing and sales, Renault said in a statement today. The new roles split the job of Tavares, who quit the COO post after going public with his ambition to lead a U.S. carmaker. The arrangement eliminates the COO position and is permanent, Renault said. The chief competitiveness officer will assume management responsibility for design, product and programs, engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, supply chain, quality and IT. The executive's group will reinforce the development of an attractive product range while ensuring vehicle quality and holding back costs. The performance group leader will oversee growth and commercial strategy. The group will focus on "growth, market share and profitability of sales," Renault said.

Renault did not specify who will lead either board.

The management reorganization concentrates operational responsibility at Renault in the hands of Ghosn, 59, who also runs Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. and the 14-year-old alliance between the two automakers.