Former SEAT design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos will be tasked with shaping the Renaults of the future, as per a source close to the matter.
The 52-year old Mesonero-Romanos will join the French brand “to strengthen the design team,” claims the source, adding that he will answer directly to Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker, reports Autonews Europe.
The Spaniard helped SEAT return to profitability during the nine years he spent there, and will now reunite with his former boss, Luca de Meo, who took over as Renault Group CEO this month. While Renault has thus far declined to comment, a SEAT spokesperson confirmed that Mesonero-Romanos left the company at his own request.
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“Seat thanks Mesonero-Romanos for his excellent work at the head of the design team over the past nine years and wishes him all the best for his future,” stated the Spanish brand, whose R&D chief, Werner Tietz, will take over as interim design boss until a new department head is appointed.
Mesonero-Romanos has actually worked for Renault before. Between 2007 and 2009 he was head of the advanced design department, when he left to become design director at Renault Samsung Motors in South Korea. His first job however came about in 1994, when he joined the VW Group.
At SEAT, he was there for the introduction of the Ateca, Arona and Tarraco crossovers, as well as the fifth-generation Ibiza and the last two generations of the Leon. He also shaped Cupra models like the Formentor and Tavascan.
