Jean-Pierre Ploué
Encyclopedia
Jean-Pierre Ploué is a French car designer, born in 1962, known for bringing the Citroën
marque back to strength and restoring its reputation for innovation and strong individualistic styling.
in 1985. He started his career at Renault
from 1985–1995, where he designed the Laguna
concept car, the Twingo
, and worked on the design of the Clio II.
From 1995 to 1998 he worked at the Volkswagen
Design Centre in Wolfsburg, Germany. From 1998 to 1999 Ploué was Head of Design at Ford in Cologne, Germany.
In 1999 Jean-Pierre Ploué replaced Arthur Blakeslee as Head of the Citroën
Design Centre, responsible for rejuvenating the brand’s image. His arrival marked a new era for Citroën, resulting in the launch of successful and stylish new models such as the C4
, the second generation C5
, the C6
, and the DS3
, which played a strong role in the rebranding of the marque.
Concept-cars C-Sport Lounge, C-Métisse
, Citroën Metropolis
and GT by Citroën
designed by his team show their desire to resume their position as a leader in car design.
In 2009, he was promoted to Director of Design for the PSA group, in charge of designers Gilles Vidal from Peugeot and Thierry Métroz from Citroën.
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
marque back to strength and restoring its reputation for innovation and strong individualistic styling.
Biography
Ploué graduated from the École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d'artÉcole nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d'art
The École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers, also called the École des Arts Appliqués or Olivier de Serres and abbreviated to ENSAAMA, is a post-baccalauréat teaching establishment for the decorative arts in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, France.- History :ENSAAMA's ancestry...
in 1985. He started his career at Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
from 1985–1995, where he designed the Laguna
Renault Laguna
The Renault Laguna is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault. The first Laguna was launched in 1993, the second generation was launched in 2000, and the third generation was made available for sale in October 2007....
concept car, the Twingo
Renault Twingo
The Renault Twingo is a city car built by French automaker Renault, first presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1992 and sold in continental European markets beginning in 1993...
, and worked on the design of the Clio II.
From 1995 to 1998 he worked at the Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
Design Centre in Wolfsburg, Germany. From 1998 to 1999 Ploué was Head of Design at Ford in Cologne, Germany.
In 1999 Jean-Pierre Ploué replaced Arthur Blakeslee as Head of the Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
Design Centre, responsible for rejuvenating the brand’s image. His arrival marked a new era for Citroën, resulting in the launch of successful and stylish new models such as the C4
Citroën C4
The Citroën C4 is a small family car produced by French automaker Citroën since autumn 2004. The C4 was designed to be the successor to the Citroën Xsara. It is mechanically similar to the Peugeot 308, which was launched in 2007. A revised version with new front end, reverse light and dashboard...
, the second generation C5
Citroën C5
The Citroën C5 is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since early 2001. The C5 replaced the Citroën Xantia in the large family car class.-First generation :...
, the C6
Citroën C6
The Citroën C6 is an executive car produced by the French luxury marque Citroën since 2005.-Overview:Inspired by the C6 Lignage prototype which was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring of 1999, but differs from the concept car's styling in minor details...
, and the DS3
Citroën DS3
The Citroën DS3 is a supermini, produced by French manufacturer Citroën from 2009. This is the first car in the new DS range from Citroën. It was first hinted by the concept car Citroën DS Inside. This range of vehicle shares no common feature with, and is in no way the successor to, the Citroën DS...
, which played a strong role in the rebranding of the marque.
Concept-cars C-Sport Lounge, C-Métisse
Citroën C-Métisse
The Citroën C-Métisse is a concept car produced by the French car manufacturer Citroën. It was first introduced in 2006 at the Paris autoshow. It has been stated that the reason for creating such a car was to show that a hybrid car can have the same performance as a gasoline or diesel powered...
, Citroën Metropolis
Citroën Metropolis
.Citroën Metropolis is a concept car designed in China by Citroën and presented on the French pavilion of the Expo 2010 in Shanghai . It was unveiled in May 2010....
and GT by Citroën
GT by Citroën
The GT by Citroën is a sports car that debuted as a concept car on October 2 at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The car is a collaboration between the French automaker Citroën and the Japanese racing simulation developer Polyphony Digital. 6 cars are expected to be built...
designed by his team show their desire to resume their position as a leader in car design.
In 2009, he was promoted to Director of Design for the PSA group, in charge of designers Gilles Vidal from Peugeot and Thierry Métroz from Citroën.
Awards
- Jean Pierre Ploué was named Homme de l'Année 2007 (Man of the Year 2007) by Journal de l’Automobile.