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The Lexus Sport Concept has been revealed at Monterey Car Week, giving an early look at the styling of the brand's upcoming V8-powered Aston Martin Vantage rival tipped to be called the LFR.

Although it has not strictly been confirmed to bear a relation to the prototypes demonstrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it has the same rakish proportions and many similar cues, suggesting a link between the two cars. It is described by the brand as "a vision for a next-generation sports car".

It introduces several new design cues evolved from the camouflaged Goodwood prototypes, such as a front light and grille signature that runs along the length of the front wings, and an n-shaped rear light bar that spans the car's width.

It also appears to trade the prototype's conventional side mirrors for racing-style cameras, while there is a small aerodynamics-boosting tailfin on the roof that appears to be lit to match the state of the brake lights.

A chunky rear diffuser and active rear spoiler hint at the car's performance-focused billing, although exhaust pipes – nestled above the diffuser on the prototypes – are conspicuous by their absence.

A triangular motif set into the rear end references the similar exhaust set-up on the Lexus LFA, reinforcing previous reports that the new model would be positioned as its successor. It is thought that the production version may adopt the LFR moniker, although nothing has yet been confirmed by Lexus.

The production version of the concept is likely to hit showrooms in late 2026, given the GT3 racing variant is expected to make its debut in next year's World Endurance Championship which begins in March 2026. GT3 regulations require that competitors share their basic body designs with a related road car, and Lexus' current contender, the RC F, is among the oldest cars on the grid. Indeed, production of the road-going RC F (and the regular RC coupé) ends later this year.

Technical specification remain under wraps, but the soundtrack of the GT3 prototype run up the hillclimb at the Festival of Speed was that of a highly-strung V8. GT3 regulations point to a power output in the region of 600bhp, with a kerb weight of no more than 1300kg, though it is possible the road-going version may adopt some element of hybridisation to help it meet global emissions regulations.

It's rare for a new CEO to speak to the media in their first few months in the job, let alone weeks. But just hours after being announced as Luca de Meo’s replacement, new Renault Group chief François Provost fronted up for questions following the release of the French firm’s latest financial results.

A polished performance was dominated by a message promising consistency in delivering what de Meo had begun, albeit at an accelerated rate. No surprise there, given that Provost was an internal appointment and a close ally of de Meo. But don’t expect him to court the limelight in the same way. 

The one question Provost half-dodged was how it felt to follow de Meo – the journalist who asked having gushed in his praise for the departed Italian. Keen to mark the start of his own era, Provost didn’t mention de Meo, saying instead that Renault now needed a CEO “to focus on strategy” in a turbulent market. 

Sensing the question had gone unanswered, chairman of the board of directors Jean-Dominique Senard chipped in to say “diversity and variety” in leadership styles “brings positivity”. In other words, they have gone from one leadership style to another, which is fine with him.

Such wild swings in approach are becoming common in automotive. Provost talks of turbulence, and that is being felt in the boardrooms too.

At the Financial Times’ Future of the Car summit in May, Chris Donkin of executive search company Savannah said the average tenure of a FTSE company CEO was four years and three months, which is a churn rate of 8% per year.

As of May in automotive, that rate was 20%. De Meo and JLR CEO Adrian Mardell are among those who have gone since as the merry-go-round keeps spinning, and around one in 10 CEO jobs are vacant or being held on an interim basis. 

Donkin said none of this was surprising, because the role of an automotive CEO is changing: “For well over 100 years, every CEO came from one of two places: the smartest engineer of their era or most commercially savvy financial guy. And they were all guys.

“The CEO today cannot be as Ferdinand Piëch would have been, as the smartest person in the room on the majority of the issues. Now, with the proliferation of issues a leadership team is dealing with, a CEO can’t be the smartest person in the room on more than a handful of topics.”

Instead, the automotive CEO role now is more akin to that of an executive chairperson, recruiting the very best team to lead various areas, leaving the CEO to have the “strategic dexterity to come up with novel solutions to all of the industry challenges”.

Provost gave the air of being from that school. Now to see how Renault responds to the change in style, if not strategy, from the all-action de Meo.

The second-generation DS 7 will arrive next year, with the new SUV set to be sold exclusively with an electric powertrain as it moves onto a new platform, putting it in the sights of the incoming BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC.

Arriving eight years after the current model first went on sale in the UK, it will be the latest addition to a new-look DS line-up headed by the new Nº8 flagship. The DS range is being heavily refreshed as part of a plan to rejuvenate the French brand following a difficult period post-Covid. This downturn culminated in European sales dipping 22% last year.

The first pictures of the new DS 7 testing on public roads come as the current car along with the 9 (which has been indirectly replaced in the line-up by the Nº8) have been pulled from the UK range. The pair amassed just over 500 combined sales in the UK this year before being withdrawn – and more than 90% of those were 7s.

In a bid to give the 7 prominence in the new electric SUV segment in which it will now compete, it has been heavily redesigned and, as suggested by road-going test mules, made larger than the car it replaces.

The design of the 7 will be influenced by last year’s segment-straddling Nº8, which ushered in a new design language for DS.

Despite being covered by heavy camouflage, the disguised 7 mule appears to carry some elements from the Nº8, including a flat front fascia, raised nose and wraparound light bar.

The biggest changes, however, will be underneath, with the second-generation SUV moving to the STLA Medium platform. 

This will enable the car to be offered with two battery choices and three powertrains: the 73.7kWh pack in the 256bhp front-wheel-drive model has a 355-mile range; a 97.2kWh unit in the 276bhp front-drive version extends the range to 466 miles; and the top-rung twin-motor option has 345bhp and the bigger battery for a range of 407 miles. 

Combustion power is not part of the 7’s launch plan, but given the new platform can accommodate an engine, it is potentially not off the table. DS future products boss Cyprien Laurentie previously told Autocar it was “a possibility” that the Nº8, which uses the same STLA Medium platform as the 7, could be offered with an ICE powertrain in the future. The Nº8 is the only car based on the architecture to be offered exclusively with electric power. 

The second-generation 7 SUV is expected to be revealed next year, suggested new DS boss Xavier Peugeot. Without confi rming the 7 by name, he told Autocar last month: “There will be a third [after Nº8 and Nº4] major reveal next year.”

Speaking about what a new addition to the line-up would mean for the struggling firm, he added: “After three to four years without any major product launches, it is important for us to initialise this new step in a positive way.”

The addition of the 7 could also help to bolster DS’s falling sales. Such has been its troubles that parent Stellantis questioned selling the car maker last year.

However, Peugeot told Autocar that volumes weren’t what DS was focused on: “I have to say, I don’t think we, a premium brand, should be managed with volumes only. Of course, it’s important but not [the] only [metric].”

He added: “The premium market is a quarter of the sales volumes, but it makes up 40% of the profits. So you understand it’s also relevant for a group like ours to have a premium brand like DS automobile.