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Under The Hood: Automotive Storytelling
November 6, 2026

The 2CV, the smart #2 and BYD: Three Brand Leaders in Paris

Heritage or Engineering: Who Wins the French EV Buyer? - S2E22

Behind every automotive innovation lies a human story. Hosted by Stéphane Lagresle, founder of The Storytelling Tribe, this podcast reveals how industry leaders translate complex technologies into compelling narratives. Through conversations with automotive executives, discover practical frameworks for making automotive innovations relatable and meaningful. For executives, product leaders, and marketers transforming mobility through better communication.

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Europe Bets on Heritage, BYD on Engineering - Paris 2026

Chinese brands tripled their share of the French market since 2024. Two established brands answered with their own past. The 2026 Paris Motor Show made one shift hard to miss: Chinese brands were spread across the halls instead of grouped in one corner. According to AAA Data, their share of new car sales in France went from 1.8% in 2024 to 5.8% over the first nine months of 2026. The Paris Motor Show heritage story of the year belongs to two revivals, Citroën's electric 2CV concept and the smart #2. In this episode of Automotive Storytelling, Stéphane Lagresle sits down between the stands with the leaders of three brands in France and asks how each plans to win buyers when one electric car feels much like the next. For the full tour of the show, listen to the companion episode with Marc Amblard.

Key
Insights

  • Heritage Works When the Old Brief Still Fits

    Citroën and smart both came to Paris with a revival. Edouard George describes the electric 2CV concept as an answer to almost the same brief as the original TPV project: affordable, simple, practical, now electric, with a price target around €15,000 and a launch planned in less than two years. Cyril Bravard unveiled the smart #2 in the city where the two-seat concept appeared thirty years ago. Both frame heritage as a customer argument first, and Edouard calls it more than a trend.

  • BYD Answers With Engineering at Scale

    BYD has no decades of European history to draw on, so Havana Lan makes a different case. She points to around 120,000 engineers and a group that keeps much of its R&D and production in-house, a strategy she credits to founder Wang Chuanfu. The payoff she names is flexibility: once a decision is made, BYD can put it into practice and into its cars quickly. She also reads the growing number of Chinese carmakers in Europe as a good sign for the market.

  • The Objections Stayed, the Answers Got Concrete

    Electric cars took about 31% of new car sales in France over the first nine months of 2026, according to PFA data, so most buyers still choose something else, for the same reasons as before: price, range and charging time. Edouard George answers price with a deliberately simple car. Cyril Bravard answers range twice: 290 km for the smart #2, enough to forget about charging most weeks, plus DC fast charging on every version. On the larger smart #5, he calls 800-volt charging an anxiety killer.

  • Simple Beats More, on Screen and Over the Air

    Asked about technology, Edouard George and Cyril Bravard land on the same word: simple. Edouard wants useful technology driven by customer needs, with no screen blocking the view of the road. Cyril warns that excessive technology bothers drivers and wants features such as live charging status and a digital key. Havana Lan sees connectivity rising on buyers’ lists. Over-the-air updates are where all three meet: Cyril recalls unlocking a heated steering wheel remotely, and Havana links updates to repeat purchase.

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Key
Takeaways

  • Tie every heritage play to a need the original already solved Edouard George’s case for the 2CV rests on customer demand, with the iconic shape as the carrier. The original TPV brief and today’s buyer ask for the same things. A heritage story that cannot point to that overlap reads as a design exercise, and buyers notice.
  • Answer price, range and charging with figures buyers can check The objections to electric cars have barely moved, so general reassurance no longer persuades. Cyril Bravard’s case for the smart #2 works because it is specific: a WLTP range, a fast-charging window, a realistic charging rhythm. Specific figures let buyers test the claim against their own week.
  • Make every feature earn its place on the screen Both European leaders described excess technology as a cost to the driver. Edouard George wants nothing that hides the road. Cyril Bravard wants information that helps every day, such as the minutes left until 80% charge. A feature that cannot name the problem it solves adds friction.
  • Use over-the-air updates to keep the owner relationship alive Cyril Bravard points out that OTA updates are expensive, so each one needs a purpose. Fixing bugs is the baseline. A useful feature delivered for free gives the brand a reason to reach the owner after the sale, and Havana Lan ties that same mechanism to customers choosing a second BYD.
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Where Technology Meets Narrative

Under the Hood: Automotive Storytelling uncovers the human narratives driving innovation in an industry that impacts lives worldwide. Hosted by Stéphane Lagresle, this podcast explores how the power of storytelling ultimately connects technology to humans.

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