Whatever the secret of French carmaker Renault’s crisis-defying performance, Carlos Tavares has taken it with him to domestic competitor PSA/Peugeot-Citroen.

An appearance at the Geneva auto show on Tuesday marks Tavares’s graduation from former Renault second-in-command and Carlos Ghosn protege to PSA CEO and Ghosn rival. Under Brazilian-born Ghosn, who heads the Renault-Nissan alliance, Tavares helped to steer the French side of the partnership unscathed through a deep European slump that almost sank PSA. While Renault was sheltered by its 43.4 percent Nissan stake and buoyant low-cost car sales, analysts also credit price increases and cost savings that Tavares pushed through and now wants to repeat at PSA.