You don't have to work too hard to find examples of PSA Peugeot Citroën's remarkable return to good health under the stewardship of CEO Carlos Tavares, who took on what appeared to be a poisoned chalice in 2014 but has since been turned into the standard bearer of the mass market car makers.

So rapid has been the company's turnaround, in fact, that Tavares's original recovery plan, codenamed 'Back in the Race', completed all of its objectives at the conclusion of 2015 - two years early. As a consequence, next Tuesday, 5 April, Tavares will be back on stage unveiling his next six-year plan, called 'Push to Pass' in another homage to the racing world, this time symbolically referencing the boost button used by some series to unleash the full potential of the cars.

Reduced costs, new efficiencies, increased sales - including a new pick-up truck, expected to be announced very soon - and a smattering good fortune with currency rates underpin the revival, which in turn highlights the staggeringly fine line between deep troughs and mountainous peaks in the car industry. In 2012 PSA lost £3 billion; last year it made £1.5bn. It has not been achieved without considerable pain (job losses, pay freezes and pay cuts headlined) but the result is a company that can be proud of itself again.

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Just how proud was underlined in an obtuse way at this week's unveiling of the Citroën Dispatch and Peugeot Expert vans at the Sevel Nord factory where they will be built alongside the Toyota Proace. That PSA, as good as bankrupt three years ago, could now be making cars for the world's largest car maker - and one famed for its fastidious attention to quality - as part of a joint venture is as decent a snapshot of how far the company has come in recent years.

There's more to come, too. Citroën's Cactus-inspired reinvention has a long way to go, Peugeot's rising profit margins and increasing transaction prices need to be underpinned by investment in improved new products and DS is taking baby steps in a long, arduous journey to try to crack the mainstream - but then that is why the new plan is called 'Push to Pass'. "It's all about unleashing the enormous potential of this company," summarises Tavares.

That's not so much a boast as an expression of his growing realisation of what's to come and what - potentially - can be achieved. That he could put PSA on the front foot so quickly is remarkable. There is arguably an even tougher journey ahead, but if that positive momentum can be turned into genuine class leadership across three diverse brands, then the return to form for the once proud company will be richly deserved.