Concept cars are to vehicle production what haute couture is to ready-to-wear: a wellspring of ideas and an impressive showcase of the latest trends. They are the spirit of innovation that is an essential part of Renault’s DNA. Renault ranks in the list of the most innovative companies in the world* and stands as the carmaker that has most consistently introduced innovations since the start of automotive history. For Renault, innovating means designing and developing an affordable range of products and services that hold value for customers, and developing technologies that anticipate customer expectations. But it is also about creating the car of the future, by working on foresight and keeping a market watch.
*The Thomson Reuters news agency ranked Renault among the world’s 100 most innovative companies in December 2012.
OUR PRIORITIES IN INNOVATION
To develop appealing and broadly affordable technologies, we work in six priority areas:
- Innovative architecture. From the Renault 16 to Espace, Twingo and Twizy, Renault has marked history with its innovative architectural approach, which remains a core focus for the Group today.
- Electric vehicles and their ecosystem. In addition to our existing range of four full-electric vehicles, we are pursuing our efforts in the exploration of new battery technologies, extending range and reducing charging times and costs.
- Internal combustion-engine vehicles. We have set ourselves the objective of significantly reducing our CO2 emissions. The Group was the European leader on low CO2 emissions in 2013 – and the first automotive group to go below an average 116 g/km for its passenger cars sold. To go even further, we are preparing a vehicle that will consume less than 2 l/100 km.
- New services. We are working to meet the needs of our customers looking to find on board their vehicles the same possibilities as those offered by electronic and connected technologies – and smartphones in particular – including real-time information and harmonious use between the different worlds of drivers and passengers.
- Affordable costs. As part of a customer-centric approach, all our innovations are designed to be broadly affordable. This calls on all the ingeniousness of our teams, who endeavor to simplify and standardize the solutions that we develop.
- Travelling well-being. Our aim is to develop innovations that make car travel a pleasurable and serene experience. To that end, we have developed onboard multimedia systems and personalized cabin features. These initiatives are ideally demonstrated by the autonomous, connected vehicle, NEXT TWO.