Noticias Alianza Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi

Entrevista, en inglés, al vicepresidente de planificación de producto Bruno Ancelin

What is Renault doing to improve its pricing in Europe?

The best way to improve pricing and brand awareness is by simply putting good products on the market. More than 10 years ago, we had a lot of problems with reliability and quality. Now I think that our quality level is one of the best in the market. If you compare the equipment that we offer and the added value customers can find in our cars, our level of pricing is intelligent. Unlike some competitors that are losing money in the European market, we are not offering discounts.

What are you doing to close the pricing gap with Volkswagen?

We want to catch up with them, but it’s impossible without offering more features and better quality with a more premium look, which is what we are trying to do with the new Espace and the new midsize sedan.

How will the new Megane, your Volkswagen Golf rival, be positioned compared with the current car?

We must establish design consistency with the predecessor because we have learned that introducing a breakthrough in design is not good for the residual value of the car. We want the new Megane to maintain an element of continuity with its predecessor because it is a core model, like the Golf is for VW.

The Kadjar will compete against the Qashqai, your partner Nissan’s best-selling vehicle in Europe. Won’t that cause problems?

You have two brands and two different positions in the market. The content of the two cars also is very different, even though they share the same platform. There is absolutely no problem.

The new Twingo minicar was switched to rear-wheel drive. What has been the response?

The Twingo represented an opportunity to design a shorter car with a very good turning radius and with a better loading capacity than the previous-generation car. There is a lot of space inside the car and its design is original, which was not the case with the previous-generation Twingo. We have been able to better compete against specific models and in certain markets especially in Italy. And you can guess what that model is in Italy.

Renault set ambitious sales goals in Europe for its electric cars that have not been met. How are you reacting to the weaker-than-expected demand?

We are learning. We already have improved the performance of the Zoe’s battery cell and powertrain. We can apply this expertise to the development of plug-in hybrids. When you develop components for an EV, you can develop many of the same the components for plug-ins.

Renault and Nissan say most of their EV customers are very satisfied. Nissan says that more than 90 percent of Leaf customers would purchase another Leaf. Why is this the case?

The Zoe ranks No. 1 in the French market for customer satisfaction. This shows that once people drive and own an EV, they have a positive reaction. I was not a big fan of EVs at first, but once you try one you appreciate many things such as the acceleration and the extra room inside because it does not have a large combustion engine. The big problem is the driving range. But eventually, the Zoe will reach 400km. It will be a step-by-step improvement. There will be no miracle breakthrough.

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20150507/ANE/150509914/renault-expects-pricing-boost-from-better-lineup

Ya llevan 250.000 vehiculos electricos entre las 2 marcas
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se sabe algo del Micra?no se han visto espias del modelo?

Renault y Dongfeng podrucirán un electrico en China

Será un modelo basado en el Fluence Z.E.. Se venderá a partir de 2017 con una marca local para China

Dongfeng and Renault agree to produce electric vehicles in China

On the occasion of the visit of ZHU Yangfeng, Chairman of Dongfeng Group, at the Renault R&D center, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) announces the production of its first electric vehicle in China.

As part of the Joint Venture between Dongfeng and Renault, DRAC will produce an electric vehicle that is based on the Fluence Z.E. The electric car will be produced at the Wuhan plant in 2017 and will be commercialized under a local Dongfeng brand for the Chinese market only.

The agreement is part of the will of both the Renault Group and the Dongfeng Group to propose mobility solutions for sustainable development. Jacques Daniel, CEO of DRAC, confirmed: [i]‘’This EV agreement illustrates Renault’s engagement as partner of COP 21.’’[/i]

Entrevista de autoevolution a Jean Pascal Jocou, de Renault Sport. Está en inglés

autoevolution: German performance divisions have seen their business booming over the last couple of years and this is why they are in a prolonged expansion process. Is Renault Sport planning something similar?

Jean Pascal Jocou: We have already set ourselves a goal for such an expansion. Last year, we sold 37,000 cars and we want that to increase to 50,000 by the end of 2018. This includes both the RS models and the GT vehicles. [For the sake of comparison, we’ll mention AMG expected its 2014 sales to surpass 45,000 cars, a major leap from the 32,200 units sold back in 2013].

ae: The current Renault Sport line-up includes three layers: the hot RS, the warm GT and visual-only GT Line. Will this structure change?

JPJ: Yes, it will. We will scale everything down to two lines, the RS and a new name for the current GT models.

ae: What about the visually-sporty bits now included in the GT Line? Will these be available through a special parts and accessories catalogue like in the case of the BMW M Performance parts?

JPJ: I cannot discuss that for now.

ae: Let’s go outside Renault’s range. What has been the most recent project of this kind for you?

JPJ: We have worked on the Smart Brabus.

ae: Speaking of which, are you considering doing something for the Twingo?

JPJ: Yes, of course. We will release a hotter Twingo, but it will not be an RS model. Just a sportier version of the car you can buy now.

ae: Since we’re here for a Clio RS event, I want to know if a customer interested in the Clio Trophy RS 220 gearbox software, which brings significantly faster changes, could have a Renault dealer install this on the standard Clio RS 200 EDC.

JPJ: I can tell you the Phase II [the mid-cycle facelift expected for next year] will see the RS 200 using the transmission software from the Trophy RS 220.

ae: Now that Renault is expanding its crossover range, we want to know if you are considering such projects.

JPJ: We are open to everything [an attitude completely different to other performance divisions – for instance, Porsche may build the Cayenne Turbo S, but will never put an RS badge on its SUV]. However, the car has to end up at the right price and there must be a market for it.

ae: Switching to customer racing, we’ll mention the increasing interest for drifting. Most, if not all, performance divisions involved in customer motorsport have included going sideways in their programs. Are you interested in this, at least as far as the RWD R.S. 01 is concerned?

JPJ: No, we only target the performance. Do you know the price of an R.S. 01? [given the $400k/EUR360k pricetag, he smiles] Buying an R.S. 01 to drift? I suppose some funny Japanese can do it, but honestly, it would be a shame [let’s hope Chris Harris doesn’t hear about this].

ae: Braking-based torque vectoring. Independent rear wheel braking with the purpose of more efficient cornering is relatively cheap to implement as a way of boosting performance, since the technology is already on the car. You don’t have this, but is it interesting for you?

JPJ: This is not one of our priorities right now. But with the electronics moving so fast these days, we can integrate such features if the market moves towards it. Still, the customer base for this kind of systems is extremely limited. Also, you can see the Megane RS 275 Trophy-R’s brilliant Nurburgring performance without any electronic assistance.

ae: Megane it is, then, namely the new GT. Nice move introducing rear-wheel steering on the Megane GT at Frankfurt just before Ferrari brought such a system on the F12tdf. Maranello only says they’ve developed the model-based control logic in-house [we expect the rest to come from ZF], but what about you? I know, for instance, that the rear-wheel steering on the Laguna comes from Aisin (the electronic control unit and the electric actuator). What about the new one?

JPJ: The system is developed entirely by Renault.

ae: Any important differences compared to the system on the Laguna?

JPJ: There’s a five-year development difference between the two, so you will feel the difference. The system on the Megane GT will be different to that on the Espace and the Talisman. That’s because the hatch is the only one that uses a Renault Sport software.

ae: Are hybrids or EVs a priority for Renault Sport?

JPJ: We know the ecological pressure is on the rise, especially now with the Volkswagen story, all the manufacturers are looking to cope with the demands coming from the governments and the ecological lobby partners. Someday, it will happen.

ae: Switching over to the R.S. 01, we know the main difference to the GT-R engine is the adoption of a dry-sump lubrication system, but what are the other changes you’ve made?

JPJ: The intake and the exhaust are bespoke and, obviously, so is the ECU.

ae: Let’s say a customer requires a street-legal version of the R.S. 01.

JPJ: It will cost so much to modify the car in order to pass tests such as the one regarding emissions and pedestrian safety, that it would be almost impossible. We actually considered building a street-legal version at a certain point during the development process, but the car would’ve reached a price that would be difficult to justify when comparing the Renault badge to exotic carmakers.

ae: The R.S. 01 is currently limited to its one-make racing series, what are your future plans?

JPJ: Certain FIA regulations, such as the GT2 class, require racecars to be based on production vehicles, which is why we can’t enter such forms of motorsport. But you will see the R.S. 01 entering new forms of racing next year.

Now we have 14 places, if we occupy two more, the grid will be full. All are sold out. But in January, you will see two cars in the 24H Dubai. Step by step, we will increase our presence [we expect the official to refer to more than just the R.S. 01 being downgraded to GT3 specification for the participation in the French Grand Touring racing series.]

ae: Let’s talk Alpine.

JPJ: I can only say you will have important news soon [perhaps Geneva 2016 in March?]

ae: What about the crown jewel, F1? We know you’ve signed a letter of intent to take over the Lotus Formula One team, but conspiracy theories talk about how the booming environmental pressure will determine Renault to direct more of its budget towards this, a move that could affect the funds that go into the F1 program.

JPJ: First of all, I want to explain that all the carmakers, obviously beside VW, bring their vehicles to the emission tests in various countries while being sure the cars are fitting. Sure, they are specially prepared for testing, as far as the current legislation allows, but there is no special software for rigging the tests. Every carmaker knows its car will pollute less during the test, but that’s thanks to measures such as skinnier and more inflated tires. So it’s not the same thing VW has done.

The kind of supposition you mention may apply to Volkswagen. Everybody hopes the financial consequences of Dieselgate will not affect their rallying return, but we can’t know for now.

For the record, Pascal used to serve Renault Sport in connection to rallying activities, so this was an interesting way of ending our conversation. It’s a shame we didn’t have some extra time to discuss what we call Ring Wolves, though.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/renault-sport-interview-from-an-upcoming-range-reinvention-to-rs-01-drifting-101664.html

25 millones de motores desde que abrió la fábrica 😀, no 25 millones de 1.5 dci. He he… todavía.