Global viewpoints: Europe embraces the AT-factor
Renault tries to take the cost out of complexity
 Renault has high hopes for the Vel Satis sedan. |
Renault's alliance with Nissan has created a highly unusual mix of philosophies and strategies. That alliance is still in its early stages, but the cross-linking between the two companies and cultures is strengthening as they work to enhance compatibility. Jacques Lacambre, Renault's Senior Vice President, Advanced Vehicle Engineering and Research, and a member of the Renault Management Committee, commutes regularly between France and Japan. Lacambre is very closely involved in the development of two "common alliance" platforms (code-named B and C) that will be the basis of several Renault and Nissan models that will start to be revealed next year. The models they replace include Renault's current global best sellers, the Megane and Clio. It will be interesting to see how European and Asian philosophies are brought together to form a cohesive whole and to assess the level and types of technology that the two companies regard as necessary.
"Generally speaking, cars and processes are becoming more complex," said Lacambre. "For Renault, our policy is to try to get the best performance out of well-mastered technology, achieving cost-effective—and simple—solutions." In Japan, the incorporation of technology into cars (particularly information systems) has reached extraordinary levels; in Europe, there is a more conservative approach, although applications are expanding rapidly.
Telematics is one area set to burgeon, but Lacambre sounds a warning note: "With regard to telematics and the introduction of new onboard information systems, it is clear that these must not be detrimental to driving safety. So we are concentrating particularly on man-machine interfaces to ensure that driving is kept as safe as possible. To do so, we particularly envision the use of voice control." The cost of adding new technologies is certainly an ongoing consideration. "We have to take the cost out of the complexity," Lacambre said. "It is a big challenge to be quick, efficient, and cost-effective."
Although Renault has a growing reputation for advanced design (its new Vel Satis sedan underlines that) and the use of both new and state-of-the-art technologies (the Laguna II has keyless entry), a producer of cars in this sector needs to be cautious about advanced technology, according to Lacambre. "I am not very happy with the fact that we are not a high-range luxury car maker," he said. "We have some cars that sell well in the upper price bracket like Espace, and we hope the new Vel Satis will do that, too. We also have the Avantime coming soon. But we are not in the highest segments. On the other hand, we maintain an innovation strategy to meet the expectations of the market and our customers. A goal is to anticipate needs and to meet objectives, so we try to use the level of technology necessary to meet our objectives. But we do have some areas where we are particularly competitive in technologies."
 Renault's policy according to Jacques Lacambre, Renault's Senior Vice President, Advanced Vehicle Engineering and Research, is to try to get the best performance out of well-mastered technology. |
One of those is diesel engines. For Renault, "the progress in diesel engines has been tremendous, with new generations providing great fuel efficiency and a low level of emissions allied to a very significant increase in performance," noted Lacambre. Renault's 1.5-L dCi engine, which is just becoming available, employs a new type of common-rail diesel injection system developed in partnership with Delphi Automotive Systems. The company has introduced three new diesel engine designs in two years, according to Lacambre. "Diesel technology is an area where there is high interest from the European market—and a need for quick technology innovation," he said. "I believe there is far more potential for diesel technology, and we have the ability to work closely with major Tier 1 suppliers."
Alliances between car companies can generate a broadband approach to various technologies, and Renault's alliance with Nissan has provided what Lacambre described as "many nice opportunities." He elaborated, saying, "Because they are strong in some markets in which we are very minor or absent—including the U.S.—they have different priorities in technology. Being able to work together is a very big opportunity to have access to so much technology. As in any alliance, there are first steps to be taken along the learning curve as we get to understand each other and to share some engineering tasks."
Although the link with Nissan "needs some investment at first," Lacambre said Renault believes that ultimately the partnership will enhance value creation and reduce costs. "I feel the two companies are compatible and fit together well," he said. This togetherness extends to R&D into the potential of alternative fuels. "We are working on CNG and various types of fuel cells with Nissan," he explained. "The big issue is for us to be ready when the new fuels are available. It is a difficult thing to manage, and we have to understand what the energy companies will be doing."
Lacambre takes a considered, historically balanced view of predictions about likely development of alternative fuels, noting that experts are often wrong when they try to predict the future. "Take material substitution in the automotive industry," he said. "I remember reading some studies completed in the 1930s and 1940s of the very prominent position expected to be achieved by electric cars and composite materials. They have not been—so you have to be very cautious."
While aluminum is now an established material for many applications in motor vehicle manufacture, Lacambre is among the ranks of senior executives who are cautious about its use as a panacea for the ongoing challenge of weight savings. "As a contributor to attaining improved fuel efficiency, there is a future for light alloys, and we use aluminum in parts of the structure of the Renault Laguna II," he said. "But we also use composites and, very importantly, high-grade steels, which are increasingly pushing back the use of other materials. As a relatively high-volume manufacturer, we must be cost-efficient, so there is a need to have a good balance between all the possible ways of improving performance and fuel economy—and that includes advances in powertrain technology.
 Work on the Laguna II at Tolerie, France. |
"The energy conversion efficiency of the fuel cell is very good, and if we are able to adapt that for automotive use at a reasonable cost, it has a future. The 'if' is very important."
There are areas of advancing technology about which Lacambre is confident, including potential improvements in safety systems. "We still don't use all the possibilities of new sensors and signal processing for safety systems, and we are at the beginning of what we can call 'intelligent restraint systems,'" he said. "With our new Laguna II, we have first-generation crash-perceptive restraint systems. We believe there are some very good opportunities for the automotive industry in that area and also in active safety and driver assistance, using various sensors to create new and very reliable ways of sensing and monitoring the environs of the car."
Because much of the time a car is in use there may be no probability of its being involved in an accident, sensors and processing systems must be developed to a very high degree of accuracy in assessing any risk, according to Lacambre. "But there are some very big opportunities in this area of technology," he said.
Renault makes increasing use of e-commerce within its business structure, and Lacambre believes in-car use of the Internet will grow. "Our customers spend considerable periods of time in their cars," he said. "We need to consider the desirability of continuity between home, office, and car, and so mobile Internet access will be necessary. But again, if used by drivers, we have to consider the interface with the Internet and how it will be used with regard to driving safety."
About governmental regulation in Europe, more of it is expected by Lacambre, who said, "There are some needs of individual customers that they are prepared to pay for, and some collective needs that we are not sure they wish to, including environmental protection, recyclability, and emissions control. We want to be globally a proactive 'citizen company' with regard to these subjects, but in some cases, there is probably a need for legislation. We do not want to be caught between the collective will and individual spending ability of our customers."
With its long experience in Formula 1 and other areas of motorsports, Renault is particularly well placed to judge the benefit that track experience can bring to road cars. In Lacambre's view, that benefit may not accrue directly from the technology of components used for motorsports. "Volume manufacturing is a very different value sector to competition cars, but motorsports experience can be useful," he said. "It puts pressure on designers and engineers to develop innovative answers to problems very quickly." Development and application of CAE tools and materials can generate good synergies between motorsports and the production car environment, he added, and motorsports can provide an extra input into the manufacturing arena: "We have people in the company who have moved between motorsports and production engineering, and they certainly bring some fighting spirit," he said.
