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Renault shows forward planning
Page 18
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In keeping with its avantgarde image, Renault has been demonstrating various aspects of its view of the future. Colin Barnett samples a brief taste of how Renault is preparing for the day after tomorrow.
Le Technocentre
At the heart of Renault's role as "createur d'automobiles" is Le Technocentre. Located at Guyancourt, to the south-west of Paris, the Technocentre is a glass, chrome and water edifice that's home to more than 8,000 people, all devoted to Renaults of the future.
Everything with a Renault badge, from a new range of bicycles and scooters to the next generation Magnum, thanks to renault's stake in RVI's new owners, Volvo, is designed here. Much of its work is top secret, and much is car related, but we were able to get a taste of how it works.
The most exciting aspect of the way Renault brings its new products to life is the massive use of computing power. The link from CAD screen to reality is demonstrated in a cosy presentation theatre. A synchronised pair of computer monitors, 2m tall and 8m wide, provide the focal point. Linked to some serious supercomputers, they can display a full walkaround view of a Trafic at almost life size. Styling changes can be seen instantly and competing designs can be viewed together.
Even the effects of, for example, the varying gap caused by the fitting tolerance of a front bumper assembly could be demonstrated. It's also possible to see an animation of the proposed new vehicle being driven most realistically.
The benefit of all this wizardry is a reduction in the time to get an approved design into the showroom. Renault's styling chief. Patric le Quement quipped that a design starts getting old as soon as it's finished. Now, the tooling that builds the finished product can be instructed directly from the design stage. In theory you can bypass the physical modelling stage: in the case of the Trafic just one actual model was built.
dCi on the road
Our return trip from Paris was a practical demo of the Clio 1.5dCi. Although this was a passenger car version it has the same mechanics as the new Cho Van, which recently went on sale in the UK.
And Interesting mechanics they are too, with the engine fuelled by Delphi's "secondgeneration" Multec DUI 1400 common-rail system (although the accumulator (rail) is now spherical rather than the simple pipe of earlier systems).
The new injectors are compact solenoid-operated devices; they work in conjunction with a combustion quality monitoring system known as "accelerometer pilot control" (APC). This combination is said to take the control of injection timing, including the crucial noise-reducing pilot injection, to a new level of precision.
The third new element of the system is an inlet metering valve which prevents more fuel than is needed from being pressurised. Claimed advantages are reduced internal power losses and a lower component count as no fuel cooling or pressure relief valving is needed. The Clio 1.5dCi currently produces 64hp at 4,000rpm and 185Nm at 2,000rpm—considerable
improvements on the old naturally aspirated 1.9-litre engine. Early next year this engine will be joined by a charge-cooled version producing 80hp/185Nm.
Part of our homeward journey, beginning in the rush hour just off the Arc de Triomphe, via a snarled-up Peripherique and ending near St Omer, was run as an economy competition. With a compulsory journey average of at least 50mph to give the run a meaningful objective, the star performers produced highly impressive mpg figures in the low eighties. We look forward to putting the Clio Van dCi through its paces on CM'S regular test route.
prove that Renault plans to devote as much imagination and innovation to its goods vehicles as to its cars. The production versions of the Renault-designed Trafic and Vivaro twins are hying examples of designs that would never have got off the drawing board in most organisations.
The Dataspace is targeted at the exclusive niche for a VIP suite on wheels. Accommodation ir the rear is provided by a semicircular four or five seater settee, with movable armrests allowing width adjustment. Instant privacy can be obtainec by the use of SGG Priva-LitE liquid crystal windows whicf turn opaque at the touch of 2 button. State-of-the-art mobilE communications kit is included the highlight being the giam partition which doubles as TV/computer screen.
A little further from reality the Operandi concept van is no yet a functioning vehicle. But i does offer an idea of the every day light van of the near future— if it looks far-fetched today, jus remember bow bizarre thf Kangoo looked at its launch.