"Robust design", "compliant production", "reinforced reliability and durability whatever the end-use", "customer satisfaction in the domains of both sales and after-sales", "the development of quality as a culture within the company"... These are the five key aspects of the plan to which Renault has committed. Recently-launched models like Modus and Renault Clio III can already claim a level of quality and reliability that is amongst the best in their segment. "You cannot simply decree 'quality'," stresses Yann Vincent. "Quality is the fruit of ongoing effort, the respect of clear rules that are understood by all and rigorous attention to detail."

In addition to the processes in place, quality is something our customers judge on a daily basis and Renault has conceived a series of demonstrators which show how quality is a question of detail which calls on several of our senses, like sight and touch.

- The criteria by which customers judge the quality of a car includes the firm, crisp sound its door makes as it closes, the quality of its soundproofing, the pleasing sound of its mechanicals, etc. Renault's engineers pay particular care to all these audible pointers to quality and more.

- The same applies to tactile and visible parameters such as the use of visibly pleasing materials that are also pleasant to the touch and which fit flushly to the nearest millimetre, both inside and outside the vehicle. These are all signs that communicate the attention that went into the vehicle's design and production.

- The third demonstrator provides concrete examples of the quality tests that are undertaken daily at Renault. Many of these tests relate to the car's design and performance with time, including engine endurance tests, electromagnetic compatibility tests and tests in extreme hot and cold climates. This demonstrator also highlights the quality control procedures employed during a car's production: robotized inspection of the body panel fit and finish, the car's quality evaluation as its leaves the factory and even a test drive of all cars round a short circuit as they come off the line. Last but not least, "Renault Quality Ambassadors" will be on-hand by the demonstrators for the duration of the show to answer visitors' questions.



Renault, the safety benchmark, continues its bid to progress

Committed for more than 50 years to research and development in technologies aimed at improving the safety of its vehicles, Renault has asserted itself as the benchmark brand in this domain. In addition to the safety systems that equip its vehicles, the 600 men and women who work permanently to innovate in this field are already working on the car of tomorrow. At the heart of Renault's research into safety lies its concern for people. The way technologies evolve is determined by people's needs, their driving ability and their capacity to process the information they are given. The Man-Machine-Interface (MMI) Demonstrator provides a practical illustration.



Renault leads the way in terms of rear passenger safety

Renault's aim is to provide the best possible standard of safety for all occupants, adults or children, wherever they are sitting in the car. In addition to the criteria which EuroNCAP uses to assess vehicle safety, Renault equips its rear seats with specific systems designed to optimize passenger protection.

Renault draws on research and analysis of real-life accident data in the design of its vehicles. Studies carried out by LAB (the PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Renault Laboratory for Accident Research, Biomechanics and Study of Human Behavior) show that rear passengers account for 10 per cent of road deaths in France. That is 350 lives. LAB's work also reveals that on impact rear passengers have a strong tendency to "submarine", i.e. slide underneath their seatbelt lap strap. The strap no longer exerts pressure on the robust bones of the pelvis, but on the stomach area, which is far more fragile. The lesions incurred as a result of this type of accident can cause serious injury.

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