Renault has innovated for the greatest number throughout its 110-year history. The Group’s flow of innovations has been more constant than any other manufacturer in the history of the automobile. And the story goes on. Renault continues to innovate and develop technologies that meet or anticipate customer needs. This forthright ambition reflects a customer-centric mindset. Renault is an innovative company focused on people that makes sustainable development accessible to all. 

Our projects are grouped into six priority areas. Three of these are already in Renault DNA:

• innovative architecture. From the R16 to Twizy via Espace, Renault examples are numerous in this area ; 
• eco² combustion vehicles. At 135 g/km for the vehicles sold in Europe, the average CO₂ emissions for the Renault range are among the lowest of any manufacturer ; 
• and affordable prices.

The three others are breakthrough fields that we need to develop:

• electric vehicles and the ecosystem (our offensive on this topic is highly visible!),
• travelling well-being (comfort, safety, man-machine interfaces, etc.),
• and new services. 

Renault’s technological plan is based on these six areas, structured into quantified, scheduled and prioritized projects to be rolled out within one to five years. But we are obviously looking further into the future than that! Upstream of the technological plan, the Research plan is aimed at developing the  scientific and technical knowledge required to address the main issues of the future, over the next 10 to 20 years.

For me, the strong thing about Renault research is how open it is.

Open to the world: the introduction of research teams worldwide to draw on the finest technological skills and seize good ideas in all our markets, and the creation of a research base in Silicon Valley in California to take advantage of the technological excellence there.

Open to others: the synergies with Nissan, of course, but also co-innovation with our suppliers and cooperation agreements with leading-edge partners such as the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission).

Open to the non-automotive world: Renault coordinates an innovation community that brings together academia and other companies (EDF, RATP, Valéo, Air Liquide, etc.) to think about future mobility; non-automotive exhibitions are held in the “Innovation Room” at the Technocentre two or three times a year, accompanied by conferences and creativity groups.

And open to all sorts of ideas: the Cooperative Innovation Laboratory groups at a single site the members of design, product and research teams working on cross-functional or topic-based projects that could enhance future ranges with new ideas and components. In another example, Renault introduced a collaborative tool dedicated to creativity in 2011, called “Renault Creative People”. The new resource enables all Group employees to suggest ideas for innovation and run their ideas by their fellow workers. Innovation at Renault is in a way driven by all for all!