On 11 June 2013, in Lyon, Renault Trucks unveiled all the vehicles in its totally renewed range. The manufacturer has deployed significant resources in order to offer its customers vehicles with a very high level of reliability. These new trucks, with their efficient design and Euro 6 engines, have been undergoing development for the past seven years – including radical and exhaustive quality testing. Now, after all the computer assisted simulation, test benches, track trials, pilot customers and the installation of new manufacturing resources, these vehicles are ready for delivery – their sole purpose being to help customers control their costs. With this new range and the support of the Volvo Group, Renault Trucks has everything it needs to win new customers and increase its market share.
An assertive design
The design of the new Renault Trucks range of vehicles is dedicated to achieving efficiency. The manufacturer’s designers have chosen to focus on the truck’s role as a tool serving hauliers – a tool enabling them to carry out their assignments as efficiently as possible. The new vehicles fully assume this status. The objective of saving fuel has been a major component of the truck’s design from the outset, resulting in the vehicle’s aerodynamics being modelled to obtain the highest possible air penetration performance.
Reliable, high performance Euro 6 engines
Renault Trucks has equipped these new vehicles with Euro 6 engines. The manufacturer used the Euro V blocs, acknowledged for their reliability and performance, as a point of departure in developing the latest generation of engines, making the adaptations necessary to bring them into line with the Euro 6 standard, which becomes compulsory on 1 January 2014.
Millions of kilometres covered to test quality
As part of the development process for its new vehicles, Renault Trucks carried out the most stringent quality tests in its history. From 2008 onwards, these consisted of 300 vehicles covering 10 million km in quality trials and undergoing 5 million hours more on test benches – in temperatures ranging from -40° to +60°.
The manufacturer also used computer assisted design technologies. These made it possible to carry out calculations for all the truck’s components, taking into account how the vehicle will be used once it becomes operational or in extreme situations. Comparable with the highest standards used in the car industry, these tools made it possible to carry out exhaustive tests to ensure that target specifications were reached.
Renault Trucks also decided to work in close association with its customers. This led to fifty international customers being invited to test the vehicles and provide feedback that would enable the manufacturer to make the right choices – in an ongoing process stretching from defining initial specifications to testing vehicles under actual operating conditions. By the end of the trial period, these pilot customers had covered 2 million km of on-road tests.
Manufacturing resources renewed
Renault Trucks’ manufacturing resources were largely renewed in order to produce the new range of vehicles.
This has led to a line of very large presses being installed in Lyon to manufacture the parts for the new cabs. At Blainville-sur-Orne, a new body in white line and a cab trim line have been set up. At Bourg-en-Bresse, the development line, used for the new vehicles, has been operational for the past three years.
In addition, joint development has reached an unprecedented level of cooperation. The design office, technicians, engineers, production plants, product teams and aftersales have all been involved from the very outset – and the new range of vehicles will benefit from this fresh approach.
In the production plants, several hundred people are currently working solely on the launch of the new range. The production system has been redefined, taking “quality without compromise” as its watchword. New manufacturing processes have also been introduced to achieve greater efficiency and safety, particularly with regard to workstation ergonomics.
The Volvo Group, to which Renault Trucks belongs, fully supports the manufacturer and has significantly invested in this new range and the production resources required. Its new organisation will enable Renault Trucks to expand its geographical coverage, by increasing the number of its sales and service outlets by 30 to 40% on certain markets. With this new range of vehicles and the backing of a global Group, Renault Trucks is fully equipped to win new customers and increase its market share.
Key figures for the new Renault Trucks range (Long distance, Construction and Distribution):
• 2 billion euros invested
• 7 years of development
• 5,000 people involved
• 50 international customers involved in drawing up the target specifications
• 500 vehicles already manufactured, including 300 used for tests
• 5 million hours of test bench trials
• 10 million kilometres covered.
