Method and rigour, with the customer in mind

At Renault Group, technological transformation is not limited to electrification or connectivity. It also serves a fundamental objective: the long-term quality of our vehicles. Through our durability initiative, launched over four years ago, we’ve undertaken an ambitious approach to enhance customer satisfaction: making sure our vehicles feel like new after five years. This large-scale, methodical initiative initially set out to address, one by one, the 200 most failure-prone parts. These alone accounted for more than 80% of the quality incidents experienced by our customers.

Four years later: mission accomplished! These 200 parts have been addressed, technical solutions have been defined and, most importantly, embedded in our development processes. The quality level of our Renaulution vehicles has significantly benefited, with quality indicators showing clear and consistent improvement. And we’re not stopping there — the initiative continues, now targeting the remaining percentage of parts.

Durability: a strategic lever for quality and value

At Renault Group, durability rests on two pillars: reliability (the vehicle doesn’t break down) and controlled ageing (it maintains an impeccable appearance). This dual objective is at the heart of our quality strategy. It improves customer satisfaction, our brand image, and the residual value of our vehicles.

By the end of 2024, we had achieved our goal: 80% of the reliability/durability issues encountered by our customers had been methodically analysed and resolved. This initiative, launched several years ago, brought together all the expertise of our engineering teams as well as that of our suppliers, and relied on a rigorous six-step method — from identifying failures to embedding prevention rules into our design standards. Durability is now built into the DNA of our vehicles.

From data to decisions: artificial intelligence at the heart of the process

Technology is an accelerator of progress.

Thanks to the analysis of warranty data, extended warranty claims, and field returns (Flins Refactory, dealership network, auction sales), we detect weak signals and anticipate issues before they become critical. Artificial intelligence helps us sort through all this data and, at the earliest possible stage, prioritise sensitive parts.

AI also supports us in the early phases of developing new vehicles by simulating complex scenarios and optimising technical choices. The digital twin, used even before the vehicle physically exists, allows us to virtually test hundreds of configurations and significantly streamline the process by tackling as many potential quality issues as possible.

Full-scale testing to validate robustness

Simulation is reinforced by real-world testing. At the Aubevoye Technical Centre, our vehicles undergo intensive tests simulating five years of use in just a few weeks: vibrations, dust, immersion, thermal variations, door openings/closings, and more.

Driver assistance systems are also tested in extreme conditions, with over 10,000 “near-accidents” simulated each year. These in-house validations save us up to 25% of the time compared to outsourced tests.

Tangible, visible, and measurable results

By the end of 2024, more than 200 critical parts had been addressed, with solutions now built into our standards. Each represents a gain in reliability and perceived quality for our customers. The progress is visible. Our latest models — Renault 5 and Renault 4 E-Tech electric, as well as the Rafale hyper-hybrid E-Tech 4x4 300 hp plug-in — fully benefit from the lessons of this initiative. They now rank among the best in their category and are becoming benchmarks.

A collective commitment to lasting quality

This initiative is also a human and collective adventure. It brings together teams from engineering, quality, design, and testing, as well as our industrial partners. Together, we’ve embedded durability into the very genes of our vehicles by incorporating solutions into our design, validation, and sourcing standards.

The best is yet to come!