Renault Group Unites Product and Process to Mass-Produce High-Tech Cars
The automotive industry faces the challenge of designing a vehicle with 200 million lines of code and producing one every 60 seconds, a balance Renault Group says it masters through dual expertise.
- 200 million
- 1.7 GWh
- 331 tonnes
What Happened
Modern cars are incredibly complex, integrating up to 200 million lines of code, 70 to 200 sensors, and 100 electronic control units. They combine mechanics, power electronics, software, and AI, all while needing extreme reliability. Renault Group argues that bringing these technologies into a mass-market product is a rare feat.
“The car is a highly technological object that draws on expertise in mechanics, energy, software, chemistry… and it must operate safely in sometimes unpredictable environments. Bringing all these areas together in a mass-market product is extremely rare.”
Renault Group emphasizes a co-design approach where industrial teams are involved from the first sketch. This avoids innovations that are hard to industrialize, reduces costs, and speeds up development. The JetPrint Paint technology at Maubeuge plant is a result of this synergy, enabling two-tone painting in six minutes without extra energy waste.
- 1.7 GWh of energy saved
- 331 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
- Zero paint waste
- Zero masking consumables required
Why this matters
This approach shows how carmakers can affordably mass-produce cutting-edge technology while maintaining safety and quality, a key factor in the shift to electric and software-defined vehicles.
Terms in This Story
- ECU (Electronic Control Unit)
- A small computer that controls a specific function in a vehicle, such as engine management or braking.
- Entry ticket
- The initial investment required to develop and launch a new vehicle model, covering design, technology, tooling, and regulatory approvals.
- JetPrint Paint
- A robotic painting process that applies a second color to a vehicle's roof and hood in a single pass, eliminating manual masking and additional oven curing.
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