Renault on Monday detailed the brand new software program structure of its future automobiles which it mentioned might be on par by 2026 with that of electric-vehicle trade chief Tesla Inc.
The French carmaker, like most automakers, has been residing for months below the specter of common and drastic worth cuts from its U.S.-based competitor. In France, the checklist worth of the Tesla Mannequin 3 now begins on the similar degree because the Renault Megane electrical, round 42,000 eur (USD 46,318).
Although Renault’s CEO, Luca de Meo, acknowledged at a presentation that Tesla stays a “problem within the brief time period,” he mentioned his firm is not going to interact in a worth conflict on electrical automobiles.
“We do not wish to do what we did prior to now, we wish to promote our automobiles, we do not wish to give away our automobiles,” Renault’s head of engineering, Gilles Le Borgne, mentioned to journalists and analysts on the similar occasion.
A “software-defined car” design might be on the coronary heart of Renault’s future electric-vehicle entity, “Ampere,” the French automaker mentioned. Developed with Alphabet Inc’s Google and Qualcomm Inc, it is going to significantly cut back complexity by permitting to have simply 20 processors on board to run a automotive as a substitute of the at present required 100.
This will even enable for updates to be made remotely with out touching the {hardware}.
“That is comparable with Tesla, in 2026 they’re going to have the identical strategy, they’ve the identical EV structure strategy,” mentioned Renault’s chief digital officer, Frederic Vincent.
“In 2026, we might be on the degree of Tesla” in software program outlined automobiles,” le Borgne added.
By making fixed updates of driving and infotainment options attainable, the structure ought to enhance the resale worth of the automobiles, supporting the pricing energy of the corporate, and keep away from 1.5 billion euros of Analysis & Growth (R&D) bills in a decade.
The full price steadiness ought to however be impartial after taking into consideration the funding required for the brand new structure and the worth of the extra superior processors put aboard, Le Borgne mentioned.
The “Flexevan” electrical van program for last-mile supply will inaugurate Renault’s new structure round mid-2026, adopted by the sporty Alpine model after which by all fashions of the Renault model.
