The quality built into the All-New Renault Austral, which was revealed this March, goes far beyond the choice of materials and the state-of-the-art on-board technology. Each detail was scrutinised and developed to raise the standard higher than ever.

• Custom mechanism and acoustics of the ergonomic hand rest provides high perceived quality  in All-New Renault Austral
• Olivier, expert in Perceived Quality at Renault details inspiration for hand rest sound from unlikely source
• Scrutiny over every feature will shape the quality and design of Renault vehicles into the future

The quality built into the All-New Renault Austral, which was revealed this March, goes far beyond the choice of materials and the state-of-the-art on-board technology. Each detail was scrutinised and developed to raise the standard higher than ever. Olivier, an expert in perceived quality, explains the work he carried out on one of the emblematic interior design features in the first SUV of Renault’s Nouvelle Vague: its’ sliding hand rest – and what makes sliding it so exciting.

The first thing that strikes you when you step into the All-New Austral’s high-tech cockpit is the harmony. The next thing that catches your eye is the OpenR screen that wakes up with its welcoming sounds. The third stylish feature you can’t miss is a designer unit available in  automatic transmission versions: an ergonomic, sliding hand rest. It guides your hand into exactly the right position to use the multimedia screen and the “piano” buttons beneath it.

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AN EMBLEMATIC DESIGNER UNIT

Olivier’s job as an expert in Perceived Quality takes a lot of subtlety: he makes sure every new model in the Renault range is consistent, and that the various parts of the vehicle body and passenger compartment add up to create a stunning finish. He checks the quality of the materials, supervises the entire process to turn the image on the drawing board into a road-ready car, checks that the movements are smooth and the surfaces flush and makes sure the moving parts are easy to use.

The All-New Renault Austral SUV is no exception. Olivier and his colleagues scrutinised it from every angle to raise its quality to outstanding levels. “We worked on all the moving parts in the All-New Austral. But, if I had to mention one, it would be the sliding hand rest,” he confides. “We had a fantastic multifunctional designer unit on the central console, but moving it back and forth wasn’t especially exhilarating. The head of Interior Design and I thought about how to make it more appealing”.

THE SOUND WAS THE KEY

Adding notches and the sounds that they make when you move the hand rest back and forth soon became the obvious way to go. “Straight away, we thought of adding a sound to go with the hand rest’s movements: a befitting, somewhat metallic ‘notch’ sound.”

Olivier knew exactly what he wanted it to sound like, but he had to find words to describe a sensation to the rest of the team… Not a simple matter! Fortunately, he is also into other kinds of mechanisms and found the one he needed to make them “hear” what he meant.

He is a watch enthusiast – digital ones because they are practical and automatic ones because he finds their precise mechanisms and exquisite finish fascinating. And he happened to be wearing one that made exactly the sound he had in mind.

PRECISION AND CONTROL

The Project team and Design team instantly loved the idea, and got to work creating the notching and appealing metallic sound. They built 13 evenly spaced notches into the hand rest’s sliding mechanism, to create a feeling of millimetre-accurate settings and a pleasing sound to go with it.

“Ultimately, you feel it’s no longer just a part that slides back and forth: it’s a unit you can control precisely, that makes you feel something, that is completely consistent with the notion of perceived quality in a vehicle.” Olivier has no doubt that working on moving parts’ sounds adds real value for users. “We’re really proud of the result and can’t wait for future owners of the Austral to start enjoying the sliding hand rest’s movement.”

He is working on including the same sound principle in several future vehicles in Renault’s range, which will be revealed soon..

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ABOUT RENAULT
Renault, a historic mobility brand and pioneer of electric vehicles in Europe, has always developed innovative vehicles. With the ‘Renaulution’ strategic plan, Renault has embarked on an ambitious, value-generating transformation moving towards a more competitive, balanced and electrified range. Its ambition is to embody modernity and innovation in technology, energy and mobility services in the automotive industry and beyond.

For further information, please visit www.press.renault.co.uk or @RenaultUKPR or contact:

Rachel Goodwin
Head of Press and Public Relations, UK, and Ireland
rachel.goodwin@renault.co.uk - 07938 482205

Fraser Leggett
Press Officer
fraser.leggett@renault.co.uk – 07887 468977