After the 100% electric Megane E-Tech in 2020, the Austral is the second Renault model that has undergone the “Confirmation Run”, the final test program or confirmation routes. has traveled almost 3 million kilometers on all kinds of roads before its commercial launch. At the wheel are testers who behave like future customers. Its goal: to identify points for improvement so that Austral, the most ‘Made in Spain’ vehicle in history, is at the highest level in terms of driving pleasure, quality and reliability.
Directed by Thierry Charvet, Director of Manufacturing and Quality at Renault Groupthe company’s Strategic Quality Plan is one of the main pillars of Renault’s renewal.
In the center of this quality plan is the level of reliability of the new models in development, which has undergone a major review. This has led to profound changes in the road tests carried out before any commercial launch. A new type of test has been developed: the “Confirmation Run” (or, in other words, confirmation tests).
During the Confirmation Run the new Austral has been tested for almost 3 million kilometers, 2.8 to be exact, on all types of roads in Spain, France, Germany and Romania. Urban routes, highways, national roads, plains, mountains and in all weather conditions.
During these tests, more than 100 Renault employees have been able to detect the improvement points identified in the vehicle through an application installed on their smartphones. This application allows brand engineers and experts to collect and analyze data in near real time. By covering so many kilometers during these testsRenault has been able to identify points of improvement long before they occur in customer use, being able to tackle them before they are placed on the market to guarantee quality, reliability and durability throughout the vehicle’s useful life.
All future models will benefit from the Confirmation Run and the experience of people like Alvaro Rodriguez SastreRenault Group employee in Spain, test and race driver with Renault.
« I do between 1,000 and 1,500 kilometers a week, depending on the season. One of the routes we often use for our tests, including Confirmation Runs, runs between Madrid and Valladolidpassing through Navacerrada, Segovia and Sepúlveda.
The route is always very varied and allows us to evaluate all aspects of the car: its behavior on the road, its acceleration capacity, its comfort and its acoustics. I am happy if I know that our customers enjoy driving the Austral. » explains Alvaro.