Renault Australia is looking to introduce online connectivity features into its cars next year, the French car brand’s Australian director says.
Talk to Car expert at the local update launch Arkana crossover coupe, Renault Australia managing director Glen Sealey said connectivity and remote functionality would be rolled out locally in the next “eight to 12 months” – likely starting with Megane E-Tech Electric Car.
“Connectivity is something we are driving across the Renault product line and we will see connectivity [in Australia] in the not too distant future,” said Mr. Sealey.
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“For the Megane E-Tech, I think connectivity is important. But it’s a funny balance because we have some customers, especially older customers, who don’t want to be connected – it sounds funny, but they don’t want to share their information.”
“So we need to balance that… our priority is to get the car to market, rather than wait for connectivity. But we will have connectivity at some stage – I think in the next eight to 12 months,” Mr Sealey added.
In addition to connected services, Mr Sealey also said Renault Australia is looking to add other technology features not currently available in the Australian-spec single-cab model; including a larger 12.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, as well as a Level 2 semi-autonomous driving system that combines adaptive cruise control and lane keeping.
Mr Sealey noted that the larger OpenR infotainment system – running a Google-powered interface – would be tied into the car’s connectivity functionality, while the semi-autonomous functionality would need to overcome some hurdles in the calibration process.
“We might have some issues with traffic sign recognition, but we have to deal with that. One of the issues we have with all the European brands is that they are reconfiguring a lot of their electrical architecture in time for [the Vehicle General Safety Regulation] “That is European regulation,” said Mr. Sealey.
The European General Vehicle Safety Regulation – or GSR – is a new legal framework in the European Union that requires a range of safety features in new cars. According to the EU, these new mandatory features are expected to save “more than 25,000 lives and avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038.”
All vehicles are now required to have intelligent speed assist, driver attention monitoring, rear cross-traffic detection using cameras or sensors, event data recorders, and emergency stop signals. Additionally, cars and trucks are required to have automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping systems – note, some of these are already required.
The new regulations are part of the reason brands like Hyundai and Kia have introduced speed limit assist systems that have been widely criticised for being turned on by default every time the car is started, in line with European regulations.
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