“We want to develop mobility solutions for India, using Indian resources, local talent, producing and manufacturing locally” says Laurens van den Acker, Chief Design Officer of the Renault Group

At the opening of the Renault Design Centre Chennai, we caught up with Laurens van den Acker, Chief Design Officer of the Renault Group, who discussed the importance of this newly opened studio, which is the brand's largest design studio outside France. We asked him a few questions about the facility, why it is important, Renault’s upcoming cars and car designing in general. Also the possibility of the Duster making a return to India. Here’s the full interview:

Mandar Sawant: What is the vision of the Renault Design Centre in Chennai?

Laurens van den Acker: The Renault Design Centre in Chennai is a very important design centre for us. It'll be the biggest design centre for Renault that we have outside of France and this shows you the importance that Renault Design Centre Chennai has in the network of Renault design and Renault Group design. Obviously, India is a very important market for us. We've been here for a very long time. We have had design studios in India since 2005, starting in Pune, then Mumbai, now in Chennai. So, we have a long history with India and we want to be part of the journey that India is travelling through, developing mobility solutions for India, using Indian resources, local talent, producing and manufacturing locally and this is obviously a great opportunity for us.

What will be the first product to come out of here?

LvdA: Well, as we have announced in the last year, there will be a B-SUV and a C-SUV coming very soon and also, obviously, updates on the Kiger and the Triber. So, it's going to be a busy year for us, and then, of course, we are fully into developing electric mobility even for India.

Are you bringing the Duster back to?

LvdA: Well, what's going to happen to the Duster is a big, big, big question, of course. We are very aware of this. We are very proud that with Duster, we created a new segment in India. So, stay tuned.

What does Renault design stand for?

LvdA: Well, Renault design stands for humanised technologies, want to enrich your life, we want to make your life more beautiful, we want to make it more fluid, make the mobility really a part of your life in a very fluid way, we want to use technologies that simplify your life, that make your life easier and also valorise it, because the car is becoming more and more intelligent, the car will start to anticipate your needs. So it's very interesting to make sure that the technology that we use is enriching. And then finally, we want to respect the resources, we want to have a sustainability aspect to make sure that whatever we produce is responsible and doesn't deplore the resources of the earth.

What do you think of Indian design talent?

LvdA: Well, obviously, we have a lot of Indian design talent, not only here in Chennai, but also in Paris. Our head of advanced design, Sandeep Bhambra, is of Indian descent, but he's not the only one. We love to work together. We valorise the diversity of cultures. We need all the different talents in the different parts of the world to help us make better global products. I would say that India is known for its education, for its talent, for its diversity and we'll do our very best to make use of this.

How does combustion car design differ from electric cars?

LvdA: Well, combustion cars and electric cars have a different architecture. There's a lot of advantages with electric vehicles, because their powertrain is much smaller, that means that you can make the car much more compact, the overhangs in front and back can be very short, the wheels can be sitting in the corner, the wheelbase is a little bit longer and this gives you more space in the inside of the vehicle, while at the same time have a very compact aerodynamic exterior. So electric vehicles give us some advantages to make very attractive cars and I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy these in India soon.

French cars are known for their flair, so how do you convey that flair to the rest of the world?

LvdA: It's true that French cars are generally appreciated for their design flair, for innovation, for certain audacity, boldness and this is the spirit we want to keep. Renault has always had very strong concepts that created new segments, for instance like the Duster in India or like the Kwid in India in the A-segment. This is our ambition and we want to keep on this very valorised tradition.

How do you design at a cost?

LvdA: It's always a challenge to make sure that a car is developed for the right price, whether it's an expensive car or an affordable car. So, there is no difficult challenge, there's no specific challenge in that, but obviously, we have a lot of experience in designing very affordable vehicles, but we also have a lot of experience in developing more sporty premium vehicles with a brand like Alpine, for instance. So, in that sense, it's really the discipline of the design team, working together with engineering, the programme team to make sure that we develop the right product at the right cost.

Now, among all the attributes of a car, how much does design play a part in helping sales?

LvdA: Well, design plays an important role in the attractiveness of a car. About 50 per cent of the purchase reason is the design. So, design makes the first impression. If you don't fall in love in the first part, it's hard to continue with the sales. So, design is an incredibly important part of the attractiveness of a car and obviously this puts a big responsibility on us, but with the talented team that we have and the creativity, we are sure we can satisfy your needs.

Screen versus physical buttons on the inside of a car, how do you balance that?

LvdA: I think the best combination is not to have just screens and not to have just buttons. You need to find the best combination of the two. The way to do that is to make sure that the functions that you access often and immediately are physical and the functions that are more secondary and give you more information and maybe change over time, we'll use the screens for those. So, in the Renaults, we always have had climate control, direct access, but information on navigation obviously and the information on the car will remain digital. Digital gives us a lot of opportunities to give you more information when you need it, whereas with physical buttons, you can use them blindly. So, it's the best combination of both.