A combination of sensual curves and taut lines in an ensemble sprinkled with many technical details. This is \u201csensual tech\u201d, the new formal language of Renault Design that is embodied by the brand new Austral SUV, which will appear in the French manufacturer\u2019s range in the second half of this year. To find out more about what it\u2019s about and how it has been interpreted in the genesis of the Austral, we went to Paris, last March, to preview the car and meet Agneta Dahlgren, Renault\u2019s Project Director for the C\/D segment platform.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Renault](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022050602_RenaultAustral.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>A new architecture<\/strong><\/span> OpenR, a digital world<\/strong><\/span> Athletics sides<\/strong><\/span>
\nFor Austral, the platform in question is the third-generation CMF-CD, jointly developed as part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. \u00abWe started working on Austral quite early, about five years ago. When you start a project on a very new platform, you coordinate with the other brands to agree on the proportions, geometries and dimensions from the outset\u00bb, explains Dahlgren, who has no shortage of engineering skills, having completed a master\u2019s degree in industrial design at the University of Technology in Compi\u00e8gne and a master\u2019s degree in industrial engineering in her native Sweden.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\u00abOf course \u2013 she continues \u2013 we also worked immediately on the design strategies and the message we wanted to convey, as well as the innovations to be introduced, and there were many, both for the Austral and for the new M\u00e9gane (the latter is based on the CMF-EV platform for electric cars), such as the Open-R display, which is a novelty for the two cars. In the design department, we did a lot to make sure the screen was as thin as possible, but still large. We have two: a horizontal 12\u201d in front of the driver and another 12\u201d in the middle. We wanted to give the impression of a floating element, with no visor above the instrument panel, to set it as a highlight inside the cabin, freeing up space on board\u00bb.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nSince it is an SUV and a family car, the Austral had to convey a sense of ruggedness and safety, and this is where the sensual tech language comes into play: the sculpted bonnet, the athletic muscle of the sides, the beltline that rises at the rear to express protection, are all strong features into which refined elements are inserted, such as the C-shaped LED headlights with their diamond shaped weave, or the rear light clusters, also LED, with holographic micro-optic technology. There is also the upper part of the large chequered grille with the Ice Black finish, featuring a horizontal chrome line that joins the headlights.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>