Renault to limit its cars' top speed to 180 kmph from 2022
Groupe Renault has announced that it will limit the top-speed on all Renault and Dacia brand SUVs and cars to 180 kmph. The first model to come with this safety feature will be the Renault Megane-E set to debut in 2022 in the European market. This initiative is part of the firm's revamp as part of its Renaulution strategy and ties in with the sustainability goals laid out by this plan.
The high-performance Alpine sub-brand has been left out of this, which suggest that sportier Renaults won't come with the speed limiter. Renault will also equip its cars with a few more features to reduce road accidents. This will be a 'Safety Score' readout in the infotainment which will analyze the user's driving through sensors around the car and throw up tips to encourage safer driving. The firm's cars will also start featuring a 'Safety Coach' which will warn drivers of potential risks on their route and process road and traffic data for real-time warnings. Finally, there will be a 'Safe Guardian' mode which will slow the car down via a fail-safe mechanism that will trigger automatically when the system detects a dangerous situation like an abrupt turn, no steering control for an extended amount of time or drowsiness.
Two further innovations have been made for Renault cars sold in Europe, set to be rolled out across the range. The 'Firefighter access' system will significantly reduce response time in putting out electrical and battery fires, from two hours to a few minutes. Renault cars will also feature a 'Rescue Code'. This will be a code that emergency services can scan and gain information on the car's structure. The company claims this should help rescue accident victims within 15 minutes.
While it is yet to be seen how much of this initiative trickles down to Renault's Indian offerings, we think these innovations can have a useful impact on our market. With ESC and some level of driver assistance system set to become mandatory in India over the next decade, these technologies could amplify those safety benefits. These will also help educate Indian drivers on safer driving, the lack of which is one of the key causes of our high road fatalities.
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