French automaker Renault has announced the opening of the Renault Design Center LatAm at the Ayrton Senna Complex in São José dos Pinhais, Curitiba, Brazil, on Oct. 27. The new center is located close to the Group's three plants; the brand-new design center will provide the Renault Group with a modern tool for designing vehicles for Latin American markets. It will also enable local designers to participate in Renault's global creative projects, alongside the Group's four other design centers worldwide.
The group already has a design office in São Paulo since 2006. With the new facilities of the Renault Design Center LatAm, designers now have a 1,220-square-meter structure dedicated to the creation of vehicles, from the genesis of the product, the creative and conceptual phase of the model through to the industrial design phase, and suitability for series production (interior and exterior sketches, color and material design, 3D modeling, computer-generated images to support marketing and communication projects, and physical prototypes) with:
The Indoor Showroom Design: An interactive model and prototype evaluation room equipped with a 360º rotating platform and a 216-inch high-definition (HD) screen for presentations, modeling and analysis of a 1:1 scale 3D vehicle.
The Outdoor Showroom Design: A 500-square-meter outdoor space with confidential isolation, allowing models and prototypes to be assessed in daylight from different angles and distances, as well as helping with the choice of colors and patterns.
The Mock-up Workshop: A space dedicated to the development of physical prototypes at different scales to turn 2D design into 3D design.
The Virtual Reality Studio: For real-time visualization of creative proposals in 3D and in HD.
The Creative Lounge: An open space designed to facilitate interactivity and brainstorming between teams, to create concepts and develop projects.
The company said the designers in Brazil have contributed to the development of Renault Kardian, which will go on sale in 2024 and marks the arrival of Renault's new visual identity in Brazil. They also worked on the Renault Niagara Concept, which foreshadows future production models to be launched outside Europe by 2027.
With its strategic location, the Renault Design Center LatAm also has a Social Design function. In collaboration with the Renault Institute, it offers creative support to communities in the region, such as the Borda Viva Association, which creates a range of accessories that reuse waste from the manufacturing process, with the proceeds going back to the local community and making a strong contribution to the region's circular economy.
