RENAULT TRUCKS T, C, K ÉVOLUTION: GENESIS OF THE DESIGN

Renault Trucks is changing the exterior design of its T, T High, C and K models to adopt a more assertive and up-to-date style. Paul Daintree, the manufacturer's design director, looks back at the genesis of these new models, which boast greater comfort and productivity.

Teams at the Renault Trucks Halle du Design, headed by Paul Daintree, have been working on the evolution of the T, T High, C and K ranges since 2018. The reflection has been developed in close collaboration with partner customers.
 

Close collaboration with customers to further optimise the user experience

"It’s crucial for designers to put the end user at the centre of their thinking and decision-making", explained Paul Daintree, Design Director at Renault Trucks. "We organised collaborative work sessions with our customers in the design studio and visited truck stops and customer depots to meet hauliers and drivers in order to understand their needs and respond to them." This field work by the design teams, shared with information gathered from the dealer network and the expertise of Renault Trucks engineers, formed the basis for changes to the vehicles in terms of style and comfort.
 

A bold, stylish exterior

"The vehicle front has been redesigned to allow more space for our customer paint schemes and graphics", Paul Daintree added. The front lighting has been totally renewed using LED technology, which not only has the benefit of providing better illumination, but also enables designers to reduce the height of the headlamp unit and fit more features into a smaller area. A deflector has been added over the top of the lights. “The front proportions have been completely overhauled – the truck has more presence, more attitude and an immediately identifiable focus”.

The front grille has also been redesigned, creating a more sophisticated, automotive look. The fold-down function, by which the grille can be turned into a seat or step, stays the same due to its popularity with drivers.

Lastly, the size of the Renault Trucks logo on the front grille has been increased. "We have great trucks and we’re really proud of this new design, so why not show it?" enthused the Renault Trucks Design Director.
 

A comfortable, practical interior

The focus in the interior is on driver comfort. "In terms of driving comfort, one of our customers' requests was for our trucks to have a car-like driving position," continued Paul Daintree. The new Renault Trucks T, T High, C and K have a new three-way adjustable steering column, with a foot operated button, and a keyless start. This makes it easy for drivers to adapt their driving position to their personal body shape and preferences.

Improvements have also been made to the comfort of life on board. "We decided to improve the comfort of the basic bunk, increasing the thickness and the density of the mattress and doubling the spring count,” For optimal comfort, an overmattress has also been added.

The Renault Trucks designers have also created bigger storage spaces and added dedicated storage for telephones or tablets with USB charging points close by. Non-visible storage includes a new drawer allowing an A4 size notebook or tablet to be safely stored. 

Finally, for a perfectly relaxing on-board atmosphere, the fabrics and colours have been changed to soften the contrasts and help relax drivers' eyes, which are put under considerable pressure during driving sessions. “Although our current seats are really appreciated, we took the opportunity to update the materials, notably by replacing the traditional full leather seat with an embossed fabric. As with the exterior, we are proud to be Renault Trucks, so the logo has pride of place on the seats.” concluded Paul Daintree.