Driver Power 2006

French giant Renault is turning to Japanese production methods to boost its cars' quality. Damning customer satisfaction results over the past two years jolted the firm into action - and it's now starting to see the benefits of advice from partner Nissan to improve reliability.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Maurice Glove

21st December 2005

The news comes as Auto Express this week launches its Driver Power 2006 reliability survey. The decision to take ideas from Nissan came after research carried out across Europe found 31 of every 1,000 Renaults were hit by roadside breakdowns, and another 300 were plagued with minor faults.

Last month, a warranty study rated Laguna and Espace models sold in 2000 as the UK's least reliable cars - but European statistics covering more recent vehicles show improved reliability. "We're making good progress, but won't rest on our laurels," said quality chief Yann Vincent. "Our aim is to be ranked alongside Toyota as a top brand for reliability by 2007, and Nissan is helping us a lot with this."

Renault, which teamed up with Nissan back in 1999, was left trailing in the surveys after keyless entry system faults on its original Laguna and a series of glitches with the M΃©gane.

"Japanese techniques and rigorous quality checks are behind the improvement," added Vincent. "Eradicating minor errors is one of the reasons why warranty costs have been cut by 50 per cent."