Along with many others in the industry, Renault is trying to work out how to help car buyers find their way through the increasing electronic mazes that make up in-car infotainment systems and touchscreens.
All-electric Renault 5
Their answer? Reno, a digital avatar which will start appearing in Renault cars from the launch of the new all-electric Renault 5 next year, and will also show up in app form in selected European markets later in 2023. Ireland's not on the list yet, but Reno has already debuted in France and will come to the Spanish, Italian, and German markets soon.
NFTs and merchandise
The digital assistant will help car buyers, and even those who are just interested in the Renault brand, by pointing them towards: "news about the brand's corporate-social responsibility initiative, Give Me 5, as well as information about NFTs, and directly access products from The Originals Store" per Renault.
Regular news updates
The app also provides regular newsletter updates about the upcoming Renault 5 EV and will give users preferential access to an order-booking system if they want to buy a 5. There'll also be news updates on the new all-electric Renault 4 when the launch of that car draws nearer. Reno is also a digital voice assistant in the mould of Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri. Users can ask it questions, play quizzes and suggest improvements to how it works and behaves in future vehicles.
You don't have to pay - at least not yet - you simply have to download the app and set up a My Renault account. "We are very excited to launch this app, which gives a preview of the public's first interactions with our avatar, Reno. By including this humanised avatar on board in our future vehicles, we want to change the relationship with machines and reinforce connections to our brand. It's a first in the automotive industry," said Arnaud Belloni, Renault's Global Chief Marketing Officer.
Is anyone else getting major Microsoft Word 'Clippy' vibes from this? Just me?