The new Renault Master Van will receive diesel, electricity and hydrogen
Renault wants to show that diesel and hydrogen are not still useless in the van segment, and Hyundai’s innovation center in Singapore has a highly automated production process.
It’s AM Drive, Motor1 reviews the information you need before you get in your car every day.
The Renault Master 2024 has an Aerovan design for greater efficiency
The fourth-generation Renault Master has landed in Europe with an all-new look meticulously optimized to improve aerodynamics by 20 percent. The French brand is touting an “aerovan” design for its new full-size van that was too big to be tested in a wind tunnel. Instead, prototypes built at 83% scale were used to improve the body and significantly reduce CO.2 emissions.
In 2023, Renault still believes in the relevance of diesel engines in the business segment. It is expected to promote the revamped Master with 4 dCi units producing 105, 130, 150 and 170 horsepower. These are newly developed powertrains that consume less gasoline and can operate with a manual gearbox or an all-new nine-speed automatic transmission.
Those looking for a more eco-friendly solution can opt for a 129- or 141-horsepower battery-electric Master. In every situation, the motors produce an immediate 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque. The lesser of the two motors is paired with a 40 kWh battery for a WLTP range of 112 miles (180 kilometers). The strongest gets its juice from a much larger 87 kWh pack, good for more than 255 miles (410 kilometers) of range.
Another zero-emissions variant will come in the form of a Master with a hydrogen fuel cell setup which is expected to go on sale later in the van’s lifecycle. Renault says it designed the large van with 20 driver assistance programs, two-way charging and 20 body/wheelbase configurations to choose from.
Hyundai Motor Group’s new innovation center in Singapore has 200 robots (including Canine) that do half the work. Oh, there’s also a farm.
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Although officially unveiled today, HMGICS has been operational since the beginning of the year. This is where Hyundai assembles the Ioniq 5 and its fully autonomous robotaxi version, with the Ioniq 6 sedan due to enter production there in 2024. It has a maximum annual capacity of 30,000 electric vehicles and benefits from a highly efficient production process. automated. So much so that a car can leave the appointment line just six hours after placing an order.
About half of all tasks are performed by 200 robots, including dog-like robots developed by Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai purchased in 2021 for a cool $1.1 billion. These robots perform more than 60% of tasks related to administration, ordering and transportation. This allows people to complete more creative and productive tasks instead of boring and repetitive work.
HMGICS isn’t limited to just car manufacturing, as the seven-story facility even has a so-called Good Farm to produce nine different crops. The harvested produce is donated to local communities in Singapore and will also be included in the menu of a tasting lounge at a new restaurant opening in the second quarter of 2024. As a souvenir of their visit to HMGICS, guests will go home with a model of products harvested.
What else is there? A monitor located on the factory roof, 2,027 feet (618 meters) high. HMGICS also includes a space dedicated to the delivery of new vehicles to customers.
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