Modular vehicle platforms are the hottest thing in the auto industry now, following VW’s introduction of the MQB architecture that underpins most new VW Group cars launched since 2012.
Now, Renault and its alliance partner Nissan have announced that they will launch a Common Module Family (CMF), which they say, will “extend manufacturing commonalisation to an unprecedented number of vehicles developed within the Alliance.”
CMF is not a platform, however, as Renault and Nissan say it can involve several platforms. While a platform is a horizontal segmentation, a CMF is a cross-sector concept, according to the company. CMF will cover Renault and Nissan vehicles from one or more segments based on the assembly of compatible Big Modules: engine bay, cockpit, front underbody, rear underbody and electrical/electronic architecture.
The two partner companies plan to gradually extend CMF to their lineups between 2013 and 2020. The first vehicles to be built using the new concept are those from the compact and large segments, with models from other segments to follow.
About 1.6 million vehicles per year and 14 models (11 from the Renault group and 3 from Nissan) will be built using CMF. The first will be released in late 2013 – the replacements for the Nissan Rogue, Qashqai and X-Trail. The first Renault vehicles developed and built using CMF will be released in late 2014 – the replacements for Espace, Scénic and Laguna. By 2020, CMF will be deployed across five continents in more than 10 countries.
Renault and Nissan estimate that CMF will generate an average 30 – 40 percent reduction in entry cost per model and 20 – 30 percent reduction in parts cost.
By Dan Mihalascu
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