Renault Kangoo has become an emblem of the light commercial vehicle market – and has never stopped reinventing itself. The first-generation leisure activity vehicle with its sliding side door, the choice of lengths and the electric version released in 2011 are only a few examples of this model’s relentless inventiveness. And the third generation is no exception to the rule: its Open Sesame door, including a 1.45-metre side opening, sets a new record. Removing the centre pillar was the key to this breakthrough. Such radical transformation also took quite a few adjustments. Here’s the story behind an invention that could change the LCV world, with head engineer François-Xavier.
You see quite a few concept cars without centre pillars. But that’s not often the case with production vehicles – the ones that reach the “industrial” stage. And it had never been the case with an LCV before All-new Renault Kangoo Van arrived with its well-known Open Sesame door. The engineering, design and production teams didn’t manage this with one simple magic trick: they came up with countless ideas, combined them all together, negotiated their fair share of obstacles and ultimately overhauled the vehicle’s entire architecture to tackle the various challenges – including the door’s resistance to side impacts. Dealing with all these technical requirements even involved adapting production lines.
The production process therefore had to be rearranged. And so it was. Rather cleverly, actually. When the doors emerge from the stamping line, they still have a centre strut. The doors, in other words, are built with a temporary strut to avoid warping in route to the next step in the production process. Then, on the bodywork line, the extra strut is cut off. Then the six robots on this line add a number of reinforcement mechanisms to boost the doors’ shock resistance. Three geometrical devices monitor the doors in real time to make sure they are the right shape (with millimetre accuracy). Then, in the paint shop, purpose-designed hinges are positioned on the car to hold the sliding side doors’ frames in place. Lastly, on the assembly line, the seal is placed in the van – which is quite spectacular to watch because the seal goes all the way around the body.
