Groupe Renault unveils Augmented Editorial Experience (AEX), a concept for the future of mobile content with the expertise of the Groupe Challenges

 Drive or be driven? The future will not only give us these options but also allow us to choose how we wish to spend our time on board. To address these trends, by partnering with French publishing company Challenges, Groupe Renault is revealing the Augmented Editorial Experience (AEX) concept at the Paris Motor Show. AEX embodies a vision of the future of mobile content paving the way for a new era of sophisticated on-board experiences to reinvent travel time.

Premium content and reinvented onboard experiences

As mobility continues to evolve and driving assistance increases with connected and autonomous cars, passengers will more and more seek enhanced on-board experience to make the most out of their travel time – both personally and professionally. To embrace this far-reaching change, Groupe Renault took an investment stake in Groupe Challenges, a French publishing company, to collaborate on new media experiences for mobility, and at the same time explore new businesses opportunities.

François Dossa, Alliance Global Vice President, Alliance Ventures & Open Innovation, said:

“Today the lines are blurring between content, services and mobility and we’re putting ourselves in the center of the next revolution in connected, personalized mobility experiences. We believe premium content and unique experiences for drivers and passengers will become key differentiators for vehicle manufacturers and mobility services providers. We invested last December in Groupe Challenges to co-develop new premium content that would reache customers in all-new ways and are excited about the possibilities as we share the next step in our concept.”

Frédéric Sitterlé, Head of development Groupe Challenges, added :

“Groupe Challenges and all its editors enthusiastically took up the challenge proposed by Renault: to design and produce innovative audio programmes adapted to new mobility. Through the AEX experience, Renault is taking us even further: offering our readers and listeners a mobile editorial experience that is ever richer and more personalized. The teams of Challenges, Sciences et Avenir, La Recherche, Historia and L’Histoire have created a grid of original and captivating programmes on economics, science and history that reflect the know-how and requirements of our editorial staff. We are continuing to develop and diversify our offers to continue to support our readers in all their new ways of consuming information”.

AEX: turning travel time into a learning experience

In autonomous driving scenarios, AEX would offer an easy, interactive, voice-commanded access to quality, reliable content. It would be a conversational experience including location-aware context, personalization and interaction. Trusted content and adapted voice delivery is the uniqueness of this concept.

Depending of the time of the day, of where the car is and whether the driver is alone or not, it would proactively suggest relevant content to listen to or to share on social media for each passenger, separately or jointly, as it would learn more about their habits to facilitate interaction with the world outside, while travelling.

Franck Louis-Victor, Alliance Global Director Connected Services, said:

“Connected to the cloud and using artificial intelligence, the vehicle will become an interactive, high tech personalized space. Tomorrow, through the AEX experience, with enhanced on-board experiences and new enriched and premium content that moves with you, the vehicle would become the ultimate device. A unique combination to turn travel time into a learning experience and a journey that would take passengers further than their destination.”

A milestone at the Paris Motor Show

This concept is brought to life at the Paris Motor Show by a realistic immersive content experience created with the support of Groupe Challenges which comprises five magazines - Challenges, Sciences & Avenir, La Recherche, L’Histoire and Historia - and Publicis Group on conceptualization and product development aspects.

Inside a life-sized capsule and through 4 life scenarios (“Daily commute to work”, “Family trip”, “Drive to a business meeting” and “Return home from work”), projected in 222 degrees, visitors will be immersed in an augmented editorial experience as if they were in a connected or an autonomous vehicle. In one of the scenarios developed, at the request of the passenger to know more about artificial intelligence (IA), AEX suggests a content crafted by Sciences & Avenir with a podcast from Cédric Villani, a French mathematician and politician, an expert on that topic. Another example takes place during a family trip, where passengers passing by the famous Sforza castle in Milan, are offered exclusive content drawn-up by Historia’s editorial teams about this castle frequented by many 15th century artists.

At the Paris Motor Show, the AEX capsule is situated next to Renault luxury concept EZ-Ultimo, an electric, autonomous, connected robo-vehicle, showing what the marriage of tomorrow’s mobility and multi-media, immersive content experience could feel like.

About Groupe Renault

Groupe Renault has been making cars since 1898. Today it is an international, multi-brand group combining the Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine and LADA brands. In 2017, it sold close to 3.76 million vehicles through 12,700 outlets in 134 countries. Groupe Renault employs more than 180,000 people and operates 36 manufacturing facilities worldwide.  To address the major technological challenges of the future and pursue profitable growth, Renault focuses on international development. It is harnessing complementary coverage across its five brands; electric vehicles; and its unique alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. With its Formula 1 team, Renault is active in motorsport as a powerful force behind innovation, image and brand recognition.

About Groupe Challenges

Groupe Challenges is one of the leading independent press groups in France. It brings together 5 quality magazines: Challenges, France’s leading business weekly; Sciences & Avenir, a high-end scientific monthly magazine for the general public; La Recherche, a monthly magazine that brings together the international scientific community; Historia, the leading history magazine, founded in 1909; L’Histoire, the monthly magazine for historians, students and history buffs.