Autodesk today announced a multi-million-dollar three-year global strategic alliance with Renault's renowned Design Department. The deal underscores Renault's commitment to Autodesk AliasStudio and Autodesk Maya software applications as the foundation for its pioneering global digital design workflow. The Renault Design Department uses complementary AliasStudio and Maya software to design every new vehicle model -- including the new Clio 3, Europe's Car of the Year for 2006 -- and at every stage of the design process. AliasStudio is used extensively for Renault's initial conceptual design and creative ideation process through to digital prototyping, Class A production surfacing and final validation, while Maya supports Renault's advanced design visualization needs. Established in 1898, Renault is Europe's leading automotive brand, designing, developing, manufacturing and selling innovative, safe and environmentally-friendly vehicles worldwide. Producing more than 2.3 million cars and light commercial vehicles (LCV) in 2006, Renault has industrial and commercial presence in 118 countries. In 1999, Renault and Nissan signed the Renault-Nissan Alliance, uniting the two global companies through a coherent strategy, common goals and principles, results-driven synergies and shared best practices, while respecting and reinforcing their respective identities and brands. Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide now create a wider variety of models than ever before to meet the changing needs of customers in numerous niche markets. To meet this need, Renault continues to introduce an increasingly broad and diverse range of new vehicle models. This trend not only results in a heavier workload for designers but also a reduction in the development time available for each project. As a result of this trend, Renault depends on an efficient digital workflow to maximize time by making improvements early in the design process to enable better design innovation and quality. Largely dependent upon Autodesk software, Renault's fully integrated digital workflow encompasses modeling, digital prototyping, visualization and presentation processes, and supports the need to evaluate a greater number of design themes and make faster decisions. In addition, digital prototypes have made it easier for Renault's Design Department to collaborate with other members of the extended design team including Renault's Vehicle Engineering team, encouraging greater communication, collaboration and faster design evaluation. With Autodesk software, the Renault Design Department has developed automated processes for creating ultra-high-quality stills and animated images, addressing the challenge of reducing production time and the need to make rendering expertise available for Digital Modelers. Renault's designers and decision-makers are now able to actively visualize a virtual 3D model as it evolves within the context of a 'real' environment -- all within a few hours of calculation. Autodesk's strategic alliance with the Renault Design Department, which originated with Alias before it was acquired by Autodesk in January 2006, has also helped to drive the development of Alias' design products, influencing industry-critical enhancements such as Class A modeling. In the future, the successful execution of Renault's digital design processes will continue to rely heavily on Autodesk software solutions. By forming this alliance, Renault Design Department is demonstrating both the trust it has in Autodesk as a solutions partner and the importance it places on its software as a critical element in its overall workflow vision and design strategy. "Autodesk is pleased to partner with an industry leader such as Renault -- an innovator that is taking automobile design to the next level," said Carl Bass, Autodesk president and chief executive officer. "Renault Design Department's world-class digital workflow process is recognized as a benchmark throughout the automotive industry and we are committed to ensuring Renault's continued success in pursuing design innovation.