A SOFTWARE development firm has added a touch of va va voom to a car launch after completing a website design project for French car manufacturer Renault.

Gateshead-based AYO Digital was approached by the car multinational to create a web interface to launch the brand new Renault Clio on the UK consumer market.

The website was purpose built for invitation-only customers who could login with a code to be the first to book a test drive of the new car, and also receive exclusive information on Renault’s newest electric car, Zoe, that will be available in next year.

Rob Mathieson managing director at the technology firm, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of this project. The Renault team had a specific idea of how the website should look so we have built it to their exact requirement and added a few extra special technical aspects. “For instance, we developed a totally secure portal that is being hosted on a Microsoft Azure cloud platform, allowing the system to scale when large numbers of users access it. As this was being rolled out to 137 dealerships nationwide, the website had to be able to handle a large amount of traffic. “The platform allowed us to issue invitations to 135,000 lucky customers who were invited to test-drive the new Clio.”

This is the latest high-profile project completed by the technology company having completed work with Gentoo, Gateshead Council and AAF International over the last year. Its expert team also helped develop the timing software used by Team GB’s BMX representatives in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Mr Mathieson said: “Everything we build at AYO either makes a company or a service more efficient. The companies we like working with are really exciting and embrace technology but appreciate a strategic approach.” The digital firm has its headquarters at the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead and the company now has sites in Manchester and London. It has doubled its staff numbers from ten to 20 in the last year.

The digital company specialises in delivering business solutions for web and mobile devices, in addition to complex and highly technical web development projects. Established in 2008 by Rob Mathieson, Tony Olanipekun and Kevin Reece, AYO Digital works with SMEs and large organisations nationally, across a number of sectors including manufacturing, utilities, property and retail.

The global vehicle manufacturer, which has a presence in 118 countries, turned to the digital firm to help with the launch following a recommendation from Fusion 2K Events.

Nick Clinton, creative designer at Fusion 2K Events said: “I knew the AYO team would be an ideal fit for this project. Working in the automotive marketing sector brings many challenges, and AYO Digital has risen to all of them. Professional, adaptable and loaded with expertise, the team brings innovative ideas to the project at every step. “Their ability to react with speed and accuracy, combined with their friendly approach makes working with them a pleasure.”