is a
French Vehicle manufacturer producing small to upper-mid-size cars, vans, buses, tractors and trucks.
When its cars were imported to and sold in the
United States during the 1950s and 1960s, it was decided to pronounce the name as "Ren-ALT" in marketing to the American public, and the Anglicized pronunciation continues in common usage. However, while in English usage, Renault is correctly pronounced "Rhen-oh" (as it is commonly in the
United Kingdom ), the French pronunciation is closer to "Ruh-No".
The Renault corporation was founded in
1898 as by
Louis Renault and his brothers
Marcel and
Fernand . Louis was a bright, aspiring young engineer who had already designed and built several models before teaming up with his brothers, who had honed their business skills working for their father's
Textiles firm; Louis handled design and production, Marcel & Fernand handled company management. The brothers immediately recognized the publicity that could be gotten for their vehicles by participation in
Motor Racing and Renault made itself known through achieving instant success in the first city-to-city races held in France, resulting in rapid expansion for the company. Both Louis and Marcel Renault raced company vehicles, but Marcel was killed in an accident during the
1903 Paris -
Madrid race. Although Louis Renault never raced again, his company remained very involved, including their Renault AK 90CV winning the first ever
Grand Prix Motor Racing event in
1906 . Louis was to take full control of the company as the only remaining brother in
1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons.
The Renault reputation for innovation was fostered from very early on – in
1899 Renault launched the first production
Sedan car as well as patenting the first
Turbocharger . At the time, cars were very much luxury items, and the price of the smallest Renaults available being 3000 francs reflected this; an amount it would take ten years for the average worker at the time to earn. As well as cars, Renault manufactured
Taxis ,
Buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years, and during
World War I (
1914 -
1918 ) branched out into
Ammunition , military
Airplane s and vehicles such as the revolutionary
Renault FT-17 Tank . Renault became the world's leading manufacturer of airplane engines, and the success of the company's military designs were such that Renault himself was honored by the Allies for his company's contributions to their victory. By the end of the war, Renault was the number one private manufacturer in France.
Between the two world wars, Louis Renault enlarged the scope of his company, producing
Agricultural and
Industrial Machinery . However, Renault struggled to compete with the increasingly popular small, affordable "people's cars", while problems with the stock market and the workforce also adversely affected the company's growth.
The pre First World War cars had a distinctive front shape caused by positioning the radiator behind the engine to give a so called "coalscuttle" bonnet. This continued through the 1920s and it was not until 1930 that all models had the radiator at the front.
During
World War II , Louis Renault's factories worked for
Nazi Germany producing trucks with work on cars officially forbidden. He was, for this reason, arrested during the liberation of
France in
1944 and died in prison before having prepared his defense. An autopsy later proved that his neck had been broken, suggesting that he was murdered. His industrial assets were seized by the provisional government of France. The Renault factories became a public industry (known as ) under the leadership of Pierre Lefaucheux. In the years immediately following its nationalization Renault experienced something of a resurgence, led by the
Rear Engine 4CV model, which was launched in
1946 and proved itself a capable rival for cars such as the
Morris Minor and
Volkswagen Beetle , its success (more than half a million sold) making sure it remained in production until
1961 . As with earlier Renault models, the company made extensive use of motor racing to promote the 4CV, the car winning both the
Le Mans 24 Hours and
Mille Miglia races as well as the
Monte Carlo Rally . However, despite the success of its flagship model, the company continued to be blighted by
Labor Unrest , and indeed continued to be well into the
1980s .
]]
The 4CV's replacement, the
Dauphine , sold extremely well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including
Africa and
North America . The car did not sell well in North America and it was outdated by the start of the
1960s . In an attempt to revive its flagging fortunes, Renault launched two cars which were to become phenonemonally successful – the
Renault 4 and
Renault 8 in
1961 and
1962 respectively. The 4 in particular was to continue in production until
1992 . Both cars continued Renault's motor racing traditions with great success in
Rallying , a tradition which was further upheld by collaborations with the
Alpine company (which most famously produced the Renault-powered Alpine A110). As well as the 4 and 8, the company achieved success with the more upmarket
Renault 16 launched in
1966 , which continued Renault's reputation for innovation by being the world's first
Hatchback larger than
Subcompact size as well as the first
Hatchback with folding rear seats, which became and remains the universal standard
Hatchback design.
The company's compact and economical
Renault 5 model, launched in
1972 , was another success, particularly in the wake of the
1973 Energy Crisis . The 5 remained in production until 1984 when it was replaced by the Super5. The formula was much the same however, and the Super5 inherited its styling lines from its father. Endangered like all of the motor industry by the energy crisis, during the mid seventies the already expansive company diversified further into other industries and continued to expand globally, including into
South East Asia . The energy crisis also provoked Renault's attempt to reconquer the North American market; despite the Dauphine's success in the
United States in the late
1950s , and an unsuccessful car-assembly project in
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville ,
Quebec , (1964-1972), Renault had virtually disappeared from North America by the
1970s . However, in the early part of the decade, when the energy crisis-hit continent required small, economical cars, Renault began to make plans to return through a collaborative partnership with the American manufacturer
AMC . Previously, an AMC Rambler American was badged as a
Renault Torino in Argentina (sold through IKA-Renault).
This was one of a series of collaborative ventures undertaken by Renault in the late
1960s and
1970s , as the company established subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, most notably
Dacia in
Romania , and
South America (many of which remain active to the present day) and forged technological cooperation agreements with
Volvo and
Peugeot (for instance, for the development of the
PRV V6 engine, which was used in
Renault 30 ,
Peugeot 604 , and
Volvo 260 in the late 1970's.). In North America, Renault continued to increase its control over
AMC , eventually owning 55% of the company by
1980 ; the Renault-AMC partnership also resulted in the marketing of
Jeep vehicles in Europe. Some consider the
Jeep XJ Cherokee as a joint AMC/Renault project since some early sketches of the XJ series was done as a collaboration of both Renault and AMC engineers (AMC insisted that the XJ Cherokee was designed by AMC personnel; however, a former Renault engineer designed the Quadra-Link front suspension for the XJ series).
Unfortunately the American Renault-
AMC partnership was not successful - the cars had reliability ratings that didn't meet contemporary North American standards and by the time the Renault range was ready to become established in the American market, the energy crisis was over, taking with it much of the trend for economical, compact cars. Renault sold some interesting models in the USA in the 1980s, especially the simple looking but fun Renault Alliance GTA (
Renault 9 )and GTA convertible – a real automatic-top convertible with a simple but clean euro-style design with a gently sloping hood, as well as a 2.0 L engine - big for a car of its class; and the ahead-of-its-time Renault Fuego coupe; Renault sold other models in the US in the 80s. Renault sold
AMC to
Chrysler in
1987 and the brand and its cars subsequently disappeared (though the subsidiary
Jeep brand remained).
In the late seventies and early eighties Renault increased its involvement in motorsport, with novel inventions such as turbochargers in their
Formula One cars. The company's road car designs were revolutionary also – the
Renault Espace was one of the first
Minivan s and was to remain the most well-known minivan in Europe for at least the next two decades. The second-generation Renault 5, the European Car Of The Year-winning
Renault 9 , and the most luxurious Renault yet, the
25 were all released in the early 1980s, building Renault's reputation, but same time the company suffered of poor product quality which reflected badly to the image of the brand and the ill-fated
Renault 14 is seen by many as the culmination of these problems in the early 1980's.
Although its cars were somewhat successful both on the road and on the track, Renault was losing a billion francs a month and reported a deficit of 12.5 billion in
1984 . The government intervened and
Georges Besse was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling off many of Renault's non-core assets, withdrawing almost entirely from motorsports, and laying off many employees. Although this succeeded in halving the deficit by 1986, Besse's treatment of the workforce resulted in him being assassinated by the
Left Wing Terrorist group
Action Directe in November 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued along the same lines as Besse, slimming down the company considerably with the result that by the end of 1987 the company was more or less financially stable.
A revitalized Renault launched several successful new cars in the early
1990s , including the phenonemonally successful 5 replacement the
Clio , the second generation Espace, the innovative
Twingo , the
Laguna , and the
19 . In mid-1990's introduced successor to R19,
Renault Mégane , was the first car ever to achieve a 4 star rating, the highest at the time, in
Euro NCAP crash test in passenger safety. In 1998 Renault introduced
Mégane Scenic , a completely new class of cars, a compact monospace with a footprint of a regular Mégane. The return to success on the road was matched by a return to success on the racetrack – Renault-powered cars won the Formula One World Championship in
1992 ,
1993 ,
1996 and
1997 with
Williams and in
1995 with
Benetton .
It was eventually decided that the company's state-owned status was detrimental to its growth, and Renault was privatized in
1996 . This new freedom allowed the company to venture once again into
Eastern Europe and
South America , including a new factory in
Brazil and upgrades for the infrastructure in
Argentina and
Turkey .
In the twenty-first century, Renault was to foster a reputation for distinctive, outlandish design. The second generation of the Laguna and Mégane featured ambitious, angular designs which turned out to be highly successful. Less successful were the company's more upmarket models. The
Avantime , a bizarre
Coupé /minivan hybrid, sold very poorly and was quickly discontinued while the luxury
Vel Satis model did not sell as well as hoped. As well as its distinctive styling, Renault was to become known for its car safety – it is currently the car manufacturer with the largest number of models achieving the maximum 5 star rating in
EuroNCAP crash tests. The Laguna was the first car to achieve a 5 star rating and in
2004 the
Modus was the first small car to achieve this rating.
The government of France owns 15.7 per cent of the company.
Louis Schweitzer has been the
Chairman of Renault since
1992 and
CEO from
1992 to
2005 . In
2005 ,
Carlos Ghosn (also CEO of Nissan) has become Renault's CEO, Louis Schweitzer staying Chairman.
Renault has a stake of 44.4 per cent in
Japan ese automaker
Nissan together with which they form the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Nissan in turn took a 15 per cent stake in Renault in
2002 . Renault also owns
Samsung Motors (
Renault Samsung Motors ) and
Dacia , as well as retaining a minority stake (20%) in
Volvo Trucks.
In
2004 , Renault was the fifth most popular car maker in the United Kingdom behind the
Ford Motor Company ,
Vauxhall Motors ,
Peugeot and
Volkswagen . The most popular French car in the UK is currently the Renault Clio, which has been a strong seller throughout Europe since its launch 14 years ago.
For 2004 Renault reported a 43% rise in net income to €3.5 billion and 5.9% operating margin, of which Nissan contributed €1,767 million. The Group (Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors) posted a 4.2% increase in worldwide sales to a record 2,489,401 vehicles, representing a global market share of 4.1%. Renault retained its position as the leading brand in Europe with 1.8 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold and market share of 10.8%.
Renault, together with associated brands Dacia and Renault Samsung, aims to sell 4 million vehicles worldwide in
2010 .
Current members of the ,
Michel Barbier ,
Alain Champigneux ,
François De Combret ,
Charles De Croisset ,
Carlos Ghosn ,
Jean-Louis Girdolle ,
Itaru Koeda ,
Marc Ladreit De Lacharrière ,
Dominique De La Garanderie ,
Bernard Larraouturou ,
Henri Martre ,
Jean-Claude Paye ,
François Pinault ,
Franck Riboud ,
Louis Schweitzer ,
Georges Stcherbatcheff , and
Robert Studer .
- 1898 - Louis Renault founded Renault
- 1979 to 1987 , Renault held majority ownership in the American Motors Corporation (AMC), which it sold to Chrysler Corporation in March 1987.
- 1986 - On April 9 the Government Of France ruled against the privatization of Renault.
- 1992 - Louis Schweitzer becomes president of Renault group.
- 1996 - The company was Privatized to create
- 1999 - Renault purchased a 35 percent equity stake in Nissan the troubled Japanese car maker, injecting $3.5 billion to obtain effective control of the company under Japanese law. Renault vice-president, Carlos Ghosn was parachuted in to turn round the ailing firm.
- 2001 - Renault sold its industrial vehicle subdivision (''Renault Véhicules Industriels'') to Volvo , which renamed it Renault Trucks in 2002 .
- 2002 - Benetton Formula One team formally becomes Renault F1
- 2005 - Carlos Ghosn becomes president.
See
List Of Renault Vehicles .
:''Main article:
Motorsport has long been recognised as an effective marketing tool for automobile manufacturers. In the late seventies and early eighties, Renault began to involve itself more heavily in motorsport, setting up a dedicated motorsport division called
Renault Sport , and winning the Le Mans 24 Hours (once again in collaboration with Alpine) while achieving success in both rallying (with the
Renault 5 Turbo ) and
Formula One . Initially, Renault's entry into Formula One in 1977 was ridiculed when the team's first design included such curiosities as a
Turbocharger . However, the team were to win their first race on home soil in
Dijon a mere two years later and by the early eighties, every front-running Formula One team used turbochargers.
Renault also took over the Benetton F1 team in
2001 , and quickly became very competitive,
Fernando Alonso winning Renault's first race in its second incarnation at the
2003 Hungarian Grand Prix . 2004 saw the Renault team finish a close third in the Constructors' Championsip and in 2005 the team won both Constructors' and Drivers' titles (with Fernando Alonso).
Questions have been raised regarding Renault's commitment to its Formula One team, particularly with the appointment of Carlos Ghosn as CEO. However at the
2005 French Grand Prix Ghosn set out his policy regarding the company's involvement in motorsport:
"We are not in Formula One out of habit or tradition. We're here to show our talent and that we can do it properly... Formula One is a cost if you don't get the results. Formula One is an investment if you do have them and know how to exploit them."
In short he will continue Renault's investment in F1 as long as the team is successful and can use the resulting publicity for wider commercial gain. Conversly if the team is unsuccessful in future it can be expected that Ghosn will withdraw resources from the sport.
Renault cars have performed well in the '' (
1966 ),
Renault 9 (
1982 ),
Renault Clio (
1991 ),
Renault Mégane Scénic (
1997 ),
Renault Mégane (
2003 ) and
Renault Clio III (
2006 ) have all won the award. The
Renault 12 (
1970 ),
Renault 5 (
1972 ),
Renault 20 (
1976 ),
Renault 25 (
1985 ) and
Renault Laguna (
2002 ) have all achieved runners-up in spot in the competition. Renault has regularly topped the French car sales charts, fighting off fierce competition from
Citroën and
Peugeot .
Both the Renault logo and its documentation (technical as well as commercial) had used a specially designed
Typeface called ''Renault'', developed by British firm
Wolff Olins . This type family is said to have been designed not for prestige reasons, but mainly to save costs at a time where the use of typefaces was more costly than it is now.
In
2004 , French
Typeface Designer Jean-François Porchez was commissioned to design a replacement. This was shown in
October of that year and is called ''Renault Identité''.
