Brand histories
The History of Renault
Autopapyrus
Renault S.A. is an automaker founded in France in 1899.
Louis Renault (1877–1944) was interested in electricity and mechanics from an early age, and he was destined to become the "father" of the thriving car company Renault, whose history now spans more than a century. His story shows that dreams really do come true. At just 21, young Louis surprised the public with a car of his own design: he converted a three-wheeled motorcycle into a four-wheeled automobile with his own invention, the direct-drive gearbox. Orders for the model soon poured in for the young inventor, and automakers of the day began building the gearbox he had designed.
His next big success was his debut car, the Renault, which Europeans loved for its light weight and nimble handling. Despite its modest output (just 0.75 horsepower), it won more than one race. With the prize money, Louis founded his company, Renault, in 1899. A year later the company was building more powerful cars, and 179 of them were sold. That figure had grown many times over by 1904. Around this time Renault began expanding its branches (today the company has 120 official dealers worldwide).
In 1906 the first Renault bus appeared, and the company also began producing aircraft engines. By 1919 Louis Renault had become the most respected and wealthiest industrialist in France.
During World War II, Renault produced trucks, but as soon as peace returned, the company turned its attention back to passenger cars. For example, the first affordable postwar model, the Renault 4CV, became a symbol of accessible motoring for ordinary people. Over 15 years of production, more than one million Renault 4CVs were sold, each with a compact but lively 0.7-liter (43 cu in) engine.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Renault actively expanded into foreign markets, and Renault cars began to be built in Spain, England, Japan, and South Africa. In 1962, the Renault Dauphine was the overall winner of the American Tour de Course.
In 1965 came the car that for a long time served as Renault's calling card, and, by the standards of its day, the ideal family car: the Renault 16, with front-wheel drive and independent torsion bar suspension.
Among Renault's commercial models, the Espace and Estafette became famous. In motorsport, the French company excelled as well. In the second half of the 20th century it offered a new racing engine that pushed a car to speeds of up to 210 kilometers per hour (130 mph), an absolute record for the time. Since 1999, the Renault brand has been part of a group that oversees marques such as Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors. Renault's partnership with Nissan led to the successful Renault-Nissan Alliance, which ranks third in the world by annual vehicle sales.
We are confident that Renault has more pleasant surprises in store for its fans in the near future, because this history is a history of success!
Louis Renault (1877–1944) was interested in electricity and mechanics from an early age, and he was destined to become the "father" of the thriving car company Renault, whose history now spans more than a century. His story shows that dreams really do come true. At just 21, young Louis surprised the public with a car of his own design: he converted a three-wheeled motorcycle into a four-wheeled automobile with his own invention, the direct-drive gearbox. Orders for the model soon poured in for the young inventor, and automakers of the day began building the gearbox he had designed.
His next big success was his debut car, the Renault, which Europeans loved for its light weight and nimble handling. Despite its modest output (just 0.75 horsepower), it won more than one race. With the prize money, Louis founded his company, Renault, in 1899. A year later the company was building more powerful cars, and 179 of them were sold. That figure had grown many times over by 1904. Around this time Renault began expanding its branches (today the company has 120 official dealers worldwide).
In 1906 the first Renault bus appeared, and the company also began producing aircraft engines. By 1919 Louis Renault had become the most respected and wealthiest industrialist in France.
During World War II, Renault produced trucks, but as soon as peace returned, the company turned its attention back to passenger cars. For example, the first affordable postwar model, the Renault 4CV, became a symbol of accessible motoring for ordinary people. Over 15 years of production, more than one million Renault 4CVs were sold, each with a compact but lively 0.7-liter (43 cu in) engine.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Renault actively expanded into foreign markets, and Renault cars began to be built in Spain, England, Japan, and South Africa. In 1962, the Renault Dauphine was the overall winner of the American Tour de Course.
In 1965 came the car that for a long time served as Renault's calling card, and, by the standards of its day, the ideal family car: the Renault 16, with front-wheel drive and independent torsion bar suspension.
Among Renault's commercial models, the Espace and Estafette became famous. In motorsport, the French company excelled as well. In the second half of the 20th century it offered a new racing engine that pushed a car to speeds of up to 210 kilometers per hour (130 mph), an absolute record for the time. Since 1999, the Renault brand has been part of a group that oversees marques such as Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors. Renault's partnership with Nissan led to the successful Renault-Nissan Alliance, which ranks third in the world by annual vehicle sales.
We are confident that Renault has more pleasant surprises in store for its fans in the near future, because this history is a history of success!
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