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Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches, aircraft and aircraft engines, and autorail vehicles. According to the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, in 2016 Renault was the ninth biggest automaker in the world by production volume. By 2017, the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance had become the world's biggest seller of light vehicles. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, near
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, the Renault group is made up of the namesake Renault marque and subsidiaries, Alpine, Renault Sport ( Gordini), Automobile Dacia from Romania, and Renault Samsung Motors from South Korea. Renault has a 43.4% stake with several votes in Nissan of Japan, and used to have a 1.55% stake in Daimler AG of Germany, it was sold off in early 2021 to help them overcome financial difficulties. (Since 2012 Renault has manufactured engines for Daimler's Mercedes A-Class and B-Class cars and is also fully involved in manufacturing of the
Mercedes-Benz Citan The Mercedes-Benz Citan is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle introduced as a badge-engineered variant of the Renault Kangoo in 2012 and marketed by Mercedes-Benz as the successor to the Vaneo compact MPV. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, ...
van). Renault also owns subsidiaries RCI Banque (automotive financing), Renault Retail Group (automotive distribution) and Motrio (automotive parts). Renault has various joint ventures, including Oyak-Renault (Turkey) and Renault Pars (Iran). The French state owns a 15% share of Renault.
Renault Trucks Renault Trucks is a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been a subsidiary of the Volvo Group since 2001. From its beginnings in 1978 to 2002, the comp ...
, previously known as Renault Industriels, has been part of Volvo since 2001. Renault Agriculture became 100% owned by German agricultural equipment manufacturer CLAAS in 2008. Renault's shareholding in
AvtoVAZ AvtoVAZ ( rus, АвтоВАЗ, p=ɐftoˈvas) is a Russian automobile manufacturing company owned by the state. It was formerly named as VAZ ( rus, ВАЗ), an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian (russian: Во́лжский автомо� ...
is being divested to the Government of Russia as an effect of the ongoing
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. Together Renault and Nissan invested €4 billion (US$5.16 billion) in eight electric vehicles over three to four years beginning in 2011. Since the launch of the Renault electric program, the group has sold more than 273,000 electric vehicles worldwide through December 2019. Renault is known for its role in motor sport, particularly rallying, Formula 1 and Formula E. Its early work on mathematical curve
modeling A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
for car bodies is important in the history of
computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
.


History


Founding and early years (1898–1918)

The Renault corporation was founded on as ''Société Renault Frères'' by Louis Renault and his brothers Marcel and Fernand. Louis was a bright, aspiring young engineer who had already designed and built several prototypes before teaming up with his brothers, who had honed their business skills working for their father's textile firm. While Louis handled design and production, Marcel and Fernand managed the business. The first Renault car, the Renault Voiturette 1CV, was sold to a friend of Louis' father after giving him a test ride on 24 December 1898. In 1903, Renault began to manufacture its own engines; until then it had purchased them from
De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux. Steam cars T ...
. The first major volume sale came in 1905 when Société des Automobiles de Place bought Renault AG1 cars to establish a fleet of taxis. These vehicles were later used by the French military to transport troops during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
which earned them the nickname " Taxi de la Marne." By 1907, a significant percentage of London and Paris taxis had been built by Renault. Renault was also the best-selling foreign brand in New York in 1907 and 1908. In 1908 the company produced 3,575 units, becoming the country's largest car manufacturer. The brothers recognised the value of publicity that participation in motor racing could generate for their vehicles. Renault made itself known through succeeding in the first city-to-city races held in Switzerland, producing rapid sales growth. Both Louis and Marcel raced company vehicles, but Marcel was killed in an accident during the 1903 Paris-Madrid race. Although Louis never raced again, his company remained very involved, including Ferenc Szisz winning the first Grand Prix motor racing event in a Renault AK 90CV in 1906. Louis took full control of the company as the only remaining brother in 1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons. Fernand died in 1909 and Louis became the sole owner, renaming the company ''Société des Automobiles Renault'' (Renault Automobile Company). Renault fostered its reputation for innovation from very early on. At the time, cars were luxury items manufactured without assembly line advances. The price of the smallest Renaults at the time was 3000
franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...
s (₣); an amount equal to ten years pay for the average worker. In 1905, the company introduced mass production techniques and Taylorism in 1913. In 1911, Renault visited Henry Ford at the Highland Park factory and adopted some of the manufacturing principles from his trip. Renault manufactured buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years. The first real
commercial truck Truck classifications are typically based upon the maximum loaded weight of the truck, typically using the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and sometimes also the gross trailer weight rating (GTWR), and can vary among jurisdictions. United ...
from the company was introduced in 1906. During World War I, it branched out into ammunition, military aircraft engines (the first
Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
aircraft engines were modeled and inspired by Renault air-cooled aircraft V8 units) and vehicles such as the revolutionary Renault FT tank. The company's military designs were so successful that Louis was awarded the Legion of Honour for his company's contributions. The company exported engines to American automobile manufacturers for use in such automobiles as the
GJG The GJG was an American automobile manufactured from 1909 until 1914 by George John Grossman in White Plains, New York. It was assembled from imported components, which included a "Renault-type" 26 hp or 40 hp four-cylinder engine. The ...
, which used a Renault or four-cylinder engine.


Interwar years (1919–1938)

Louis Renault enlarged Renault's scope after 1918, producing agricultural and
industrial machinery The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to industrial machinery: Essence of industrial machinery * Heavy equipment * Hardware * Industrial process * Machine * Machine tool * Tool Industrial machines * Agricul ...
. The war from 1914 until 1918 led to many new products. The first Renault tractor, the Type GP was produced between 1919 and 1930. It was based on the FT tank. Renault struggled to compete with the increasingly popular small, affordable "people's cars," while problems with the United States stock market and the workforce slowed the company's growth. Renault also had to find a way to distribute its vehicles more efficiently. In 1920, Louis signed one of its first distribution contracts with Gustave Gueudet, an entrepreneur from Amiens, France which they still maintain a relationship. The pre-First World War cars had a distinctive front shape caused by positioning the radiator behind the engine to give a so-called " coal scuttle"
bonnet A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Scottish * Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations: ** Fea ...
. This continued through the 1920s. Only in 1930 did all models place the radiator at the front. The bonnet badge changed from circular to the familiar and continuing diamond shape in 1925. The practice of installing the radiator behind the engine against the firewall continued during the 1950s and 1960s on vehicles where the engine was installed longitudinally in the rear of the vehicle. Renault introduced new models at the
Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
that was held in September or October of the year. This led to confusion about model years. For example, a "1927" model was mostly produced in 1928. Renault cars during this time period had two model lines; the economy four-cylinder engine models that in the 1930s became the suffix "Quatre" and the luxury six-cylinder models that were initially sold with the suffix "-six" that later became the suffix "Stella". For example, in 1928, when Renault produced 45,809 cars, its seven models started with a 6CV, a 10CV, the Monasix, 15CV, the Vivasix, the 18/22CV and the 40CV. Renault offered eight body styles. The longer rolling chassis were available to coachbuilders. The smaller were the most popular while the least produced was the 18/24CV. The most expensive body style in each range was the closed car. Roadsters and tourers (torpedoes) were the cheapest. The London operation was important to Renault in 1928. The UK market was quite large and North America also received exports for the luxury car market. Lifted suspensions, enhanced cooling, and special bodies were common on vehicles sold abroad. Exports to the US by 1928 had declined to near-zero from their high point prior to WWI. A Type NM 40CV Tourer had a US list price of over US$4,600 ($ in dollars), about the same as a Cadillac V-12,
Packard Eight The Packard Eight was a luxury automobile produced by Packard between 1924 and 1936, and was an all new platform that took the top market position from the earlier Packard Twin Six which was first introduced in 1916. When it was introduced, it w ...
,
Fiat 520 The Fiat 520 is the name of two different Fiat models produced during the 1920s. 520 "Superfiat" (1921–1923) Fiat's first entrant in the luxury car market, the 520 "Superfiat" was equipped with a V12 engine of 6,805 cc that produced an estimat ...
, or
Delahaye Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation with two unrelated brothers-in-law as equal partners in 1898. The compa ...
. Closed 7-seat limousines like the Renault Suprastella started at US$6,000 ($ in dollars). Cars were conservatively engineered and built. The Renault Vivasix, model PG1, was sold as the "executive sports" model beginning in 1927. Lighter weight factory steel bodies powered by a 3,180 cubic centimetre (cc) six-cylinder motor provided a formula that lasted until the Second World War. "de Grand Luxe Renaults", those with a wheelbase over , were produced in small numbers in two major types – six- and eight-cylinder. The 1927 six-cylinder Grand Renault models NM, PI and PZ introduced the new three spring rear suspension that considerably aided stability that was needed since some vehicles surpassed . The straight 8-cylinder Reinastella was introduced in 1929 and expanded to a range culminating in 1939 Suprastella. Coachbuilders included Kellner, Labourdette, J. Rothschild et Fils and Renault bodies. Closed car Renault bodies were often trimmed with interior woodwork by Rothschild. In 1928, Renault introduced an upgraded specification to its "Stella" line. The Vivastella's and Grand Renaults had upgraded interior fittings and a small star fitted above the front hood logo. This proved to be a winning differentiator and in the 1930s all cars changed to the Stella suffix from the previous two alpha character model identifiers. The Grand Renaults were built using a considerable amount of aluminium. Engines, brakes, transmissions, floor and running boards and all external body panels were aluminium. Of the few that were built, many went to scrap to aid the war effort. In 1931, Renault introduced
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
s for its commercial vehicles. Renault was one of the few French vehicle manufacturers that pursued the production of aircraft engines after World War I. In the late 1920s, it attempted to produce a high-power military engine to compete with the American Pratt & Whitney units, which proved unsuccessful, although its civil engines achieved better results.Smith, Michael Stephen (2006). pp. 419–420. In the 1930s, the company took over the aircraft manufacturer Caudron, focusing its production in small airplanes, acquired a stake in Air France and partnered to establish the
airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be t ...
company Air Bleu. Renault Caudron airplanes settled several speed world records during the 1930s. Renault continued developing tanks as part of France's rearming effort, including the D1 and the FT's replacement, the R 35. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Renault was surpassed by Citroën as the largest car manufacturer in France. Citroën models at the time were more innovative and popular than Renault's. However, by mid-1930s the French manufacturers were hit by the Great Depression. Renault could initially offset losses through its tractor, railroad and weaponry businesses, while Citroën filed for bankruptcy, and was later acquired by Michelin. Renault became again the largest car manufacturer, a position it would keep until the 1980s. Renault was finally affected by the Great Depression economic crisis in 1936. The company spun off Caudron and its foundry and aircraft engine divisions into related but autonomous operations, keeping its core automotive business. Between 1936 and 1938, a series of labour disputes, strikes, and worker unrest spread throughout the French automobile industry. The disputes were eventually quashed by Renault in a particularly intransigent way, and over 2,000 people lost their jobs.


World War II and aftermath (1939–1944)

After the French capitulation in 1940, Louis Renault refused to produce tanks for
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, which took control of his factories. As Renault was manufacturing the
Renault UE The Renault UE Chenillette is a light tracked armoured carrier and prime mover produced by France between 1932 and 1940. In 1930 the French Infantry decided to develop a light armoured vehicle able to tow and supply small cannon and mortars. I ...
tank for the Allies, he produced trucks instead. On 3 March 1942, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) launched 235 low-level bombers at the Île Seguin, Billancourt, Paris plant, the largest number aimed at a single target during the war. of bombs were dropped on the plant and the surrounding area, causing extensive damage along with heavy civilian casualties. Renault resolved to rebuild the factory as quickly as possible, but bombardments continued a year later, on 4 April, this time delivered by the Americans, and on 3 and 15 September 1943. A few weeks after the Liberation of Paris, at the start of September 1944, the factory gates at Renault's Billancourt plant reopened. Operations restarted slowly, in an atmosphere poisoned by plotting and political conspiracy. In 1936, the Billancourt factory had been the scene of violent political and industrial unrest that had surfaced under Léon Blum's
Popular Front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...
government. The political jostling and violence that followed liberation ostensibly reflected the rivalries between capitalist collaboration and communist resistance; many of the scores settled predated the invasion. Responding to the chaotic situation at Renault, a 27 September 1944 meeting of the Council of Ministers ( fr) took place under de Gaulle's presidency. Postwar European politics had quickly become polarised between communists and anti-communists, and in France de Gaulle was keen to resist Communist Party attempts to monopolise the political dividends available to resistance heroes: politically Billancourt was a communist stronghold. The government decided to "requisition" the Renault factories. A week later, on 4 October,
Pierre Lefaucheux Pierre-André Lefaucheux (30 June 1898 – 11 February 1955) was a leading French industrialist and recipient of the Order of Liberation, awarded to heroes of France's Liberation during World War II. As the first chairman of Renault during the c ...
, a resistance leader with a background in engineering and top-level management, was appointed provisional administrator of the firm, assuming his responsibilities at once. Meanwhile, the provisional government accused Louis Renault of collaborating with the Germans. In the frenzied atmosphere of those early post-liberation days, with many wild accusations, Renault was advised by his lawyers to present himself to a judge. He appeared before Judge Marcel Martin, on 22 September 1944 and was arrested on 23 September 1944, as were several other French automobile-industry leaders. Renault's harsh handling of the 1936–1938 strikes had left him without political allies and no one came to his aid. He was incarcerated at
Fresnes prison Fresnes Prison (''French Centre pénitentiaire de Fresnes'') is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne, south of Paris. It comprises a large men's prison (''maison d'arrêt'') of about 1200 cells, a small ...
where he died on 24 October 1944 under unclear circumstances, while awaiting trial. On 1 January 1945, by de Gaulle's decree, the company was posthumously expropriated from Louis Renault. On 16 January 1945, it was formally nationalised as ''Régie Nationale des Usines Renault''. Renault's were the only factories permanently expropriated by the French government. In subsequent years, the Renault family tried to have the nationalisation rescinded by French courts and receive compensation. In 1945, and again in 1961, the Courts responded that they had no authority to review the government's actions.


Postwar resurgence (1945–1971)

Under the leadership of
Pierre Lefaucheux Pierre-André Lefaucheux (30 June 1898 – 11 February 1955) was a leading French industrialist and recipient of the Order of Liberation, awarded to heroes of France's Liberation during World War II. As the first chairman of Renault during the c ...
, Renault experienced both a commercial resurgence and labor unrest, that was to continue into the 1980s. In the early 1950s, Renault assembled at least two models; "Standard Saloon" and "De Luxe Saloon" in England. In secrecy during the war, Louis Renault had developed the rear engine 4CV which was subsequently launched under Lefacheux in 1946. Renault debuted its flagship model, the largely conventional 2-litre 4-cylinder Renault Frégate (1951–1960), shortly thereafter. The 4CV proved a capable rival for cars such as the
Morris Minor The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in ...
and Volkswagen Beetle; its sales of more than half a million ensured its production until 1961. After the success of the 4CV, Lefacheux continued to defy the postwar French Ministry of Industrial Production, which had wanted to convert Renault solely to truck manufacture, by directing the development of its successor. He oversaw the prototyping of the Dauphine (until his death), enlisting the help of artist Paule Marrot in pioneering the company's textile and color division. The Dauphine sold well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including Africa and North America. The Dauphine sold well initially in the US, although it subsequently became outdated against increased competition, including from the country's nascent domestic compacts such as the Chevrolet Corvair. Renault also sold the Renault Caravelle roadster, which was called the Floride outside North America. During the 1950s, Renault absorbed two small French heavy vehicle manufacturers (
Somua Somua, an acronym for ''Société d'outillage mécanique et d'usinage d'artillerie'', was a French company that manufactured machinery and vehicles. A subsidiary of Schneider-Creusot, Somua was based in Saint-Ouen, a suburb of Paris. Overview ...
and
Latil Latil was a French automaker specializing in heavy duty vehicles, such as trucks, agricultural equipment, and buses, from 1898 to 1955. It had factories in Paris, Suresnes, and Marseille. History In 1897, Auguste Joseph Frederic Georges Latil ( ...
) and in 1955 merged them with its own truck and bus division to form the Société Anonyme de Véhicules Industriels et d'Equipements Mécaniques (Saviem). Renault then launched two successful cars – the Renault 4 (1961–1992), a practical competitor for the likes of the
Citroën 2CV The Citroën 2CV (french: link=no, deux chevaux(-vapeur), , lit. "two steam horse(power)s", meaning "two ''taxable'' horsepower") is an air-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive, economy family car, introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial d ...
, and the
Renault 8 The Renault 8 (Renault R8 until 1964) and Renault 10 are two rear-engined, rear-wheel drive small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 8 was launched in 1962, and the 10, a more upmarket ve ...
. The larger rear-engined Renault 10 followed the success of the R8, and was the last rear-engined Renault. The company achieved success with the more modern and more upmarket Renault 16, a pioneering hatchback launched in 1966, followed by the smaller Renault 6. On 16 January 1970, the manufacturer celebrated the 25th anniversary of its 1945 rebirth as the nationalised ''Régie Nationale des Usines Renault''. The 1960s had been a decade of aggressive growth: a few months earlier, in October 1969, the manufacturer had launched the Renault 12, combining the engineering philosophy of its hatchbacks with the more conservative "three-box" design. The four-door Renault 12 model fit between the Renault 6 and Renault 16. The model was a success. 1970 was also the first year during which Renault produced more than a million cars in a single year, building 1,055,803.


Modern era (1972–1980)

The company's compact and economical Renault 5 model, launched in January 1972, was another success, anticipating the 1973 energy crisis. Throughout the 1970s the R4, R5, R6, R12, R15, R16, and R17 maintained Renault's production with new models including the
Renault 18 The Renault 18 is a large family car produced by French manufacturer Renault between 1978 and 1989, with South American production continuing until 1994. It formed the basis for the closely related Renault Fuego Coupé, with which it shared its ...
and
Renault 20 The Renault 20 ''(R20)'' and Renault 30 ''(R30)'' are two executive cars produced by the French automaker Renault between 1975 and 1984. The most upmarket and expensive Renaults of their time, the two cars were almost identical with regard to shee ...
. During the mid-seventies, the already broad-based company diversified into more industries and continued to expand globally, including
South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
. The energy crisis led Renault to again attempt to attack the North American market. Despite the Dauphine's success in the United States in the late 1950s and an unsuccessful assembly project in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec (1964–72), Renault began to disappear from North America at the end of the decade. Renault acquired a controlling stake in Automobiles Alpine in 1973, and over the decades, Renault developed a collaborative partnership with Nash Motors Rambler and its successor American Motors Corporation (AMC). From 1962 until 1967, Renault assembled
complete knock down A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
(CKD) kits of the Rambler Classic sedans in its factory in Belgium. Renault did not have large or luxury cars in its product line and the "Rambler Renault" was positioned as an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz "Fintail" cars. Later, Renault continued to make and sell a hybrid of AMC's Rambler American and Rambler Classic called the Renault Torino in Argentina (sold through IKA-Renault). Renault partnered with AMC on other projects, such as a rotary concept engine in the late 1960s. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the company established subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, most notably Dacia in Romania, and South America (many of which remain active) 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 30 may refer to: *30 (number), the natural number following 29 and preceding 31 *one of the years 30 BC, AD 30, 1930, 2030 Music * ''30'' (Laurent Garnier album), 1997, by Laurent Garnier * ''30'' (Harry Connick Jr. album), 2001 * ''30'' (James ...
, Peugeot 604, and
Volvo 260 The Volvo 200 Series (or 240 and 260 Series) is a range of mid-size cars produced by Swedish company Volvo Cars from 1974 until 1993, with more than 2.8 million total units sold worldwide. Like the Volvo 140 Series (1966 to 1974), from which it ...
in the late 1970s). In the mid-1960s, Renault Australia was set up in Melbourne. The company produced and assembled models including the R8, R10, R12, R16, sporty R15, R17 coupes, R18, and R20. The unit closed in 1981 and the factory closed with LNC Industries taking over import and distribution of Renaults in Australia. When Peugeot acquired Citroën and formed PSA, the group's collaboration with Renault was reduced, although established joint production projects were maintained. Prior its merging with Peugeot, Citroën sold to Renault the truck and bus manufacturer
Berliet Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into 'a ...
in December 1974, merging it with its subsidiary Saviem in 1978 to create
Renault Véhicules Industriels Renault Trucks is a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been a subsidiary of the Volvo Group since 2001. From its beginnings in 1978 to 2002, the comp ...
, which became the only French manufacturer of heavy commercial vehicles. In 1976, Renault reorganised the company into four business areas: automobiles (for car and
light commercial vehicles A light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand is a commercial carrier vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 metric tons (tonnes). The LCV designation is also occasionally used in both Cana ...
or LCVs), finance and services, commercial vehicles (coaches and trucks over 2.5 tons GVW), and minor operations under an industrial enterprises division (farm machinery, plastics, foundry, etc.). In 1980, Renault produced 2,053,677 cars and LCVs. The cars at the time were the Renault 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 30; the LCVs were the 4, 5, and 12 Société and the Estafette. The company added 54,086 buses/coaches and trucks. In North America, Renault partnered with American Motors Corporation (AMC), lending AMC operating capital and buying a minority 22.5% stake in the company in late 1979. The first Renault model sold through AMC's dealerships was the R5, renamed Renault Le Car. Jeep was keeping AMC afloat until new products, particularly the XJ Cherokee, could be launched. When the bottom fell out of the four-wheel drive (4×4) truck market in early 1980, AMC was in danger of bankruptcy. To protect its investment, Renault bailed AMC out with cash – at the price of a controlling 47.5% interest. Renault replaced some AMC executives, and Jose J. Dedeurwaerder of Renault became President of AMC. The partnership resulted in the marketing of Jeep vehicles in Europe. The Jeep XJ Cherokee may have been a joint AMC/Renault project since some early sketches of the XJ series were made in collaboration by Renault and AMC engineers (AMC insisted that the XJ Cherokee was designed by AMC personnel; even though a former Renault engineer designed the Quadra-Link front suspension for the XJ series). The Jeep also used wheels and seats from Renault. Part of AMC's overall strategy was to save manufacturing costs by using Renault's parts and engineering expertise when practical. This led to the improvement of the venerable AMC inline six – a Renault/Bendix-based port electronic fuel injection system (usually called Renix) transformed it into a modern, competitive powerplant with a jump from with less displacement (from 4.2 to 4.0 litres). The XJC Cherokee concept, which was conceived in 1983 as a successor to the XJ series, was also a joint collaboration with AMC and Renault engineers until the design was inherited by the Chrysler Corporation in late 1987 after Renault divested AMC – which debuted in 1989 as the Jeep Concept 1 (evolving into the
Jeep Grand Cherokee The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-size SUVs produced by the American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody chassis from the ...
in April 1992). The Renault-AMC marketing effort in passenger cars was unsuccessful compared to the popularity of Jeep vehicles. This was because, by the time the Renault range was ready, the second energy crisis was over, taking with it much of the desire for economical, compact cars. One exception was the
Renault Alliance The Renault Alliance is a front-wheel drive, front-engine subcompact automobile manufactured and marketed in North America by American Motors Corporation (AMC) for model years 1983–1987. The Alliance and its subsequent hatchback variant, the ...
(an Americanised version of the
Renault 9 The Renault 9 and Renault 11 are small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault for model years 1981–1988 in saloon (Renault 9) and hatchback (Renault 11) configurations — both were styled by the French automobile designer, Ro ...
), which debuted for the 1983 model year. Assembled at AMC's
Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...
plant, the Alliance received '' Motor Trend''s domestic
Car of The Year Car of the Year (COTY) is a common abbreviation for numerous automotive awards. The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by ''Motor Trend'' magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of the ...
award in 1983. The Alliance's 72% US content allowed it to qualify as a domestic vehicle, making it the first car with a foreign nameplate to win the award. (In 2000, ''Motor Trend'' did away with separate awards for domestic and imported vehicles.) A surprising side effect of the AMC linkup was that Renault felt the effects of the Arab League boycott of companies doing business with Israel, as AMC built Jeeps there under license. Plans to sell the Renault 9 in the Middle East were mothballed as a result. Introductions in the US during the 1980s included the Renault Alliance GTA and GTA convertible – an automatic-top convertible with a 2.0 L engine – big for a car of its class and the
Renault Fuego The Renault Fuego (''Fire'' in Spanish) is a sport hatchback that was manufactured and marketed by Renault from 1980 to 1986, replacing the Renault 15 and 17 coupés of the 1970s. Marketed in the United States by American Motors Corporatio ...
coupé. The Alliance was followed by the Encore (US version of the Renault 11), an Alliance-based hatchback. In 1982, Renault become the second European automaker to build cars in the US, after Volkswagen. However, bland styling and poor product quality proved insurmountable. Eventually, Renault sold AMC to Chrysler in 1987 after the assassination of Renault's chairman, Georges Besse by Action directe. The
Renault Medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
(Renault 21 in Europe) sedan and wagon was sold from 1987 until 1989 through Jeep-Eagle dealerships. Jeep-Eagle was the division Chrysler created out of the former AMC. Renault imports ended after 1989. A completely new full-sized 4-door sedan, the Eagle Premier, was developed during the partnership between AMC and Renault. The Premier design, as well as its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in
Bramalea, Ontario Bramalea (''Bram-a-lee'') is a large suburban district in the City of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Bramalea was created as an innovative " new town", and developed as a separate community from the city. Located in the former Chinguacousy Tow ...
, Canada, were the starting point for the sleek LH sedans such as the
Eagle Vision The Eagle Vision is a full-sized, front-wheel drive four-door sports sedan produced from 1992 until 1997. It was marketed by Eagle, replacing the AMC/Renault-designed Eagle Premier (from which the Vision was derived). The Eagle Vision was ...
and Chrysler 300M. In early 1979, as part of its attempts to expand into the US market, Renault bought a 20% stake in truck manufacturer Mack. The aim of this operation was to make use of the company's extensive dealership network to distribute light trucks. In 1983, Renault increased its stake in Mack to 44.6%. In 1987, it transferred the ownership of a 42% stake to Renault Véhicules Industriels. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Renault increased its involvement in motorsport, with novel inventions such as turbochargers in its Formula One cars. Renault's Head of Engines, Georges Douin, orchestrated the installation of turbocharged engines across much of the Renault range beginning in 1980. 10% of all turbocharged European cars in 1984 were Renaults. The company's road car designs were revolutionary in other ways also – the Renault Espace was one of the first minivans and was to remain the most well-known minivan in Europe for the next two decades. The second-generation Renault 5, the European Car of the Year-winning
Renault 9 The Renault 9 and Renault 11 are small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault for model years 1981–1988 in saloon (Renault 9) and hatchback (Renault 11) configurations — both were styled by the French automobile designer, Ro ...
, and the most luxurious Renault yet, the aerodynamic 25, were all released in the early 1980s. At the same time, poor product quality damaged the brand. The ill-fated
Renault 14 The Renault 14 is a compact car produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1976 and 1983. It was first shown in January 1976 with production beginning in June of that year. It was the first car to be produced in large volumes at the compa ...
may have been the culmination of these problems in the early 1980s.


Restructuring (1981–1995)

Renaults were somewhat successful on both road and track, including the 1984
Espace Espace may refer to: * ESPACE, a complexity class in computational complexity theory * Espace musique, a Canadian radio service * Espace 2, a Swiss radio station * Radio Espace, a French radio station *Espace Group, a French media company *Group Es ...
launch, which was Europe's first multi-purpose vehicle, a dozen years before any competitor. However, Renault was losing a billion francs a month totaling ₣12.5 billion in 1984. The government intervened and Georges Besse was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling many of Renault's non-core assets (Volvo stake, Gitane, Eurocar, and Renix), withdrawing almost entirely from motorsports, and laying off many employees. This halved the deficit by 1986, but Besse was murdered by the communist terrorist group '' Action Directe'' in November 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued Besse's initiatives, slimming the company enough that by the end of 1987, Renault was more or less financially stable. However, while Besse was convinced that Renault needed a presence in the North American market and wanted to push forward with restructuring AMC, Lévy, facing domestic losses from Renault at home, and losses from AMC in the US, along with the political climate that led to Besse's assassination, decided to sell AMC to Chrysler that same year. The
Renault 9 The Renault 9 and Renault 11 are small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault for model years 1981–1988 in saloon (Renault 9) and hatchback (Renault 11) configurations — both were styled by the French automobile designer, Ro ...
, a small four-door family saloon, was voted European Car of the Year on its 1981 launch. It sold well in France, but was eventually eclipsed by its sister vehicle, the Renault 11 hatchback, as the hatchback body style became more popular in this size of the car. The Renault 5 entered its second generation in 1984 and continued to sell well. The long-running
Renault 18 The Renault 18 is a large family car produced by French manufacturer Renault between 1978 and 1989, with South American production continuing until 1994. It formed the basis for the closely related Renault Fuego Coupé, with which it shared its ...
was replaced by the
Renault 21 The Renault 21 is a large family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1986 and 1994. It was also sold in North America initially through American Motors dealers as the Renault Medallion and later through Jeep-Eagle dealers as the Ea ...
early in 1986, adding a seven-seater estate badged as the Nevada or Savanna depending on where it was sold. Renault's top-of-the-range model in the 1980s was the
Renault 25 The Renault 25 is an executive car produced by the France, French automotive industry, automaker Renault from 1983 to 1992. The 25 was Renault's Flagship#Automotive, flagship, the most expensive, prestigious, and the largest vehicle in the co ...
, launched at the end of 1983. In 1990, Renault strengthened its collaboration with Volvo by signing an agreement that allowed both companies to reduce vehicle conception costs and purchasing expenses. Renault had access to Volvo's expertise in upper market segments and in return, Volvo exploited Renault's designs for low and medium segments. In 1993, the two companies announced their intention to merge operations by 1 January 1994 and increased their cross-shareholding. The French accepted the merger, while Volvo shareholders rejected it. A revitalised Renault launched successful new cars in the early 1990s, accompanied by an improved marketing effort on European markets, including the 5 replacement, the Clio in May 1990. The Clio was the first new model of a generation that replaced numeric identifiers with traditional nameplates. The Clio was voted European Car of the Year soon after its launch, and was one of Europe's best-selling cars in the 1990s, proving even more popular than its predecessor. Other important launches included the third-generation
Espace Espace may refer to: * ESPACE, a complexity class in computational complexity theory * Espace musique, a Canadian radio service * Espace 2, a Swiss radio station * Radio Espace, a French radio station *Espace Group, a French media company *Group Es ...
in 1996 and the innovative Twingo in 1992, the first car to be marketed as a city car MPV (
multi-purpose vehicle Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
). The Twingo was roomier than any prior cars of its size range. Twingo sales reached 2.4 million in Europe, even though the original was only built for (Continental)
left-hand drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
markets.


Privatisation and the alliance era (1996–2020)

It was eventually decided that the company's state-owned status was a detriment. By 1994, plans to sell shares to public investors were officially announced. The company was
privatised Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
in 1996. This new freedom allowed the company to venture once again into markets in Eastern Europe and South America, including a new factory in Brazil and upgrades for its infrastructure in Argentina and Turkey. In December 1996,
General Motors Europe General Motors Europe (often abbreviated to GM Europe) was the European subsidiary of the American automaker General Motors ("GM"). The subsidiary was established by GM in 1986 and operated 14 production and assembly facilities in 9 countries, ...
and Renault begun to collaborate in the development of LCVs, starting with the second generation
Trafic ''Trafic'' (''Traffic'') is a 1971 Italian-French comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. ''Trafic'' was the last film to feature Tati's famous character of Monsieur Hulot, and followed the vein of earlier Tati films that lampooned modern society ...
(codenamed X83). Renault's financial problems were not all fixed by the privatisation, and Renault's president, Louis Schweitzer gave to his then deputy,
Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ar, كارلوس غصن; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman who holds Brazilian and French nationality. Ghosn was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Ni ...
, the task of confronting them. Ghosn elaborated a plan to cut costs for the period 1998–2000, reducing the workforce, revising production processes, standardising vehicle parts and pushing the launch of new models. The company also undertook organisational changes, introducing a lean production system with delegate responsibilities inspired by Japanese systems (the "Renault Production Way"), reforming work methods, and centralising research and development at its Technocentre to reduce vehicle conception costs while accelerating such conception. After Volvo's exit, Renault searched for a new partner to cope with an industry that was consolidating. Talks with BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA and others were held and yielded a relationship with Nissan, whose negotiations with Daimler had stalled. Starting on 27 March 1999, the Renault–Nissan Alliance is the first of its kind involving a Japanese and a French company, including cross-ownership. Renault initially acquired a 36.8% stake at a cost of £2.7 billion in Nissan, while Nissan, in turn, took a 15% non-voting stake in Renault. Renault continued to operate as a stand-alone company, but with the intent to collaborate with its alliance partner to reduce costs. The same year, Renault bought a 51% majority stake of the Romanian company Dacia for £408.5 million, thus returning after 30 years, in which time the Romanians had built over 2 million cars that primarily consisted of local versions of the Renault 8, 12 and 20. In 2000, Renault acquired a
controlling stake A controlling interest is an ownership interest in a corporation with enough voting stock shares to prevail in any stockholders' motion. A majority of voting shares (over 50%) is always a controlling interest. When a party holds less than the major ...
of the newly formed South Korean
Samsung Group The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ' ...
's automotive division for £59.5 million. In Japan, Renault was formerly licensed by Yanase Co, Japan's premier seller of imported cars. However, as a result of Renault's purchase of an interest in Nissan in 1999, Yanase cancelled its licensing contract with Renault in the spring of 2000, and Nissan took over as the sole licensee, hence sales of Renault vehicles in Japan were transferred from ''Yanase Store'' locations to '' Nissan Red Stage Store'' locations. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Renault sold various assets to finance its inversions and acquisitions, refocusing itself as a car and van manufacturer. In 1999, the company sold its
industrial automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
subsidiary, Renault Automation, to
Comau Comau (''COnsorzio MAcchine Utensili'') is an Italian multinational company in the automation field based in Turin, Italy, and part of the automaker Stellantis. The company is present in 13 countries and employs 4,000 people and provides service ...
and its engine parts division to TWR Engine Components. In 2001, Renault sold its 50% stake in bus/coach manufacturer Irisbus to co-owner Iveco and its logistics subsidiary, CAT France, to Global Automotive Logistics. Following the sale of Renault Industriels to Volvo in 2001, the company retained a minority (but controlling) stake (20%) in the Volvo Group. In 2010 Renault reduced its shareholding to 6.5% and in December 2012 sold its remaining shares. In 2004, Renault sold a 51% majority stake in its agricultural machinery division, Renault Agriculture, to CLAAS. In 2006, CLAAS increased its ownership to 80% and in 2008 took full control. In the twenty-first century, Renault developed a reputation for distinctive, outlandish design. The second generation of the Laguna and Mégane featured ambitious, angular designs that turned out to be successful, The 2000 Laguna was the second European car to feature "keyless" entry and ignition. Less successful were the company's more upmarket models. The Avantime, a unique coupé
multi-purpose vehicle Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
, sold poorly and was quickly discontinued while the luxury Vel Satis model also disappointed. However, the design inspired the lines of the second-generation Mégane, the maker's most successful car. As well as its distinctive styling, Renault was to become known for its car safety by the independent company Euro NCAP Thus, in 2001, the Laguna achieved a five-star rating, followed in 2004 by the Modus, and acquired control of
AvtoVAZ AvtoVAZ ( rus, АвтоВАЗ, p=ɐftoˈvas) is a Russian automobile manufacturing company owned by the state. It was formerly named as VAZ ( rus, ВАЗ), an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian (russian: Во́лжский автомо� ...
in 2008. In April 2010, Renault–Nissan announced an alliance with Daimler. Renault supplied Mercedes-Benz with its brand new 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine and Mercedes-Benz provided a 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol engine to Renault–Nissan. The resulting new alliance was to develop a replacement for the
Smart Smart or SMART may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Smart'' (Hey! Say! JUMP album), 2014 * Smart (Hotels.com), former mascot of Hotels.com * ''Smart'' (Sleeper album), 1995 debut album by Sleeper * '' SMart'', a children's television se ...
based on the Twingo. In February 2010, Renault opened a new production factory near Tangier, Morocco, with an annual output capacity of 170,000 vehicles. Initially, it manufactured the
Dacia Lodgy The Dacia Lodgy was a compact MPV which was unveiled jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia, officially launched at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Overview Based on a new platform, the Lodgy is front-wheel d ...
and
Dacia Dokker The Dacia Dokker is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle (LAV) built at the Renault factory in Tangier, Morocco. It was officially launched at the 2012 Casablanca Auto Show, and initially went on sale in Morocco in June 2012. It has been ...
models followed in October 2013 by the second generation
Dacia Sandero The Dacia Sandero is a subcompact car/supermini (B-segment) car produced and marketed jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia since 2007, currently at its third generation. It has been also marketed as the Ren ...
. The output capacity increased to 340,000 vehicles per year with the inauguration of a second production line. The site is located in a dedicated
free trade area A free-trade area is the region encompassing a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement (FTA). Such agreements involve cooperation between at least two countries to reduce trade barriers, import quotas and tariffs, and ...
, neighboring Tanger Automotive City. According to Renault, the new factory emits zero carbon and industrial liquid discharges. Over 100,000 vehicles were produced there in 2013. Renault expects to eventually increase production at the Tangier plant to 400,000 vehicles per year. In the 2010s, Renault increased its efforts to gain market share in the Chinese market. In 2013, it formed a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group named as Dongfeng Renault, based on a failed previous venture with the Chinese company Sanjiang. In December 2017, it signed an agreement with Brilliance Auto to create a new joint venture (Renault Brilliance Jinbei) aimed at producing light commercial vehicles and minivans under the Renault,
Jinbei A (alternately or ) is a traditional set of Japanese clothing worn by men, women and children during summer. Consisting of a side-tying, tube-sleeved kimono-style top and a pair of trousers, were originally menswear only, though in recent ...
and Huasong marques. In December 2018, Renault announced it would acquire a "significant" stake in
JMCG Jiangling Motors Corporation Group Co., Ltd. (JMCG) is a Chinese state-owned holding mostly operating in the automotive industry. It was established in 1947 and is headquartered in Nanchang, Jiangxi. JMCG has various production facilities and, ...
's electric vehicle subsidiary JMEV. In July 2019, Renault took a 50% majority stake from JMEV through capital increase. In April 2020, Renault announced it planned to withdraw from the Dongfeng Renault venture, transferring its stake to Dongfeng. In December 2012, the Algeria's National Investment Fund (FNI), the Société Nationale de Véhicules Industriels (SNVI), and Renault signed an agreement to establish a factory near the city of Oran, Algeria, with the aim of manufacturing Symbol units from 2014 onwards. The production output was estimated at 25,000 vehicles. The Algerian State has a 51% stake in the facility. In September 2013, Renault launched its brand in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, with the aim of becoming one of the top European brands there until 2016. The model range at the time of the launch consisted of the Duster (locally assembled), the Koleos and the Mégane RS. Later, the Clio and the Captur were also added. In April 2015, the French government upped their stake in Renault from 15% to 19.73% with the aim of blocking a resolution at the next annual general meeting that could reduce its control over the company. In 2017, the government sold back shares and returned to a 15% stake as agreed with Renault. During 2016, Renault changed position on the viability of small (
B-segment The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...
) diesel cars in Europe, as they become significantly more expensive when re-engineered to comply with new emissions regulations as a result of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Renault believes that all small and some mid-size (
C-segment The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C- ...
) will no longer be diesels by 2020. However, on Friday, 13 January 2017, Renault shares fell as the Paris prosecutor started an investigation into possible exhaust emissions cheating. The company later recalled 15,000 cars for emission testing and fixing. Renault, along with several other automobile companies, has been accused of manipulating the measurement equipment for pollution from diesel cars. Independent tests carried out by the German car club
ADAC ADAC, officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (), is Europe's largest motoring association. ADAC is the largest club (Verein) in Germany with around 21 million members. It would be more aptly described today as an individual mo ...
proved that, under normal driving conditions, diesel vehicles, including the Renault Espace, exceeded legal European emission limits for nitrogen oxide () by more than 10 times.NOX control technologies for Euro 6 Diesel passenger cars, Market penetration and experimental performance assessment
Liuhanzi Yang, Vicente Franco, Alex Campestrini, John German, and Peter Mock. ICCT in collaboration with ADAC, 3 September 2015.
Renault denied any foul play, stating compliance with French and European standards. In November 2018, Renault's CEO Ghosn was arrested by Japanese officials for allegedly underreporting his Nissan's salary, following an internal review conducted by the Japanese company. Renault traded shares fell more than 15% after the arrest was known. After Ghosn's arrest, the
chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if ...
and company deputy chief Thierry Bolloré became the acting CEO and the board director Philippe Lagayette the acting chairman. In January 2019, following Ghosn's resignation, Renault announced it had appointed Jean-Dominique Senard as chairman and the acting CEO Bolloré as CEO. In October 2019, Bolloré was fired and replaced by Renault's
CFO The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...
Clotilde Delbos Clotilde Delbos (born 1967) is a French businesswoman who has been the deputy chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) of Renault since 1 January 2021. She was the CEO of Mobilize brand till 2020. She is notable for taking c ...
as acting CEO. Bolloré said his dismissal was a "coup" by Senard. In January 2020, Renault announced it had named Italian
Luca de Meo Luca de Meo (born 13 June 1967) is an Italian automotive executive who is currently the CEO of Renault. Early life and education Born in Milan in 1967 to parents originating from Locorotondo, de Meo received a degree in Business Administration fr ...
as its new CEO, with him taking his post on 1 July. Delbos was named as his deputy. In May 2020, Renault announced a cost-cutting plan aimed at eliminating 15,000 jobs worldwide, about 10% of the company's workforce, due to falling sales and the COVID-19 pandemic.


Post-COVID (2021)

In January 2021, as part of a company revamp, Renault said it would divide its automotive division into four business units: Renault, Dacia and Lada, Alpine, and Mobilize (the latter for new "new mobility services"). On 15 February 2021, Renault launched SUV Kiger in India. In April 2021, Renault said that its revenue fell by 1.1% from the beginning of 2021 until March and it will reduce car production and focus on models with higher margins. In November 2022, Renault said it planned to spin off the electric car development into a
subsidiary company A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a sam ...
called Ampere. It also planned to spin off its powertrain production and development operations (including internal combustion engines and hybrid systems) into a joint venture company with
Geely Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd (ZGH), commonly known as Geely (吉利 "auspicious"), is a Chinese multinational automotive company headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The company is privately held by Chinese billionaire entrepreneur ...
as co-owner.


Innovations

*1899 Louis Renault "Driving, speed-changing mechanism and reversing gear" Louis Renault invented a revolutionary ''direct drive'' gear with no drive belt, with much better uphill performances. *1963 –
Renault 8 The Renault 8 (Renault R8 until 1964) and Renault 10 are two rear-engined, rear-wheel drive small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 8 was launched in 1962, and the 10, a more upmarket ve ...
was the first serial car with four-wheel disc brake system *1980 – First patents for "Braking distribution device for total adherence" *1988 CARMINAT, a real-time system for location and weather information. This program received European support from 1988, under the code Eureka EU-55 CARMINAT. These innovations for the real-time location and human-machine interfaces are included in the Renault R-link system and Carminat TomTom devices.


Controversies

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on 24 February, many international, particularly Western companies pulled out of Russia. Unlike most of its Western competitors, Renault has been slow to announce any divestments or scaling back of its operations in Russia, drawing criticism. On 21 March, after a brief halt, Renault resumed production at the Renault Russia car plant near Moscow. On 23 March, while addressing the French National Assembly, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for French companies, including Renault, to leave Russia. Later that day, Renault said it had "suspended" Renault Russia operations and was "assessing the available options" regarding its AvtoVAZ ownership. In May 2022, Renault signed agreements to sell 100% of its shares in Renault Russia to Moscow City entity and its 67.69% interest in AvtoVAZ to NAMI (the Central Research and Development Automobile and Engine Institute). The agreement provides an option for Renault to buy back its interest in AvtoVAZ, exercisable at certain times during the next 6 years.


Motorsport

Renault took part in motorsport at the beginning of the 20th century, promoted by
Marcel Renault Marcel Renault (14 May 1872 – 26 May 1903) was a French racing driver and industrialist, co-founder of the carmaker Renault. He was the brother of Louis and Fernand Renault. Renault was born in Paris; he and his brothers jointly founded th ...
's racing interests and over the years acquired companies with a sporting connection such as Gordini and Alpine. In the seventies, Renault set up a dedicated motorsport division called Renault Sport, and, in 1978, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Renault Alpine A442. Renault has also achieved success in both rallying and in Formula One over the past few decades. The company has also backed various one-make single-seater series such as Formula Renault and the Formula Renault 3.5. These two racing series were a step in the career of thousands of drivers, including Formula One champions Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen and
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...
, as well as IndyCar champion Will Power. Renault Sport develops and manufactures the Renault Sport-badged cars, as the Renault Clio RS (for Renault Sport) and the Renault Mégane RS, which own the world records in their categories, such as the Nürburgring, and the Suzuka circuit and awards from '' What Car?'', '' Evo'', and other magazines.


Formula One

Renault introduced the turbo engine to Formula One when they debuted their first car, the
Renault RS01 The Renault RS01 was the first Formula One car to be powered by a turbocharged engine. It was also the first to use radial tyres, which were provided by Michelin. Designed by André de Cortanze and Jean-Pierre Jabouille, it first appeared at the ...
at Silverstone in 1977. The Renault team continued until 1986. From 1989 Renault supplied engines for the successful Williams-Renault car. Renault took over the
Benetton Formula Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000, the t ...
team in 2000 for the 2001 season and renamed it
Renault F1 The French automotive manufacturer Renault has been associated with Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1977. In 1977, the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine ...
in 2002. In 2005 and 2006 the team won the Constructors' and Drivers' titles (with Fernando Alonso). At the 2005 French Grand Prix
Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ar, كارلوس غصن; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman who holds Brazilian and French nationality. Ghosn was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Ni ...
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." Renault powered the winning 2010
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
team, and took a similar role with its old team in December 2010, when it sold its final stake to the investment group Genii Capital, the main stakeholder since December 2009, ending Renault's direct role in running a F1 team for the second time. Renault bought the Enstone-based team for the 2016 season, rebranding it Renault. In 2021, the team was renamed
Alpine F1 Team Alpine F1 Team, competing as BWT Alpine F1 Team, is a Formula One constructor which made its debut at the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault ...
and became part of the new Alpine business unit, with Renault retained as the engine nameplate.


Rallying

Renault has been involved in rallying from an early era. Marcel Renault won the 1902 Rallye Paris-Vienna, but lost his life while competing in the 1903 Paris-Madrid rally. During the 1950s and 1960s, Renault manufactured several small cars with rear wheel drive in some cases, as the 4CV, the R8 or the Dauphine. These cars were well-adapted to the rally of the time, and the tuner Amedee Gordini collaborated with its performance. In the 1950s the Renault Dauphine won several international rallies, including the 1956 Mille Miglia and the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally. In 1973, Renault took control of Automobiles Alpine, a related company for several years, which was responsible for building successful rally cars such as the A110. A highly evolved A110 won the first
World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
, representing Alpine-Renault. In 1976, the Alpine's competition department and the Gordini factory at Viry-Chatillon were merged into Renault Sport. The focus shifted to Formula One, although Renault achieved several victories including the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally with the
Renault 5 Turbo The Renault 5 Turbo or R5 Turbo is a sport hatchback automobile launched by the French manufacturer Renault at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1980. The car was primarily designed for rallying, but was also sold in a street version. A total o ...
before retirement from the world rally in late 1994. Renault cars also participate of cross-country races, most prominently the
Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal ...
. The Marreau brothers won the 1982 edition driving a
Renault 20 The Renault 20 ''(R20)'' and Renault 30 ''(R30)'' are two executive cars produced by the French automaker Renault between 1975 and 1984. The most upmarket and expensive Renaults of their time, the two cars were almost identical with regard to shee ...
Turbo 4x4 prototype. Later, Renault provided a Renault Megane platform and sponsored the Schlesser-Renault
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
buggies that won the 1999 and 2000 editions. The 1999 car was the first two-wheel drive Dakar's winner. Renaults won the
European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship has b ...
four times, in 1970, 1999, 2004 and 2005.


Financial data


Corporate governance

Renault's head office is in Boulogne-Billancourt.BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT – RSAS
." Renault. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
The head office is located near the old Renault factories; Renault has maintained a historical presence in Boulogne-Billancourt since the company's opening in 1898. Renault is administered through a board of directors, an executive committee and a management committee. , members of the 19-seat board include Jean-Dominique Senard (as chairman), Cherie Blair, Catherine Barba and Pascale Sourisse.
Clotilde Delbos Clotilde Delbos (born 1967) is a French businesswoman who has been the deputy chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) of Renault since 1 January 2021. She was the CEO of Mobilize brand till 2020. She is notable for taking c ...
is the acting CEO.


Products and technologies


Current models

Current model line up, with calendar year of introduction: * Clio (1990–present; hatchback) * Twingo (1992–present; hatchback) * Mégane (1995–present; hatchback, estate) ** Mégane E-Tech Electric (2021–present; crossover SUV) * Kangoo (1997–present; developed by Renault and sold in some markets as the
Mercedes-Benz Citan The Mercedes-Benz Citan is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle introduced as a badge-engineered variant of the Renault Kangoo in 2012 and marketed by Mercedes-Benz as the successor to the Vaneo compact MPV. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, ...
and the Nissan Townstar) * Twizy (2012–present) * Zoe (2012–present; hatchback) * Captur (2013–present) * Duster Oroch (Latin America only) (2015–present; pick-up) *
Kwid KWID (101.9 FM, "La Buena 101.9") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Las Vegas, Nevada. The station is owned by Lotus Communications and broadcasts a Spanish-language adult hits format. The KWID studios are located in the uninco ...
(China, India, and Latin America only) (2015–present; hatchback) * Alaskan (Latin America only) (2016–present; pick-up) * Triber (India only) (2019–present; mini MPV) * Kiger (India only) (2021–present) * Taliant (Africa, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Middle East only) (2021–present; restyled
Dacia Logan The Dacia Logan is a family of automobiles produced and marketed jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia since mid-2004, and was the successor to the Dacia 1310 and Dacia Solenza. It has been produced as a ...
) * Austral (2022–present) Dacia vehicles, sold in some markets under the Renault marque: * Logan (2004–present) * Sandero (2008–present) * Duster (2009–present) Renault Samsung vehicles, sold in some markets under the Renault marque: * Koleos (2008–present; Renault Samsung QM5/Renault Samsung QM6) * Arkana (2020–present; Renault Samsung XM3) Renault
light commercial vehicles A light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand is a commercial carrier vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 metric tons (tonnes). The LCV designation is also occasionally used in both Cana ...
: *
Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
(1980–present; developed by Renault and sold in some markets as the Nissan Interstar) *
Trafic ''Trafic'' (''Traffic'') is a 1971 Italian-French comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. ''Trafic'' was the last film to feature Tati's famous character of Monsieur Hulot, and followed the vein of earlier Tati films that lampooned modern society ...
(1980–present; developed by Renault and sold in some markets as the Mitsubishi Express and the
Nissan Primastar The Renault Trafic (pronounced as "traffic") is a light commercial van produced by the French automaker Renault since 1980. It is also marketed as the Fiat Talento, the Nissan NV300, the Nissan Primastar, the Mitsubishi Express and, until the ...
) * Kangoo (1997–present; developed by Renault and sold in some markets as the
Mercedes-Benz Citan The Mercedes-Benz Citan is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle introduced as a badge-engineered variant of the Renault Kangoo in 2012 and marketed by Mercedes-Benz as the successor to the Vaneo compact MPV. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, ...
and the Nissan Townstar) * Express (2021–present; developed by Renault and sold in some markets as the
Mercedes-Benz Citan The Mercedes-Benz Citan is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle introduced as a badge-engineered variant of the Renault Kangoo in 2012 and marketed by Mercedes-Benz as the successor to the Vaneo compact MPV. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, ...
and the Nissan Townstar) Dacia light commercial vehicles, sold in some markets under the Renault marque: * Dokker (2012–present) * Duster Commercial (2017–present)


Concept cars

Renault concept cars show future design and technology directions. Since 2008, Renault has displayed various all-electric car concepts under the name "Z.E.", for
zero emission Zero emission refers to an engine, motor, process, or other energy source, that emits no waste products that pollute the environment or disrupt the climate. Zero emission engines Vehicles and other mobile machinery used for transport (over land, s ...
, starting with a concept based on the
Renault Kangoo The Renault Kangoo is a family of multi purpose vehicles manufactured and marketed by Renault since 1997, in commercial as well as passenger variants, across three generations. For the European market, the Kangoo is manufactured at the MCA plan ...
Be Bop. Further concepts and announcements followed, with the production of the Fluence Z.E. saloon beginning in 2011 and the Renault Zoe in 2012. Renault revealed the Ondelios hybrid concept in 2008. but this was overtaken by the Z.E. programme. However, Renault presented a new hybrid car in September 2014, the Eolab, which incorporates various innovations that the company said will be added to production models by 2020. In 2014 at the New Delhi Auto Show, Renault announced a new model, the Kwid Concept, which comes with helicopter drone.


Electric vehicles

In 2013, Renault became the leader of electric vehicles sales in Europe, thanks to its large range of vehicles (Twizy, Zoe, Fluence, Kangoo). The Renault Zoe was Europe's best selling all-electric car in 2015 and 2016. Global Zoe sales reached the 50,000 unit mark in June 2016, ", cumulative global sales of the top selling plug-in electric cars were led by the Nissan Leaf (about 225,000), Tesla Model S (over 129,000), Votl/Ampera family (over 117,000), Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (about 107,000), Toyota Prius PHV (over 75,000), BYD Qin (56,191), Renault Zoe (51,193), and BMW i3 (almost 50,000)." and achieved the 150,000 unit milestone in June 2019. Groupe Renault global electric vehicle sales passed the 100,000 unit milestone in September 2016. ''The Alliance has sold its 350,000th electric vehicle since December 2010, when the Nissan LEAF went on sale. The milestone was achieved in August 2016. The Alliance also set an industry record of 100,000 EVs sold in a single year.'' Since the launch of the Renault electric program, the Group has sold more than 273,550 electric vehicles worldwide through December 2019. Since inception, a total of 181,893 Zoe city cars, 48,821 Kangoo Z.E. electric vans, 29,118 Twitzy
heavy quadricycle The quadricycle is a European Union vehicle category for four-wheeled microcars, which allows these vehicles to be designed to less stringent requirements when compared to regular cars. Quadricycles are defined by limitations in terms of weigh ...
s, and 10,600 Fluence Z.E. cars have been sold globally through December 2019. ''See pp. 24 and 39. Since inception, a total of 181,893 Zoe cars, 48,821 Kangoo Z.E. electric vans, 29,118 Twitzy heavy quadricycles, and 10,600 Fluence Z.E. cars have been sold globally through December 2019.'' Beginning in 2008, Renault made agreements for its planned zero-emissions products, including with Israel, Portugal, Denmark and the US states of Tennessee and
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, Yokohama in Japan and the Principality of Monaco. Serge Yoccoz is the electric vehicle project director. In 2008, Renault–Nissan signed a deal to produce electric cars for an initiative in Israel with Better Place, a US company developing new non-petroleum–based transport infrastructure. Renault aimed to sell 10–20,000 cars a year in Israel. Renault also agreed to develop exchangeable batteries for the project. Renault collaborated with Better Place to produce a network of all-electric vehicles and thousands of charging stations in Denmark, planned to be operational by 2011. The
Renault Fluence Z.E. The Renault Fluence Z.E. is an electric version of the Renault Fluence compact sedan, part of the Renault Z.E. program of battery electric vehicles. It was unveiled by Renault at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Fluence Z.E. is outfitted with a ...
, was selected for the Israel project. It became the first zero-emission vehicle with a switchable battery, with trials in 2010 undertaken with the Renault Laguna. Renault ended the partnership in 2013, following Better Place's bankruptcy, with only 1,000 vehicle sales in Israel and 240 in Denmark. Renault–Nissan and the largest French electric utility, Électricité de France (EDF), signed an agreement to promote electric vehicles in France. The partnership planned to pilot projects on battery management and charging infrastructure. Renault–Nissan also signed deals with Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB), and in Milton Keynes as part of the UK's Plugged in Places national project. According to Ghosn, the Renault–Nissan alliance was a fundamental step in electric car development, and that they needed each other for other issues such as battery manufacturing, charging infrastructure and business strategy. The Renault–Nissan group is a member of the PHEV Research Center. In September 2013, Renault and
Bolloré Bolloré SE () is a French conglomerate headquartered in Puteaux, on the western outskirts of Paris, France. Founded in 1822, the company has interests in Vivendi, international freight forwarding, oil storage and pipelines in France, solid sta ...
announced an agreement to collaborate on a new electric vehicle and in car-sharing project. In 2021, Renault launched a new EV and mobility brand called Mobilize and showed a prototype for a small Twizy-style EV called the EZ-1. Renault Group also invested into a start-up company Verkor, that should develop EV batteries and about in 2026 build a gigafactory in France. By 2025 the yearly output of 400,000 electric vehicles is planned.


Eco²

In 2007 Renault introduced a new line of eco-friendly derivatives marked eco² that were based on production platforms. A minimum of 5% recycled plastic was used and the vehicle's materials were 95% reusable. Eco²'s CO2 emissions were not to exceed 140g/km, or would be biofuel compatible. At the 2008 Fleet World Honours, Renault received the Environment Award. The chairman of Judges, George Emmerson, commented, "This was the most hotly contested category in the history of the Fleet World Honours, such is the clamour for organizations' green credentials to be recognised. There were some very impressive entries, but the panel felt that Renault's impressive range of low-emission vehicles was the most tangible, and the most quantifiable.


R-Link

The R-Link infotainment system, developed by Renault and the CCETT labs during the 1980s, produced with TomTom and fitted in Renault's vehicles, was ranked first in a user accessibility study performed by an independent consulting British company SBD. R-Link received 85% of the users' satisfaction, whereas the second "big five" automotive maker got a 10% lower satisfaction from the users.


Autonomous vehicles

Renault plans to introduce autonomous vehicle technology by 2020. The company unveiled a prototype, the Next Two (based on the Zoe), in February 2014.


Vehicle design


Design


"Pre-design" era

During its early years, Renault only manufactured the cars' chassis, while the bodywork was completed by coachbuilders. The first car with Renault's bodywork was the "Taxi de la Marne" introduced in 1905. Most Renault-made bodyworks were simple and
utilitarian In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charac ...
until the Reinastella unveiling in 1928. In the 1930s, Renault developed streamlined cars such as the Viva Grand Sport. In the 1950s, the company worked with Ghia designers.


Renault Styling

In 1961, with the assistance of the independent designer Philippe Charbonneaux (responsible for the R8), the company created Renault Styling as a design department, led by Gaston Juchet since 1963. In 1975, Robert Opron was named chief designer and Renault Styling was divided into Interior, Exterior and Advanced Design groups. In the 1960s, an in-house computer-aided design (CAD) computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system called UNISURF was introduced, led by Pierre Bézier (who popularised Bézier curves and worked at Renault from 1933 until 1975).


Industrial Design Department

In 1987, Renault named Patrick le Quément as chief designer and created the Industrial Design Department to replace Renault Styling. The new division incorporated a new management system, with more technology and personnel. Renault gave it the same importance as Engineering and Product Planning, participating in product development. Le Quément was responsible for bold designs such as the Mégane II and the Vel Satis, giving Renault a more coherent and stylish image. In 1995, Design and Quality were merged under le Quément's direction. Later, the new department moved to Guyancourt's Technocentre, which also became the base for Engineering and Product Planning. The group was organised in three sections: Automobile Design; Truck, LCV and Bus Design; and Concept Cars and Advanced Design. During the next years, satellite centres opened in Spain (1999), Paris (2000), South Korea (2003), Romania (2007), India (2007), Brazil (2008) and China (2019). At the end of 2009, le Quément was replaced by Laurens van den Acker, who introduced the "cycle of life" concept to Renault's design.


Engineering and Product Planning

Most of Renault engineering was decentralised until 1998, when the Technocentre became the main Renault's engineering facility. Satellite centres exist, including Renault Technologies Americas (with branches in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico), Renault Technologies Romania (branches in Morocco, Russia, Slovenia and Turkey) and Renault Technologies Spain (branch in Portugal). , Renault's engineering section had over 6,500 employees worldwide, of which 34% were engineers and 63% technicians. Engine development is in charge of a specific division, Renault Powertrains, with nearly 65 engineers. Overseas engineering is increasing and research and design teams are in charge of adjusting existing vehicles to local needs and budgets. , Engineering, and Product Planning, are directed by Gaspar Gascon Abellan and Philippe Klein respectively.


Technocentre

The Renault Technocentre () is the main research and development facility. It is located in Guyancourt. It covers and integrates all departments involved in developing products and industrial processes (design, engineering and product planning) as well as supplier representatives. The Technocentre gathers more than 8,000 employees and comprises three main sections: The Advance Precinct, The Hive and the prototype build centre. The Advance Precinct, a stepped structure surrounded by a lake, has design studios and other departments related to early design stages. The Hive is the tallest structure and includes research and engineering facilities dedicated to the development process of new vehicles. The prototype build centre is an extension of The Hive. The three main structures are accompanied by smaller technical buildings. The Technocentre was one of the first enterprises to have real-time life-size 3D modelling systems.


Renault Tech

Renault Tech is a division of Renault Sport, Renault Sport Technologies, headquartered in Les Ulis. It was established in 2008 and is in charge of modifying cars and vans for special purposes (mobility cars, driver's school cars, and Fleet vehicle, business fleets).


Subsidiaries and alliances



Subsidiaries


AvtoVAZ

In February 2008, Renault acquired a 25% share in
AvtoVAZ AvtoVAZ ( rus, АвтоВАЗ, p=ɐftoˈvas) is a Russian automobile manufacturing company owned by the state. It was formerly named as VAZ ( rus, ВАЗ), an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian (russian: Во́лжский автомо� ...
, known for its Lada range of vehicles. VAZ had been seeking a strategic partner since the late nineties. After severing its original ties with Fiat, the company had little success in forming an alliance with various firms. Renault began intermittent talks with AvtoVAZ in 2005, initially insisting that Complete knock down, CKD assemble Logans at its facilities, while VAZ intended to keep its own Lada brand and sought only a new platform and engine. After several rounds of talks, interrupted by VAZ's attempts to ally with Fiat and Magna International, Magna, Renault agreed to the partnership under terms similar to its Nissan deal. Renault and Rosoboronexport, the state corporation that was a major stockholder of VAZ, discussed Renault increasing its stake in VAZ to 50%. Following an AvtoVAZ recapitalisation in 2016, Renault held 73.3 of the company, making it a subsidiary. On May 16, 2022, Renault Group announced it sold its 67.69% interest in AvtoVAZ to the Central Research and Development Automobile and Engine Institute, NAMI.


Dacia

In 1999, Renault acquired a 51% controlling stake from the Romanian-based manufacturer Automobile Dacia, which was later increased to 99.43%. As part of the Renault group, Dacia is a regional marque of entry-levels cars focused on Europe and Northern Africa which shares various models with the Renault marque.


Renault Samsung Motors

Renault acquired the car division of Samsung on 1 September 2000 in a $560 million deal for 70% of the company, eventually increasing its stake to 80.1%. Renault Samsung Motors is a marque used almost exclusively in South Korea (although some models are sold in Chile). The majority of the company's production at its Busan plant is exported under the Renault badge.


RCI Banque

RCI Banque is a wholly owned subsidiary that provides financial services for Renault marques worldwide and Nissan marques in Europe, Russia and South America.


Renault Retail Group

Renault Retail Group is Renault's wholly owned automobile distributor for Europe. In 1997, the French branches were merged to establish the subsidiary Renault France Automobiles (RFA). In 2001, it served as the basis for Renault Europe Automobiles (REA), which managed sales in Europe. In 2008, the company adopted its current name. Renault Retail Group operates in France, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.


Manufacturing subsidiaries


=French factories

= *Batilly, subsidiary Société de Véhicules Automobiles de Batilly (SoVAB) *Choisy *Cléon *Dieppe, Société des Automobiles Alpine *Douai Renault Factory, Douai *Douvrin, subsidiary Française de Mécanique (FM), equally owned by Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroën *Flins Renault Factory, Flins *Grand-Couronne *Le Mans, subsidiary Auto Châssis International (ACI) *Maubeuge, subsidiary Maubeuge Construction Automobile (MCA). *Ruitz, subsidiary Société des Transmissions Automatiques (STA) owned by Renault (80%) and PSA Peugeot Citroën (20%) *Sandouville Renault Factory, Sandouville


=Manufacturing subsidiaries outside France

= *Cacia (Portugal) *Cormecánica S.A. (Chile) * JMEV (China), a joint venture majority owned by Renault and with
JMCG Jiangling Motors Corporation Group Co., Ltd. (JMCG) is a Chinese state-owned holding mostly operating in the automotive industry. It was established in 1947 and is headquartered in Nanchang, Jiangxi. JMCG has various production facilities and, ...
as the second largest shareholder * Oyak-Renault (Turkey), a joint venture between Renault and Oyak (Turkey's Armed Forces Pension Fund), established in 1969 *Renault Algérie (Algeria), a joint venture between SNVI (51%) and Renault (49%), established in 2012 *Renault Argentina (Argentina) *Renault Brilliance Jinbei (China), a joint venture between Renault and Brilliance Auto, established in 2017 *Renault do Brasil (Brazil) *Renault España (Spain) *Renault India Private Limited, Renault India (India) *Vilvoorde Renault Factory, Renault Industrie Belgique S.A./Renault Industrie België N.V. (Belgium) *Renault Med (Morocco), a subsidiary operating the Renault-Nissan Alliance factory in Tangier *Automotive industry in Mexico, Renault México (Mexico, cars manufactured in Nissan's Aguascalientes plant since 2013) * Renault Pars (Iran), a joint venture established in 2004 and owned by Renault (51%) and Iran's Industrial Development Renovation Organisation (IDRO) (49%) *Renault Russia (Russia) *Renault South Africa (South Africa, cars manufactured in the Nissan's Rosslyn plant) *Revoz (Slovenia) *Sofasa (Colombia) *Somaca (Morocco)


Alliances


Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi

Renault has a 43.4% stake in Nissan, and Nissan holds a 15% stake (with no voting rights) in Renault, thereby giving it effective control. Renault has a 50% stake in the joint venture Renault-Nissan b.v., which was established to manage the Renault-Nissan alliance. The company is responsible for the management of two joint companies, RNPO (Renault Nissan Purchasing Organization) and RNIS (Renault-Nissan Information Services). Combined vehicle sales in 2008 reached 6.9 million (including AvtoVAZ), making the Renault-Nissan Alliance the world's third-largest automotive group. As well as sharing engines and joint-development of zero-emissions technology, Nissan increased its presence in Europe by badging various Renault van models such as the
Renault Kangoo The Renault Kangoo is a family of multi purpose vehicles manufactured and marketed by Renault since 1997, in commercial as well as passenger variants, across three generations. For the European market, the Kangoo is manufactured at the MCA plan ...
/Nissan Kubistar, Renault Master/ Nissan Interstar and the Renault Trafic/
Nissan Primastar The Renault Trafic (pronounced as "traffic") is a light commercial van produced by the French automaker Renault since 1980. It is also marketed as the Fiat Talento, the Nissan NV300, the Nissan Primastar, the Mitsubishi Express and, until the ...
. Some passenger cars have also been badge-engineered, such as the Renault Clio-based Nissan Platina in Brazil. The "Renault Production System" standard used by all Renault factories borrowed extensively from the "Nissan Production Way" and resulted in Renault productivity improving by 15%. The alliance led to the loss of 21,000 jobs, and the closure of three assemby and two powertrain plants. In March 2010 the Renault-Nissan alliance opened its first joint facility in Chennai, India, investing 45 billion rupees (US$991.1 million). The facility builds the Nissan Micra. The Renault Fluence and Renault Koleos are intended to be assembled there from Knock-down kit, completely knocked-down units. As a result of opening its own factory, Renault ended its five-year Mahindra Renault Limited, Mahindra Renault joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra company to make and sell the Renault Logan in India.


=Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi and Daimler alliance

= On 7 April 2010 Ghosn and Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche announced a partnership between the three companies. Daimler acquired a 3.10 per cent stake in Renault-Nissan and Renault and Nissan each took a 1.55 per cent stake in Daimler.


American Motors

In 1979, Renault entered into an agreement with American Motors Corporation (AMC) to sell cars in the US. A year later, Renault acquired a 22.5% interest in AMC. This was not the first time the two companies had worked together. In the early 1960s, Renault assembled Complete knock down, CKD kits and marketed Ramblers in France. In 1982, Renault increased its stake in AMC to 46.4%. The Renault Alliance/Encore (a modified version of the Renault 9 and 11) entered production in the US, but following AMC's continued decline, Renault withdrew from the US in 1987 and sold its share to Chrysler.


Proposed alliances

On 30 June 2006, the media reported that General Motors convened an emergency board meeting to discuss a proposal by shareholder Kirk Kerkorian to form an alliance with Renault-Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan. However, GM CEO Rick Wagoner, Richard Wagoner felt that an alliance would disproportionately benefit Renault's shareholders and that GM should receive compensation accordingly. Talks between GM and Renault ended on 4 October 2006. In 2007, Renault-Nissan entered talks with Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto to develop a new ultra-low-cost car along the lines of the Tata Nano. Renault's existing partner in India, Mahindra, was not interested in the project. The proposed joint venture did not come to fruition and in late 2009 the companies announced that Bajaj would develop and manufacturer the vehicle and supply Renault-Nissan with completed cars. On 7 October 2008 a Renault executive said the company was interested in acquiring or partnering with Chrysler. On 11 October 2008, the ''New York Times'' reported that General Motors, Nissan and Renault had all been in discussions over the past month with Chrysler's owner Cerberus Capital Management about acquiring Chrysler. In May 2019, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles proposed merging its business with Renault. The proposal was later withdrawn.


Awards

Renault models have won the '' European Car of the Year'' award six times in the last forty years: *1966: Renault 16 *1982:
Renault 9 The Renault 9 and Renault 11 are small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault for model years 1981–1988 in saloon (Renault 9) and hatchback (Renault 11) configurations — both were styled by the French automobile designer, Ro ...
*1991: Renault Clio *1997: Renault Scénic *2003: Renault Mégane II *2006: Renault Clio, Renault Clio III Renault cars have won numerous national-level awards in Spain, Australia, Ireland, the United States, Denmark, and elsewhere. Renault and its Dacia subsidiary have won three "Autobest" car of the year awards for the Duster, Logan, and Symbol models. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (Italy), Italian Ministry of Culture, in the 2016 edition of the Corporate Art Awards Renault received by pptArt the award for its Art Collection that inspired the creativity of its car designers.


Marketing and branding

Renault markets its products under five marques: Renault, Lada, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, and Alpine.


Renault badge

Renault's first badge was introduced in 1900 and consisted of the Renault brothers' intertwined initials. When the company started mass production in 1906, it adopted a gear-shaped logo with a car inside it. After World War I the company used a logo depicting an FT tank. In 1923 it introduced a new circle-shaped badge, which was replaced by the "diamond" or lozenge in 1925. The Lozenge (shape), lozenge of Renault means a diamond that expresses the brand's firm desire to project a strong and consistent corporate image. The Renault diamond logo has been through many iterations. To modernise its image, Renault asked Victor Vasarely to design its new logo in 1972. The transformed logo maintained the diamond shape. The design was later revised to reflect the more rounded lines of the brand's new styling cues. The current badge has been in use since 1992. The logo for web and print use was updated three times thereafter. In 2002 a more realistic representation inside a yellow rectangle was made which is still used as the
Renault Trucks Renault Trucks is a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been a subsidiary of the Volvo Group since 2001. From its beginnings in 1978 to 2002, the comp ...
logo albeit in red. In 2004 the logo received the ''Renault Identité'' typeface. In 2007, Saguez & Partners produced a version with the wordmark and logo inside a square. In April 2015, Renault introduced new designs to differentiate the company from the product brand, as part of the 'Passion for life' campaign. The new brand logo replaced the yellow background with a yellow stripe. A new typeface was also introduced. A corporate logo was unveiled at the 2015 Annual General Meeting, incorporating Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors. January 2021 saw the introduction of a new flat diamond logo alongside the Renault 5 Prototype electric concept car. The logo received so much positive feedback that Renault officially introduced the new symbol as their logo in March 2021, according to Renault's design director Gilles Vidal, who joined the group in 2020. They plan to introduce the new diamond on many online platforms in June 2021 and the first model with the new logo featured will be revealed in 2022. The yellow associated with the company appeared initially in the diamond badge of 1946, when Renault was nationalised. File:Renault Logo 1923.svg, Logo of Renault from 1923 to 1925 File:Renault Logo 1925.svg, Logo of Renault from 1925 to 1946 File:Renault Logo 1946.png, Logo of Renault from 1946 to 1959 File:Renault-Logo-1959.svg, Logo of Renault from 1959 to 1971 File:Renault 1967.png, Logo of Renault from 1971 to 1972 (This logo was not used because it is considered as a copy of the logo of the company Kent) File:Renault Logo 1972.svg, Logo of Renault from 1972 to 1981 (Vasarely Logo) File:Logo Renault 1981-1992.png, Logo of Renault from 1981 to 1992 File:Renault 1990.svg, Logo of Renault from 1992 to 2002 File:Renault logo.svg, alt=Créateur d'Automobiles, Logo of Renault from 2004 to 2007 File:Renault 2009 logo.svg, alt=Drive the Change, Logo of Renault from 2007 to 2015 File:Renault.jpg, alt=Passion for Life, Logo of Renault from 2015 to 2021 (still used as a badge) File:Renault 2021 Text.svg, alt=Renault logo with text, Logo of Renault since 2021 File:Groupe renault smal.svg, alt=Groupe Renault Logo, Groupe Renault logo up to 2021 (as distinct from the Renault diamond used for the brand) File:2021 Renault Group logo.svg, Renault Group logo from 2021 onwards


Typeface


Renault MN

Both the Renault logo and its documentation (technical as well as commercial) historically used ''Renault MN,'' a custom typeface developed by British firm Wolff Olins. This type of family is said to have been designed mainly to save costs at a time where the use of typefaces was costly. A retail version of the font family was sold by URW++ as Renault.


Renault Identité

In 2004, French typeface designer Jean-François Porchez was commissioned to design a replacement. This was shown in October of that year and was called ''Renault Identité''. The OpenType font family was developed from the Renault logotype created by Éric de Berranger.


Helvetica

Since 2007, as part of the Saguez & Partners revamp, all graphic advertising makes use of Helvetica Neue Condensed.


Renault Life

The Renault Life font family was built by Fontsmith Limited, based on the foundry's FS Hackney font family. The family consists of six fonts in three weights (Life, Regular, and Bold) and one width, with complimentary italic.


L'Atelier Renault Paris

Renault's flagship showroom, L'Atelier Renault (), is located on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, with other manufacturers such as Peugeot, Citroën and Toyota. It opened in November 2000, located on the site of Pub Renault, which operated from 1963 until 1999. The first Renault venue at the location was the ''Magasin Renault'' in 1910, a pioneering car showroom. L'Atelier features a Renault Boutique as well as regular exhibitions featuring Renault and Dacia cars. An upmarket restaurant is located on the second floor, looking out onto the Champs-Élysées. The ground floor can hold up to five exhibitions at any one time. As of March 2009, 20 million visitors had visited L'Atelier Renault.


Renault Classic

Renault Classic is a department within Renault that seeks to collect, preserve and exhibit notable vehicles from the company's history. Originally named Histoire & Collection, the collection was assembled in 2002 and its workshops formally opened on 24 April 2003.


Music

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Renault's European advertising made extensive use of Robert Palmer (singer), Robert Palmer's song "Johnny and Mary". Television advertisements initially used Palmer's original version, while a range of special recordings in different styles were produced during the 1990s, most famously the acoustic interpretation by Martin Taylor (guitarist), Martin Taylor that he released on his album ''Spirit of Django''.


Sponsorship

Renault has sponsored films as an advertising technique since 1899. A Renault Voiturette Type A, driven by Louis Renault, appeared in one of the Auguste and Louis Lumière, Lumières' early films. Between 1914 and 1940, the company commissioned a series of documentary films to promote its industrial activities. Renault also backed some films set in Africa during the 1920s to promote the reliability of its products on tough conditions. Since 1983, the company sponsors the Cannes Film Festival and it has also sponsored other festivals as the Venice Film Festival, the Marrakech Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. Through its foundations and institutes, Renault funds projects around the world that focus on: education through scholarships, road safety and diversity.


See also

*Tanks in France


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* {{coord, 48.8315, 2.2283, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Renault, 1996 initial public offerings Aircraft engine manufacturers of France Battery electric vehicle manufacturers CAC 40 Car brands Companies listed on Euronext Paris Conglomerate companies of France French brands French companies established in 1899 Government-owned companies of France Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1899 Multinational companies headquartered in France Privatized companies of France Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1899