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History of Renault Motor Cars / Automobiles |
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- 8.5.4. Renault
- For the early history of Renault cars see Part 1, The Early History, Sections 6.3 and 7.3.
- From 1905, until the start of World War in 1914, the company produced some 47 different types/variants.
- The Type Y, a medium sized family car, was produced from 1905 to 1906; a car whose design possibly evolved from the Type C, D & E Voiturettes.
- In 1909 the company’s name was changed to Les Automobiles Renault.
- A luxury 7,539 cc Type CB “Towncar” was on the Titanic when the liner sank in 1912.
- The 2.8 litre Type EU model (1919-21) was the first car produced by Renault after the end of World War 1.
- When was the first Renault model produced with the steering wheel on the left side and on what model/type?
- The company name was changed in 1922 to Sociétè Anonyme de Usines.
- The 1925 40CV model was the first Renault car to be fitted with the diamond symbol logo.
- From 1925 brakes were fitted to all four wheels on Renault cars.
- In 1928 the company produced nearly 46,000 cars.
- During the 1930s Renault produced over 50 different car Types.
- The 7,539 cc Primaquarte, designed by Louis Renault, was produced from 1931 to 1939. It was to be the last type of car to leave the Renault production line before his death.
- The Juvaquatre was produced between 1937 and about 1955 (a station wagon version remained in production until 1959/60) (Which date? 1959 or 1960), with production suspended during the war.
- Renault produced about 12.000 vehicles in 1945, of which only about six were cars (which models?). In the same year the company became state owned and was called “Regié Nationale des Usines”.
- The 4CV, which was secretly designed and developed during World War 2, was produced from 1946 to 1961. It was the first French car to sell over a million.
- In the early 1960s the company introduced the top selling Renault 4 and between 1961 and 1992 8,126,200 were produced.
- The first prototype of what became the Dauphine car was built in 1952.
- By 1954 Renault had produced two million cars since the first car, the Type A Voiturette, was built in 1898.
- In 1959 Renault was the 6th largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
- Models produced in the 1970s include the R15/17, Alpine A310 (1971) and the R18 (1976).
- The R11 model was launched in 1983, followed by the Renault Espace in 1984.
- Other models introduced between 1950 and 1980 include the Dauphine Floride/Caravelle (1956-68) with over 2 million made, the 2-litre Fregate (1951-60), Renault 5 (1972-96) with 5.47 million made, Renault 8/10 (1962-72), Renault 16 (1965-79) and the 1,289 cc Renault 12 (1969-80), with nearly 3 million made.
- New models introduced in the early 1990s include the Clio (1990), Twingo and Safrane (1992) and the Laquna (1994).
- By 2005 the Clio was Renault’s top selling car, with sales exceeding 8.5 million.
- The Mégane was launched in 1995. In 1996 Renault produced the Mégane sedan, coupe, 5p and Scenic models. When fitted with a 1,998 cc engine the car has a top speed of 220 kph (138 mph).
- In 1996 the Renault company, which had been state owned since 1944, was privatized.
- Models available in 2007 include the Clio, Espace, Kangoo, Laquna, Logan, Mégane, Modus, Scenic, Twingo and Vel Satis.
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