The early days
Since the very early days of the motor industry, many companies have tried to enter this lucrative market, but of those which were around at the beginning, very few have survived until today.
One exception is Renault, French through and through, and a company which not only built its first car in 1899, but is still churning out styling cars for the masses more than 100 years later.
Founder, Louis Renault, decided against joining the family business in the suburbs of Paris and instead indulged in his first love of tinkering with machinery. He assembled a prototype car, using a De Dion engine, and it proved so successful that within a matter of months, he could barely cope with the orders he was receiving for similar vehicles.
Louis and his brother, Marcel, who came to work with him, were also both interested in competition, and it wasn’t long before they were racing their new cars in events across France and beyond . And as they were often winners, this helped to promote the Renault name even more, resulting in yet more sales. However, tragedy struck in 1903 when Marcel was killed while competing in the gruelling Paris to Madrid race.
This didn't deter Louis and he developed the company quickly to the point that production increased to more than 2000 cars a year by 1905. This made Renault the biggest car maker in France and although they produced a number of larger cars, it was their smaller, 2 cylinder cars which were most successful. The cars were particularly popular in the taxi business with literally thousands of Renault taxis to be found on Parisian streets in the early years of the 20th Century.
During World War 1, Renault switched to making military hardware, but quickly returned to car production once the war was over. The post war era however saw them face a new challenge -the emergence of Citroen as another major car maker competing in the same marketplace. By now though Renault had vast experience in the motor industry and the 1920s saw them enjoy further growth. They also purchased other entities and had also forged a successful line in commercial vehicles, buses, trucks, tractors and even railcars.
World War 2
The 1930s saw a host of new car models introduced, although the outbreak of WW2 was a turning point for the company. Initially, production of all larger cars was suspended, but production of the smaller Juvaquatre, Novequatre and Primaquatre continued as Louis Renault believe the war wouldn’t last and he did not want to disrupt his car production schedule.
But his optimism proved unfounded and when the Germans occupied France, they also took over his factories and made Renault an exclusive truck builder.
Once war was over, the returning French government imprisoned Renault for what they believed was his collaboration with the Germans. Ill health and beatings from fellow prisoners took its toll on him and in October 1944 he died in a prison hospital aged 66.
The French government then nationalised his company and renamed it Régie Nationale des Usines Renault and car production resumed in earnest. The main new car for the post war era was the small, rear-engined, 4CV which was officially launched in September 1946.
Over the next few years, with money scarce, this low cost car proved highly popular and more than one million had been built before production finally ended at the beginning of the 1960s.
Several years earlier, the company had introduced another small car for the mass market -the Dauphine. It too proved popular and quickly began selling in larger numbers than any other Renault model to date and was also the first Renault to succeed in the US.
With the demise of the 4CV, came the introduction of the Renault 4, a more modern car for the more affluent 1960s. This was also the first of many cars with a simple number as the model type. Later models were known as the Renault 5, Renault 6, Renault 16 and so on.
In more recent years, the mainstay of the company’s output has been standard saloon cars, with the Clio, Twingo and Megane all enjoying significant sales.
The innovative Espace, introduced in 1985, has been another major success story and remained the definitive "People Carrier" for a number of years.
Reprivatised
Following its years of ownership, the French Government returned Renault to private hands in 1996 and three years later the new entity established an important association with the Japanese car maker, Nissan, thereby giving it a major foothold in the growing Asian market.
Motor racing has also not been forgotten with Renault being a significant player in Grand Prix racing in recent years, as well as enjoying success in other motor sport events, including Le Mans.
Whether the company will still be around in another 100 plus years remains to be seen, but for now, everything is in place for it to justifiably look forward to a very healthy future.
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The 4CV was the main car for the post-war era and it wasn't long before it was competing in the Monte Carlo Rally
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The Koleus -the model for the future, is launched in 2008 as a novel SUV / MPV combination vehicle
Louis Renault taks his self-made voiturette for a drive on the streets of Paris in 1899
Like Henry Ford, Renault named his cars by the letters of the alphabet. Above is his c-type of 1900.
Louis and Marcel Renault were both keen racers, but
Marcel was killed in the 1903 Paris to Madrid event
The two cylinder cars proved very popular taxis in both Paris and London during the 1900s.
The Renault Torpedo was one of the many sportier
cars which was introduced during the 1920s
The company quickly expanded into other forms of transport and Renault buses proved very popular.
The attractive Renault AX was introduced in 1908
In 1929, the company produced its first Straight
8, the impressive looking Renault Reinestella
Renault has won the Monte Carlo Rally on numerous occasions. In 1981, a Renault Turbo 5 was the winner
Renault have been involved in endurance racing for many years and have competed many times in the gruelling Paris to Dakar Rally
Renault have entered many cars into the Le Mans 24 hour event. Above is the Renault Alpine which competed in 1968
In 1926, the company built a 9-litre 40CV and set a 24-hour world speed record car of 100 mph at Montlhery, Paris
Recent years has seen Renault investing millions
of Euros into its F1 Grand Prix racing programme
The Caravelle was produced between 1958 and 1968 and helped develop Renault's reputation for buiding stylish cars.
The Renault Clio has proved another successful model for the company in recent years.
Like other major manufacturers, Renault has produced many concept cars over the years. Above is one from the mid 1980s
The 2008 Megane concept car incorporates roof mounted doors and separate climate controls for every passenger
Renault Trucks have also enjoyed huge success. By 2008, this had reached a record 300 new trucks a day.
The Espace has been another major success
-quickly becoming the definitive "People Carrier"
Much of Renault's recent advertising has exploited popular culture, such as the use of top footballer Thierry Henry
Oscar winning film maker Nick Park developed his Wallace and Gromit characters to help sell the Kangoo
Older restored classic Renaults, such as this
1923 Tourer are now highly sought after
Show cars also attract attention, such as this repainted 4CV
The latest version of the Renault Laguna undergoes severe weather tesing in arctic Russia, 2007
