The History of Renault
Did you know that Renault has been in business for 124 years! It all started in 1898 when Louis Renault started designing and making his own range of cars. You could say it was essentially a family-owned business as his brothers, Marcel and Fernand Renault took care of the business part of it whilst Louis was more than happy to remain a designer. They called it “Renault Fieres”.
From its first conception, Renault continued to grow. Even during the war in 1914 when the Ministry of War ordered about 1000 military vehicles from Renault.
In 1924, the famous diamond-shaped logo was formed and showed its first appearance. It originally started as a circular shape, but due to it being in front of the horn, they need to change it so the sound of the horn could be heard.
Renault was already present in 49 countries by 1929, and so they opened a new plant in Seguin Island, it was called the Boulogne Billancourt.
Unfortunately, the Billancourt had to be demolished during the Second World War as the social conditions in France deteriorated. In 1945, Renault Fieres was officially owned by the state and became “Regie Nationale des Usines Renault” (RNUR).
As a result of Renault being nationalized, they modernized their plants and new production sites were built. Even though their attempt to conquer the US market failed, Renault continued to expand their international market.
Renault has had many ups and downs like all businesses that have been running for as long as they have. Here’s a breakdown of what they’ve been up to for the past 50+ years:
1961-The launch of the Renault 4 &5 competing against the VW Beetle.
1965- The world’s first production of a hatchback- the Renault 16
1985- Europe’s first MPV was launched-the Renault Espace
1990- the first appearance of the Clio- the Renault Clio mini, taking the European Car of the Year award for the first time. This year also signified the change from numeric to traditional nameplates for Renault.
1995- the Renault Megane replaces the Renault 19.
1996- a big year for Renault as they finally become privatized! This also enabled them to open Renault S.A. Their first compact MPV was also launched, winning the European Car of the Year award- the Renault Scenic. Another popular Renault vehicle that was popular in South Africa.
1999- the Renault-Nissan Alliance was formed as Renault purchased stakes from Nissan and again in 2002. During this time, Renault also purchased stakes from Dacia and the Samsung Group (Automotive Division).
2001- Now called Renault Trucks, “Renault Vehicules Industriels” become part of the Volvo Group.
2016- Due to the emission limits of nitrogen oxide and the policies put against it, Renault decided that small-mid-size vehicles will no longer be diesel.
2020- Luca de Meo becomes Renault’s new CEO.
2021- Luca deo Meo presents a new strategic plan called the “Renaulution” which will focus on values rather than volumes. Renault also revamps the division of their business units, Renault; Dacia; Alpine, and its new group- Mobilize.
Mobilize focuses on mobility, data, and energy. They are dedicated to providing more sustainable and shared forms of mobility. Their goals are to reduce the gap between car usage and cost; improve the residual value of cars; and contribute to the zero CO2 footprint target.
2022- Renault launched their fifth-generation Renault Clio and plans to launch their latest Renault Captur, as well as newer models for the MY22 segment.
With the newer models which have been recently launched, Renault is proving to keep up with the modern time of ingenuity, advanced technology, and innovation. The cars that they have been producing are a testament to that.
In the words of Lourens van der Acker, Vice-president of Renault Corporate design:
