The Société Renault Frères was created in 1898 by three brothers Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault. The first car was called the Renault Voiturette 1CV was tested in 1898.
After using several other images, the diamond-shaped logo was introduced in 1925 and updated in 1972.Renault throughout historyIn 1929 the first mass-produced cars were put onto the market. They were all built in France at the Boulogne Billancourt plant near Paris.
During World War II, Renault developed the 4CV which had the engine at the rear. The Renault Frégate was produced between 1951 and 1960.
During the 1980’s Renault built the Renault 25 and the first Espace. In the same period, Renault became a state-owned company due to significant financial losses. Although Renault produced several successful cars during the 1990’s (including the Clio, the new Espace and the Twingo), the company didn’t grow as much anymore and was therefore sold in 1996.
In 1999 Renault aligned with Nissan thereby becoming the first French-Japanese company. Both brands kept their own identities though. In the same year, Renault bought the Romanian Dacia.Renault in sport and cultureRenault has from the very beginning been very active on the racing course. The Renault brothers participated in the Paris-Trouville race of 1899 which they won. Renault won the Manufacturer’s Rally twice and the Monte Carlo Rally in 1958.
Apart from on the road and the race course, Renault has had a strong presence in the arts as well. Renault cars feature in 27 films and 172 television series. For 25 years Renault has been sponsoring the Cannes Film Festival.
