Wikipedia
Renault S.A. (Euronext RNO ) is a FranceFrench vehicle manufacturer producing small to upper-midsize cars, vans, buses and trucks.When its cars were imported to and sold in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, it was decided to pronounce the name as "Ren-ALT" in marketing to the American public, and the Anglicized pronunciation continues in common usage. However, Renault is properly pronounced "Rhen-oh" (as it is commonly in the UK).
History - The Renault corporation was founded in 1898 as Société Renault Frères by Louis Renault (industrialist)Louis Renault and his brothers Marcel RenaultMarcel and Fernand RenaultFernand. Louis was a bright, aspiring young engineer who had already designed and built several models before teaming up with his brothers, who had honed their business skills working for their father's textiles firm; Louis handled design and production, Marcel & Fernand handled company management. The brothers immediately recognized the publicity that could be gotten for their vehicles by participation in motor racing and Renault made itself known through achieving instant success in the first city-to-city races held in France, resulting in rapid expansion for the company. Both Louis and Marcel Renault raced company vehicles, but Marcel was killed in an accident during the 1903 Paris-Madrid race. Although Louis Renault never raced again, his company remained very involved, including their Renault AK 90CV winning the first ever Grand Prix motor racing event in 1906. Louis was to take full control of the company as the only remaining brother in 1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons. The Renault reputation for innovation was fostered from very early on - in 1902 Renault launched the first production sedan car as well as patenting the first turbocharger. At the time, cars were very much luxury items, and the price of the smallest Renaults available being 3000 francs reflected this; an amount it would take ten years for the average worker at the time to earn. As well as cars, Renault manufactured taxis, buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years, and during World War I (1914 - 1918) branched out into ammunition, military airplanes and vehicles such as the revolutionary Renault FT-17 tank. Renault became the world's leading manufacturer of airplane engines, and the success of the company's military designs were such that Renault himself was honored by the Allies for his company's contributions to their victory. By the end of the war, Renault was the number one private manufacturer in France. Between the two world wars, Louis Renault enlarged the scope of his company, producing agricultural machineryagricultural and industrial machinery. However, Renault struggled to compete with the increasingly popular small, affordable "people's cars" from Volkswagen and Fiat, while problems with the stock market and the workforce also adversely affected the company's growth.
Post War - During World War II, Louis Renault's factories worked for Nazi Germany. He was, for this reason, arrested during the liberation of Vichy FranceFrance in 1944 and died in prison before having prepared his defense. An autopsy later proved that his neck had been broken, suggesting that he was murdered. His industrial assets were seized by the Communist-dominated provisional government of France, based on the collaboration accusation. The Renault factories became a public industry (known as Régie Nationale des Usines Renault). In the years immediately following its nationalization Renault experienced something of a resurgence, led by the rear engine Renault 4CV4CV model, which was launched in 1946 and proved itself a capable rival for cars such as the Morris Minor and Volkswagen Beetle, its success (more than half a million sold) making sure it remained in production until 1961. As with earlier Renault models, the company made extensive use of motor racing to promote the 4CV, the car winning both the Le Mans 24 Hours and Mille Miglia races as well as the Rallye Automobile Monte CarloMonte Carlo rally. However, despite the success of its flagship model, the company continued to be blighted by labor unrest, and indeed continued to be well into the 1980s. ]]The 4CV's replacement, the Renault DauphineDauphine, sold extremely well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including Africa and North America. The car did not sell well in North America and it was outdated by the start of the 1960s. In an attempt to revive its flagging fortunes, Renault launched two cars which were to become phenonemonally successful - the Renault 4 and Renault 8 in 1961 and 1962 respectively. The 4 in particular was to continue in production until 1992. Both cars continued Renault's motor racing traditions with great success in rallying, a tradition which was further upheld by collaborations with the Alpine (car)Alpine company (which most famously produced the Renault-powered Alpine A110). As well as the 4 and 8, the company achieved success with the more upmarket Renault 16 launched in 1966, which continued Renault's reputation for innovation by being the world's first hatchback larger than subcompact size as well as the first hatchback with folding rear seats, which became and remains the universal standard hatchback design. The company's compact and economical Renault 5 model, launched in 1972, was another success, particularly in the wake of the 1973 energy crisis. The 5 remained in production until 1984 when it was replaced by the Super5. The formula was much the same however, and the Super5 inherited its styling lines from its father. Endangered like all of the motor industry by the energy crisis, during the mid seventies the already expansive company diversified further into other industries and continued to expand globally, including into South East Asia. The energy crisis also provoked Renault's attempt to reconquer the North American market; despite the Dauphine's success in the United States in the late 1950s, Renault had virtually disappeared from North America by the 1970s. However, in the early part of the decade, when the energy crisis-hit continent required small, economical cars, Renault began to make plans to return through a collaborative partnership with the American manufacturer American MotorsAMC. This was one of a series of collaborative ventures undertaken by Renault in the late 1960s and 1970s, as the company established subsidiaries in Eastern Europe and South America (many of which remain active to the present day) and forged technological cooperation agreements with Volvo and Peugeot (for instance, for the development of the PRV enginePRV V6 engine). Renault continued to increase its control over AMC, eventually owning 55% of the company by 1980. Unfortunately the American Renault-AMC partnership was not successful - the cars had so-so reliability and by the time the Renault range was ready to become established in the American market, the energy crisis was over, taking with it much of the trend for economical, compact cars. Renault sold some interesting models in the USA in the 1980's, especially the simple looking but fun Renault Alliance GTA convertible - a real automatic-top convertible with a simple but clean euro-style design with a gently sloping hood, as well as a 2.0 liter engine - big for a car of its class; and the ahead-of-its-time Renault Fuego coupe; Renault sold other models here in the 80's. Renault sold AMC to Chrysler in 1987 and the brand and its cars subsequently disappeared (though the subsidiary Jeep brand remained). In the late seventies and early eighties Renault increased its involvement in motorsport, with novel inventions such as turbochargers in their Formula One cars. The company's road car designs were revolutionary also - the Renault Espace was one of the first minivans and was to remain the most well-known minivan in Europe for at least the next two decades. The second-generation Renault 5, the European Car Of The Year-winning Renault 9, and the most luxurious Renault yet, the Renault 2525 were all released in the early 1980s, building Renault's reputation.
Restructuring - Although its cars were successful both on the road and on the track Renault was losing a billion francs a month and reported a deficit of 12.5 billion in 1984. The government intervened and Georges Besse was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling off many of Renault's non-core assets, withdrawing almost entirely from motorsports, and laying off many employees. Although this succeeded in halving the deficit by 1986, Besse's treatment of the workforce resulted in him being assassinated by the left wing terrorist group Action Directe (gang)Action Directe in 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued along the same lines as Besse, slimming down the company considerably with the result that by the end of 1987 the company was more or less financially stable.A revitalized Renault launched several successful new cars in the early 1990s, including the phenonemonally successful 5 replacement the Renault ClioClio, the second generation Espace, the Renault TwingoTwingo, the Renault LagunaLaguna, and the Renault 1919. The return to success on the road was matched by a return to success on the racetrack - Renault-powered cars won the Formula One World Championship in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997 with WilliamsF1Williams and in 1995 with Benetton FormulaBenetton.
Privatisation - It was eventually decided that the company's state-owned status was detrimental to its growth, and it was privatized in 1996. This new freedom allowed the company to venture once again into Eastern Europe and South America, including a new factory in Brazil and upgrades for the infrastructure in Argentina and Turkey. In the twenty-first century, Renault was to foster a reputation for distinctive, outlandish design. The second generation of the Laguna and Megane featured ambitious, angular designs which turned out to be highly successful. Less successful were the company's more upmarket models. The Renault AvantimeAvantime, a bizarre coupe/minivan hybrid, sold very poorly and was quickly discontinued while the luxury Renault Vel SatisVel Satis model did not sell as well as hoped. As well as its distinctive styling, Renault was to become known for its car safety - it is currently the car manufacturer with the largest number of models achieving the maximum 5 star rating in EuroNCAP crash tests. The Laguna was the first car to achieve a 5 star rating and in 2004 the Renault ModusModus was the first small car to achieve this rating.
Current situation - commonsRenault The government of France owns 15.7 per cent of the company. Louis Schweitzer has been the Chairman of the boardChairman of Renault since 1992 and CEO from 1992 to 2005. In 2005, Carlos Ghosn (also CEO of Nissan) has become Renault's CEO, Louis Schweitzer staying Chairman.Renault has a stake of 44.4 per cent in Japanese automaker Nissan together with which they form the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Nissan in turn took a 15 per cent stake in Renault in 2002. Renault also owns Samsung Motors (Renault Samsung Motors) and Dacia (car)Dacia, as well as retaining a minority stake in Volvo Trucks.In 2004, Renault was the fifth most popular car maker in Britain behind the Ford Motor Company, Vauxhall Motors, Peugeot and Volkswagen. The most popular French car in Britain is currently the Renault Clio, which has been a strong seller throughout Europe since its launch 14 years ago.For 2004 Renault reported a 43% rise in net income to €3.5 billion and 5.9% operating margin, of which Nissan contributed €1,767 million. The Group (Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors) posted a 4.2% increase in worldwide sales to a record 2,489,401 vehicles, representing a global market share of 4.1%. Renault retained it's position as the leading brand in Europe with 1.8 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold and market share of 10.8%.Renault, together with associated brands Dacia and Renault Samsung, aims to sell 4 million vehicles worldwide in 2010.
Corporate governance - Current members of the board of directors of Renault are: Yves Audvard, Michel Barbier, Alain Champigneux, François de Combret, Charles de Croisset, Carlos Ghosn, Jean-Louis Girdolle, Itaru Koeda, Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, Dominique de La Garanderie, Bernard Larraouturou, Henri Martre, Jean-Claude Paye, François Pinault, Franck Riboud, Louis Schweitzer (CEO)Louis Schweitzer, Georges Stcherbatcheff, and Robert Studer.
Timeline - 1898 - Louis Renault founded Renault1979 to 1987, Renault held majority ownership in the American Motors Corporation (AMC), which it sold to Chrysler Corporation in March 1987.1986 - On April 9 the government of France ruled against the privatization of Renault. 1992 - Louis Schweitzer becomes president of Renault group.1996 - The company was privatizationprivatized to create Renault S.A.1999 - Renault purchased a 35 percent equity stake in Nissan the troubled Japanese car maker, injecting $3.5 billion to obtain effective control of the company under Japanese law. Renault vice-president, Carlos Ghosn was parachuted in to turn round the ailing firm.2001 - Renault sold its industrial vehicle subdivision (''Renault Véhicules Industriels'') to Volvo, which renamed it Renault Trucks in 2002.2002 - Benetton Formula One team formally becomes Renault F12005 - Carlos Ghosn becomes president.
Motorsport - Main article: Renault F1
Main article: Renault Sport''
Motorsport has long been recognised as an effective marketing tool for automobile manufacturers. In the late seventies and early eighties, Renault began to involve itself more heavily in motorsport, setting up a dedicated motorsport division called Renault Sport, and winning the Le Mans 24 Hours (once again in collaboration with Alpine) while achieving success in both rallying (with the Renault 5 Turbo) and Formula One. Initially, Renault's entry into Formula One in 1977 was ridiculed when the team's first design included such curiosities as a turbocharger. However, the team were to win their first race on home soil in Dijon a mere two years later and by the early eighties, every front-running Formula One team used turbochargers. Renault also took over the Benetton F1 team in 2001, and quickly became very competitive, Fernando Alonso winning Renault's first race in its second incarnation at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. 2004 saw the Renault team finish a close third in the Constructors' Championsip and in 2005 the team won both Constructors' and Drivers' titles (with Fernando Alonso). Questions have been raised regarding Renault's commitment to its Formula One team, particularly with the appointment of Carlos Ghosn as CEO. However at the 2005 French Grand Prix Ghosn 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."''In short he will continue Renault's investment in F1 as long as the team is successful and can use the resulting publicity for wider commercial gain. Conversly if the team is unsuccessful in future it can be expected that Ghosn will withdraw resources from the sport.
Accolades - Renault cars have performed well in the ''European Car of the Year'' awards: the Renault 16 (1966), Renault 9 (1982) Renault Clio (1991), Renault Mégane Scénic (1997) and Renault Mégane (2003) have all won the award. The Renault 12 (1970), Renault 5 (1972), Renault 20 (1976), Renault 25 (1985) and Renault Laguna (2002) have all achieved runners-up in spot in the competition. Renault has regularly topped the French car sales charts, fighting off fierce competition from Citroën and Peugeot.
Typeface - Both the Renault logo and its documentation (technical as well as commercial) had used a specially designed typeface called ''Renault'', developed by British firm Wolff Olins. This type family is said to have been designed not for prestige reasons, but mainly to save costs at a time where the use of typefaces was more costly than it is now.In 2004, French typeface designer Jean-François Porchez was commissioned to design a replacement. This was shown in October of that year and is called ''Renault Identité''.
See also - List of Renault vehiclesAlpine (car)Renault TrucksDacia (car)Renault Samsung MotorsRenault F1Renault Sport
External links - renault.com - Official web siterenault.com - Renault-Nissan Alliance*biz.yahoo.com - Yahoo! - Renault SA Company Profile*euroncap.com - Euro NCAP crash testsrenaultforums.co.uk - RenaultForums enthusiast and owners communitytemplate:CAC 40 companies renault Category:Renault*Category:Automobile !manufacturersCategory:Rear-eng ined_vehiclesCategory:Companie s? of Francede:Renaultes:Renaulteo:R enaultfr:Renault? !(Groupe)nl:Renaultja:ルノー no:Renaultpl:Renaultpt:Renault fi:Renaultsv:Renault
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Websites
Used Carparts in Sweden - Karstorps Bildemontering AB
We dismantle 2000 cars a year and buy cars, which have been damaged in crashes or condemned for other reasons, from insurance companies in Sweden. We also sell car parts for car repairs and you can see a selection of what we dismantle by going to Cars for dismantling. If the car for which you need parts is not on the list, please contact us, as we have access to over a million car parts via our databases.
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mykangoo.de Fanseite zum Renault Kangoo
a privat german fan site about Renault Kangoo with many Tips, Galerie and Forum
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FindCars.com
The most complete of local vehicles for sale from dealers and private sellers
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I Professionisti del suono
Il portale del car audio
http://www.professionistidelsuono.net/
Manipe F1
Manipe F1 is the most up-and-coming Formula One website. Only three years on the road, it alreay boasts in-depth news, detailed results for the passed few seasons, driver profiles, and the most up-to-date and minutely detailed testing database.
http://www.manipef1.com/
Ferraristas - Comunidad Hispana de F1
Un sitio 100% Ferrarista: ultimas noticias, resultados, comentarios, estadisticas, fotos, historia de los pilotos, Scuderia y circuitos, foro de discusion, encuestas, links, etc
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Sulejmanovic
Car magazin BiH
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United Earth Group (Automotives)
New Car Savings, New Car Sales, UK Based Cars & Vans, Thousands of pounds discount of UK List price. Also Contract Hire, PCP, PCH, Finance Lease, Lease Purchase and more. As seen in What Car Magazine.
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autopasion18
Site dedicated to the diecast 1/18 and the history of the automobile
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GTevolution
The best tuning web site
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Renault Corporate
Actualités, finance, gammes de véhicules, services. Informations utiles pour les journalistes, les enseignants, les étudiants et les actionnaires. (Paris: 13190).
http://www.renault.com
Renault F1
The former team and engine supplier's official site.
http://www.renaultf1.com/
Renault France
Vente et achat, chez les concessionnaires Renault, d'automobiles neuves, occasions et de véhicules utilitaires, recherche de voitures et de crédits Diac. Présentation complète des modèles du constructeur.
http://www.renault.fr
Renault Trucks
Manufactures a full range of commercial vehicles used for the transport of goods. Site includes vehicle data, dealer locations and corporate news.
http://www.renault-trucks.com/
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