History
Louis Renault and his brothers Fernand and Marcel founded the company in 1899. Louis was fascinated by engineering and the mechanical system. He owned a De Dion-Bouton cycle, and in 1898 he hired workers to help modify the car to his specifications. The resulting vehicle featured a universally jointed drive shaft and a 3 speed gear box. In 1899 he gained a patent for the 3rd gear in direct drive system he installed in his modified De Dion-Bouton he named Voiturette, meaning ‘little car’. The first Voiturettes had De Dion-Bouton 1 cylinder engines that had a top speed of about 20 mph. Because the modified car had three gears it was able to climb hilly streets easily. This little car had a roof and two doors, thus becoming the first sedan ever manufactured. Renault is currently the 3rd largest car manufacturer in the world. Renault owns 43% of Nissan, 80% of Renault Samsung, 25% of AutoVAZ and a 1.55% stake in Daimler AG. Renault Trucks has been a subsidiary of Volvo Trucks since 2001.
Major Events
Renault S.A. was originally called Societe Renault Freres. The company began manufacturing its own engines in 1903. One of the company’s first major sales occurred in 1905 when a French firm approaching him about wanting to establish a taxi business. In two years time there were a number of Renault taxis circulating in London and Paris. The brothers participated in motor racing, which they found to be a great way to advertise their product and expand the company. During the Paris-Madrid race Marcel was killed and Louis never raced again. It was a Renault car that won the first Grand Prix motor racing event in 1906. In response to a critical lack of artillery shells, Louis suggested his factory make them, using hydraulic presses instead of the more expensive method of lathe operations. Andre Citroen and other French automakers soon followed suit. Because the shells were made in pieces they were inherently weak, causing premature explosions that either killed or injured the artillery crew. Because of his contributions to the war effort, Louis was given the Legion d’honneur after the war.
The 1927 model Vivasix had lighter weight factory steel bodies that made the car faster and more fuel-efficient. The Grand Renault models of the ‘30s used aluminium for its brakes, running boards, engines and transmissions. Unfortunately many went to scrap in support of the war effort. He introduced diesel engines for the company’s commercial vehicles in 1931. Renault remained in control of his company until 1942. He is responsible for designing the hydraulic shock absorber, drum brakes, compressed gas ignition, the turbocharger engine and the taximeter.
Louis Renault was accused of collaborating with Vichy France because he put his factories at their service and therefore had aided the Nazis. He believed thousands of workers were saved from being transported to prison camps in Germany because he had kept his factories operational. Shortly after the liberation of France Renault surrendered to local authorities. His lawyers advised him not to flee the country and when he presented himself to the Judge he was arrested. He was imprisoned at the Fresnes Prison where he died a month later. Renault was the only factory that was permanently expropriated by the French government.
Going Forward
Renault is leading a unit to develop cleaner cars and is exploring the following areas:
• Agrifuels
• LPG – Liquified Petroleum Gas
• Electric Cars
• Hybrid Drivetrains – Start / Stop Engine Feature
Other areas where they continue to innovate are developing new drivetrains and gearboxes as illustrated by their impressive line of concept cars:
• DeZir
• Frendzy
• Captur
• R-Space
• Twin’Z
• Twin’Run
• Initiale Paris
Renault and Nissan are currently in partnership to create an electric car to be produced in 2014-2015, and dates are yet to announced for production on the concept cars.
