French Automaker, Electric Cars & SUVs
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The original firm, Renault Frères (“Renault Brothers”), was founded by Louis Renault and his brothers Marcel and Fernand after the young mechanic had built his first minicar at home. That first model incorporated direct transmission, then an automotive novelty. The firm received its first orders in 1899 and soon became a leader in the industry. Early cars built by the Renault brothers won many prestigious racing competitions.

In 1905 the company introduced the first of two best-selling models that were widely employed as taxicabs. These cars became famous during World War I when 600 Paris taxis were used to carry soldiers to the First Battle of the Marne. Renault also contributed to the war effort by producing shells, airplane engines, and light tanks. After the war the company continued to expand its factories and its product line, which included buses, trucks, and tractors. Early in World War II, however, the factories were brought under German control, and many were heavily damaged by Allied bombings. When Paris was liberated in 1944, the facilities that had not been destroyed were confiscated by the French government, which set up the state-controlled Régie Nationale des Usines Renault in 1945. The company then emphasized the production of popular, inexpensive family cars such as the 4CV.

In 1979 Renault signed an agreement with American Motors Corporation that called for AMC dealers to sell Renault cars in the United States while Renault would market AMC cars in Europe. A year later Renault became the principal stockholder in AMC. In 1987, however, Renault announced that it would withdraw from the American automobile market, and the company made a buyout agreement with Chrysler Corporation. Renault acquired the heavy-truck subsidiary of Citroën, Automobiles M. Berliet, in 1974 and from 1983 held a controlling interest in Mack Trucks Inc. of the United States.

(Read Lee Iacocca’s Britannica entry on Chrysler.)

In 1994 the French government semiprivatized Renault, selling off shares until it retained only a 50.1-percent stake in the company.