Renault S.A.

Drive the Change
Type	Société anonyme
Traded as	Euronext: RNO
Industry	Automotive
Founded	25 February 1899
Founder(s)	Louis Renault, Marcel Renault,Fernand Renault
Headquarters	Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Area served	Worldwide (118 countries)
Key people	Carlos Ghosn (Chairman and CEO)
Products	Automobiles, commercial vehicles, Luxury Cars, financing
Production output	2,708,206 (2013)
Revenue	€40.932 billion (2013)
Operating income	€-34 million (2013)
Profit	€695 million (2013)
Total assets	€74.99 billion (end 2013)
Total equity	€23.21 billion (end 2013)
Owner(s)	APE (15.01%) Nissan Finance Co., Ltd.(15%) Daimler AG (3.1%)
Employees	127,086 (December 2012)
Subsidiaries	List
Website	group.renault.com

Renault S.A. (French pronunciation:  re-noh) is a French multinational vehicle manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past, trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches and autorail vehicles. In 2011, Renault was the third biggest European automaker by production behind Volkswagen Group and PSA and the ninth biggest automaker in the world by production in 2011.

Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, the Renault group is formed by the namesake Renault marque and subsidiaries Automobile Dacia from Romania and Renault Samsung Motors from South Korea. Renault has a 43.4% controlling stake in Nissan of Japan, a 25% stake in AvtoVAZ of Russia and a 1.55% stake in Daimler AG of Germany. Renault also owns subsidiaries RCI Banque (providing automotive financing), Renault Retail Group (automotive distribution) and Motrio (automotive parts). Renault Trucks, previously Renault Véhicules Industriels, has been part of Volvo Trucks since 2001. Renault Agriculture became 100% owned by German agricultural equipment manufacturer CLAAS in 2008. Renault has various joint ventures, including Turkish Oyak-Renault, Iranian Renault Pars, Chinese Dongfeng Renault. Carlos Ghosn is the current chairman and CEO and the French government owns a 15% share of Renault.

As part of the Renault–Nissan Alliance, the company is the fourth-largest automotive group. Together Renault and Nissan are undertaking significant electric car development, investing €4 billion (US$5.16 billion) in eight electric vehicles over three to four years from 2011.

The company’s core market is Europe and is known for its role in motor sport, and its success over the years in rallying and Formula 1.

History

Foundation and early years (1898–1918)

The Renault corporation was founded in 1899 as Société Renault Frères by Louis Renault and his brothers Marcel and Fernand. 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. While Louis handled design and production, Marcel and Fernand handled company management.

1900 RENAULT tonneau

1901 Renault Voiturette

The first Renault car, the Renault Voiturette 1CV was sold to a friend of Louis’ father after giving him a test ride on 24 December 1898. The client was so impressed with the way the tiny car ran and how it climbed the streets that he bought it.

1903 Renault type NC Double Phaeton

1903 renault types N-Q-U

1904 Renault CGV 25hp Roi des Belges

1905 renault type AG taxi

1905 Renault TYPE V1

1905 Renault, 13 Litre 4-cyl

In 1903, Renault began to manufacture its own engines in as much as until then it had been purchasing them from De Dion-Bouton. The first major sale was in 1905 to the Société des Automobiles de Place, which bought Renault AG1 cars to establish a fleet of taxis. These vehicles would eventually be used by the French military for transporting troops during World War I which earned them be known as “Taxi de la Marne.” By 1907, a significant percentage of the taxis circulating in London and Paris had been built by Renault. Renault also was the most sold foreign marque at New York in 1907 and 1908. In 1908 the company produced 3,575 units, becoming the largest car manufacturer in France.

1905-1910 Renault Taxi de la Marne Type AG

The brothers recognised the publicity that could be obtained 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 Switzerland 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 Ferenc Szisz winning the first Grand Prix motor racing event in a Renault AK 90CV in 1906. Louis was to take full control of the company as the only remaining brother in 1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons. Fernand died in 1909 and Louis became the sole owner, renaming the company Société des Automobiles Renault (Renault Automobile Company).

1906 Renault Type AG Fiacre Paris

1905-renault-sv

1906 ACF GP louis-renault-paris

1906 Renault 1523

1906 renault nr.38

1906 Renault AK 90CV GP Car.

1906 renault Stanley Steamer

The Renault reputation for innovation was fostered from very early on. 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. In 1905 the company introduced mass-production techniques, and Taylorism in 1913. As well as cars and taxis, Renault manufactured buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years. The first real commercial truck from the company was introduced in 1906. During World War I, it branched out into ammunition, military airplanes and vehicles such as the revolutionary Renault FT tank. The company’s military designs were so successful that Renault himself was awarded the Legion of Honour for his company’s contributions to the war. The company also exported their engines overseas to American auto manufacturers for use in such automobiles as the GJG which used a Renault 26 hp or 40 hp four-cylinder engine.

1906-renault

1906 Renault

1906 renault type G2 18HP

1907 renault type gs

1907 RENAULT type XB

1907 Renault Vanderbilt Racer

1907 Renault-20-30CV lomo

1907 renault-landeau

1907 Renault-Taxi

1908 Renault AG

1908 Renault

1908-14 RENAULT AX FRANCA

1909 Renault 15-22 kw Limousine

1909 Renault AVA

1909 Renault AX 3-Seater

1909 Renault Type AI Torpedo

1909 Renault-Trucks

1910 de Louis RENAULT, une 25 CV type BM

1910 Renault 2 Melbourne Ambulance

1910 Renault Melbourne Ambulance

1910 Renault AG-Fiacre Paris

1910 renault ambulance edited

1910 Renault American Standard Touring Car

1910 Renault dealer Tokyo

1910 Renault Type AG 9 CV

1910 renault

1911 Modell G Touring blue vl

1911 Renault – Fourgon Type AX

1911 Renault Torpedo Type AX

1911 renault typeCG

1911-renault-ag-taxi

1912 Renault limo

1912-16 renault type fk

1913 Renault 11 Green Dark

1913 Renault Freres BW

1913 Renault kellner

1913 Renault Taxi de la Marne

1913 Renault Type DM Touring

1913 Renault

1914 Renault 35CV [Type ED]

1914 Renault Ambulance

1914 Renault DM Tourer

1914 Renault EG, 4×4

1914 renault STB

1914 Renault The ODDS and SODS

1914 Renault ЕЕ

1914 Renault ЕР

1914 renault

1915 Renault 4×4

1915 renault kimman-carrosserie

1915 renault mle Automitrailleuses

1915 Renault

1915 renault-Ad

1916 Renault Unic Torpedo 12 Cv

1916 Renault

1916-18 Renault FT light tanks, World War I

1917 Renault Type EU Open Drive

1917 Renault type FE torpedo

1918 Prachtige Feestelijke Renault Bus

1918 Renault GZ

1918 Renault-Maiden Erleigh-1 Ambulance

1918 Renault-Mgebrov-Armored-Car-Narva

next chapter

Part II Between the world wars (1919–1938)