About RenaultFrench automaker Renault withdrew from the American market in the mid-1980s but remains a major player on the global level. The last Renaults seen on U.S. roads--the Alliance and Encore, for example--suffered from quality issues, which tarnished America's perception of the brand, even though the cars were actually built by AMC while that company was in its death throes. Modern cars owe many of their standard features to engineer and company founder Louis Renault (1877-1944). He is credited with inventing or modernizing drum brakes, hydraulic shocks, compressed gas ignition, and the turbocharger, among other things. Louis Renault died in 1944.Before formally entering the car production business, Renault was an experienced hobbyist tinkerer. In 1898, along with his brothers Marcel and Fernand, he converted a three-wheeled De Dion-Bouton into a four-wheeler, with a direct drive third gear. Renault bet that his "Voiturette" could defeat a chain-driven vehicle in a race, and upon his victory, a dozen friends placed orders for their own. This early experience illustrated for the brothers the potential offered by racing as a tool for publicity and promotion. Racing proved a cornerstone for the... View more company at the turn of the century, but Marcel Renault's death while racing the 1903 Paris-Madrid would relegate racing to tertiary status. By 1914, Renault was France's dominant automaker and was sending cars to all corners of the world, including the United States. In 1947, the 4CV was introduced. The four-door economy car was a huge commercial success and more than a million would eventually be sold. 4CVs were available in the U.S. by 1949. Nicknamed "La motte de beurre" (the lump of butter), the stubby car was truly an odd site on American roads. The 4CV would be replaced in 1956 by the Dauphine, another economy car that sold in huge numbers. The Gordini was the Dauphine luxury version, and the Caravelle was the convertible sports car. 1972 saw the debut of the supermini Renault 5, known as Le Car in the United States. Prompted by the fuel crisis of 1973, nearly 5.5 million R5s sold worldwide. Renault began cultivating a relationship with American Motors Corporation in the 1960s, and was soon assembling Rambler Classic sedans in their Belgian factory. Renault's partnership with Peugeot and Volvo lead to the development of the "PRV" engine in the late '70s. AMC was in dire straits by the 1980s, but Renault's purchase of a 47.5% stake in the company kept it afloat for a few more years. The Renault Alliance and Encore were built at AMC's factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The cars were initially well received (the Alliance earned Motor Trend's Domestic Car of the Year award for 1983), but quality issues doomed most everything produced there, souring the brand in the minds of Americans. Renault would withdraw from the American market by the end of the decade. View less | |||
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