Renault Cars

The Renault car company first began building automobiles in 1897, but the actual company has been doing business for a lot longer. Beginning in the early 1700s, the Renault family has been involved in the production of pepper and coffee mills, as well as a variety of other products. The beginnings of the Renault car business were with the production of steel rods used in crinoline dresses; making these rods eventually led to the creation of other products containing steel.

Louis Renault led the design and engineering division, and his brothers Ferdinand and Marcel were better suited to managing the company, due to their experience in running the family's textile plant. Louis was the Renault brother who sold the first Renault automobile; he allowed a friend's father to drive it, and the man was so impressed with the car that he bought it immediately.

At the time the first Renault was sold, Europe's road racing world was in its beginning stages. However, the Renault brothers realized that racing could give their fledgling automotive business the exposure it needed, and Marcel and Louis drove Renaults in races until Marcel died in the Paris-Madrid 1903 race. The Renaults' racing career was over, but they still fielded race vehicles.

At that time, vehicles were regarded by most as a luxury item- so Renault expanded its production capabilities to include buses, taxi cabs and other industrial vehicles. Like so many other car makers, during World War I, Renault shifted its focus to the war effort. During the war, Renault made tanks, airplanes and munitions, and their military contributions earned Louis Renault an Allied award at the war's end.

Between the first and the second World War, Renault further expanded its reach, producing both small and larger vehicles. However, this was also the time of the worldwide Great Depression, and Renault had issues with both its work force and with its stock. The company's biggest issues were with its distribution network; they were at last able to make a deal with a distributor in Northern France. In the mid-1930s, there was a decline in the export of European cars to the United States; numbers dropped to almost zero.

Renault went through tremendous struggle during World War II, when France was overtaken by the Axis in 1940. The Nazi Party took hold of all Renault's plants, and wanted the company to build military vehicles and produce ammunition. Although Renault flatly refused to help the Nazis, he still faced accusations of being a collaborator and was arrested in 1944. He passed away in prison before he ever had a chance to defend against the charges.

After the war, Renault cars enjoyed more opportunities; the company was rejuvenated and again became the producer of cars that were of equal or better quality than the Volkswagen Beetle and the Morris Minor. By the 1970s, the worldwide energy crisis was putting a crimp in the plans of all automobile makers, and Renault was no exception. The company used this time to attempt to gain a foothold in the competitive US auto market, with only limited success. By the middle of the 70s, Renault had stopped importing cars to America.