The French automobile giant was named after its founders, Louis Renault, Marcel Renault, and Fernand Renault brothers.
Renault, a French automobile manufacturer, was established as a company on February 25, 1899 in Boulogne-Billancourt, one of the cities of France. Founded by the brothers Louis Renault, Marcel Renault and Fernand Renault, the automobile company has developed itself for many years and managed to become one of the largest automobile brands in Europe.
Renault is the product of the curious structure of 3 brothers, especially Louis. The foundations were laid by Louis Renault, the noble son of a wealthy family in Paris in 1877. Their father is a wool merchant with a fairly good income. Unlike the fathers of that period, he did not pressure his children to learn Latin or other languages. They do what they want without any direction or imposition on what to do.
Louis Renault, who can be seen as very lucky compared to the period, is a child who is very curious about machines. At the age of 5, he runs to the station and examines the locomotives, their steam boilers, pistons, chimneys and every detail. When he was 15 years old, he became interested in motor cars and by saving his pocket money, he bought a 0.75 horsepower De Dion Bouton car. Of course, he disassembles and inspects almost every part of this car, except for the ride.
De Dion Bouton brand cars are made from phaetons and have been created in a way that collects almost everywhere. They were produced by two people named Count Albert De Dion and Georges Bouton. Their goal is to produce a car that is fairly cheap and sell it to everyone, from the lowest to the highest. But the duo cannot achieve their goals and cannot find what they hoped for. The fate of the car would later be changed by Louis Renault and his brothers.
When Louis Renault bought the De Dion Bouton brand car, he had no idea of producing a car. They're just thinking about finding out how it was upgraded with their siblings by throwing it in an old garage. Later, in the old garage in Paris Billancourt, Louis and his brothers remanufactured this car. They make many additions to the car and Renault's first mini car "Voiturette" appears.
The car named Voiturette, produced by Louis Renault and his brothers, began to be seen on the streets on December 24, 1898, and unlike its counterparts, it can climb 13% inclined. Voiturette is produced with a mechanical gear with 3 forward - 1 reverse gears and makes a great impression. At the same time, instead of the power of the engine, belt and chain; It is gained by transferring directly to the rear axle with a shaft, that is, a shaft. In this way, they attracted attention by producing a more efficient and quieter working car.
At the age of 21, Louis Renault founded the company Renault Freres with his brothers Fernand and Marcel. After the Voiturette experience, the Renault brothers want to produce more powerful and revving engines. For this reason, they get their hands on generator systems and create a revolution with the innovations they bring in this way.
In 1899, they participate in a race organized between Paris and Trouville, consisting of 170 kilometers. They easily win this race with the special car they produce. After this success, the door of the company they founded begins to be knocked on and they begin to receive quite a lot of orders. Their father gives £8,000, which is a lot of money for them to reach the top.
Louis Renault is someone who never said it's okay now and always aims to create more perfection. With this determination, it produces the first vehicle with a closed body. The garage opened in Paris Billancourt has now turned into a factory and has 110 employees. One year after winning the Paris - Trouville race, they win the Paris - Bordeaux and Paris - Berlin races with the sports E model Renault. The young people who put on a show in these races continue to make innovations without slowing down.
In 1902 they produced the two-cylinder H model and the four-cylinder K model. They win the Paris – Vienna race with the K model. In 1903, an accident occurs in the Paris-Madrid race and Marcel loses his life. After Marcel's death, Fernand could not stand too long and he too died.
After the death of his brothers, Louis is left alone and loses some power. Despite this, he cannot prevent the constantly flying ideas in his mind and continues to realize them. One of these ideas is to sell horseless carriages to Parisian coaches. These phaeton drivers sell their veteran cars and buy Renault's two-cylinder cars. Thus, Louis Renault achieves a good success and continues to develop himself in this direction.
As the demands increase, Louis switches to mass production and strives for employees to get expertise. While he makes one an expert in flooring, he sends the other to trainings to specialize in painting. In this way, Renault manages to open branches in New York, London and Berlin 9 years after its establishment. It also produces ship and aircraft engines.
As his business grows, Louis feels more and more absent from his siblings. The marketing and accounting works of the company, which does not only deal with manufacturing, are naturally concentrated. Despite this, Louis' priority has always been a good car. Continuously improving the cars it produces, Louis leaves its competitors behind by producing the first shock absorber, the first left-hand drive and the first servo brake. When the year shows 1914, "Societe des Automobiles Renault" becomes an industrial giant with 4,400 employees. In 1918, the number of employees increased to over 22 thousand. The company, which also started the production of ambulances, fire trucks and pickup trucks, has succeeded in putting its logo, which looks like a lozenge, from small cars to the most luxurious cars.
Renault, which initially developed as an individual transportation vehicle, started to design cars for families in the following years. Renault has become a brand that has achieved many firsts in its history by observing the needs of users. In addition to innovations such as the luggage compartment designed for families to store their belongings, it also became the creator of segments such as minivan and monospace.
Thanks to the Primaquatre developed in 1937 after the 6-cylinder cars, the brand managed to settle in the 10 and 11CV markets, which are the heart of the French market. Renault, with its bold style and superior design, produced 16 Station Wagons in 1965, offering its customers a wide range of use that no other automobile could provide. Renault 16 became popular in a short time.
Renault entered the professional life with the light commercial models it designed after the passenger models. Renault produced the Estafette model in 1959 to meet the needs of tradesmen and traders. Estafette, which has an unusual style, is offered for sale in vibrant colors such as orange, yellow and blue to avoid the monotony of utility vehicles.
The brand, which emerged with the idea of both a business and a family car, provided easy loading thanks to its flat floor with the Renault 4 it produced in 1961. Thus, the hatchback that can transform according to needs was born. To turn a family car into a utility vehicle or a vacation-ready small car, it was enough to push the seat back.
The 4CV and Dauphine models, which won the Monte-Carlo rally and the Tour de Corse rallies in 1964, became legends and gained a large fan base with their performances. Gordini, which was designed for young people who want to enjoy freedom and speed, reached 11,600 sales, despite being twice the price of a standard Renault series car.