Did you know that Renault has existed since 1899? That’s over 100 years! What’s even cooler is that the company was started by three brothers, Louis, Fernand, and Marcel Renault, and was initially called Société Renault Frères (Renault Brothers Company).

The first vehicle they sold was called the Renault Voiturette 1CV, which they actually sold before their company was made official in 1898. That said, their success as a company was fast and notable. By 1903 they no longer bought engines for their vehicles, they started making them!

And only four years later, Renault vehicles actually made up a significant portion of the taxis in Paris as well as London after creating their first fleet of taxis. It wasn’t just Europe and the United Kingdom that was embracing Renault though, in New York the brand was all the rage! In fact, by 1908 Renault was the most common import vehicle in NYC.

Leading up to the first World War, Renault was diversifying the vehicles they were creating. From buses and commercial freight vehicles to aircraft engines, they were key members of the transportation and automotive industry. From diesel engines to military tanks, Renault was innovating and creating incredible machinery.

However, through the first and second World Wars, they encountered difficulty. After the Nazis occupied France in the 40’s, the Nazis took over the production facility. Louis Renault (the only surviving brother) refused to make tanks for the Nazis, but manufactured commercial trucks. Over the course of the war, one factory was destroyed which Louis wanted to rebuild.

Unfortunately, after French liberation Louis was seen as a Nazi collaborator, imprisoned, and died awaiting trial. The French government assumed the company, and resumed production of Renault vehicles under the new name, Régie Nationale des Usines Renault.

A long and interesting modern history short, the company began to thrive and the French government committed to producing and innovating under the Renault brand. Through the end of the 1900’s and into the new millennium, the company fought to hold onto their legacy of impressive vehicles and technological innovation. By 1996, the company was privatised once again and Renault worked to establish themselves as a great, recognizable private company. Through these endeavors came collaborations, most notably and concretely Nissan with the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Leading up to the present, Renault continued experimenting and expanding their cross-company alliances. Now, they’re noted for their unique, innovative, and modern vehicle designs and are very popular around the world. While the company has faced internal challenges and drama, their vehicles are still loved for their reliability, fashion, and luxury. Again, this is only a brief history of the automotive company, we highly recommend diving into the nitty gritty of their story for the riveting and interesting details of their development we haven’t discussed here.