Founding of Renault

Renault was founded by the brothers Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, after Louis had built his first car and found that it attracted orders. The company won early fame in motor racing and became a major manufacturer of cars, trucks and, during the First World War, of tanks and the taxis that carried troops to the front in 1914. After the Second World War the French government nationalized Renault because its owner, Louis Renault, was accused of collaboration with Germany. It was privatized in stages from the 1990s. In 1999 it formed an alliance with the Japanese carmaker Nissan, which later grew to include Mitsubishi.

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