Renault’s presence in the UK began with just 12 cars. They were imported into Britain in 1901 by two brothers based in Paris and Edinburgh. Since then, we haven’t looked back. Our UK presence has quite simply gone from strength to strength.
Today, Renault is one of the world's most recognisable automotive brands, with award-winning Renaultsport performance cars, its highly-successful Renault Sport F1 team which supplies cutting-edge technology and engines to several F1 teams, including Red Bull Racing. Renault is also increasingly global with the Group employing over 125,000 people around the world, possessing a 44.3% stake in Nissan, a strategic co-operation with Daimler as part of its Alliance with its Japanese partner, as well as sole owner of the highly successful Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors brands. Renault is also the best-selling light commercial vehicle brand in Europe, and has been since 1998.
As a French brand, it is also highly-regarded for its innovation. Among its projects, Renault will be the first manufacturer in the world to launch a range of affordable electric vehicles from Autumn 2011, aiming to take 10% of the global market by 2020. From the ingenious Kangoo Van Z.E. to the eye-catching Twizy, right through to Fluence Z.E. saloon and stylish ZOE, its range of 100% electric vehicles is set to send shockwaves through the industry. As well as its pioneering work on EVs, Renault is continuing to drive down vehicle emissions on petrol and diesel models. Renault has launched dual-clutch transmission, the most frugal and least polluting diesel compact MPV in Scenic with the clever new 1.6 dCi 130 downsized engine, not to mention its Renault eco2 label which applies to its vehicles throughout their entire lifecycle. Renault is also consistently one of the most coveted automotive brands when it comes to safety. It was the first brand to receive a five-star rating from Euro NCAP for occupant protection with the Laguna in 2001 and it has continued to follow such progress with a further 12 models since.