Founding and early years (1898–1918) (1877–1944) in 1903 The Renault corporation was founded on 25 February 1899 as
Société Renault Frères by
Louis Renault and his brothers
Marcel and
Fernand. Louis was a bright, aspiring young engineer who had already designed and built several prototypes before teaming up with his brothers, who had honed their business skills working for their father's
textile firm. While Louis handled design and production, Marcel and Fernand managed the business. The first Renault car, the
Renault Voiturette 1CV, was sold to a friend of Louis' father after giving him a test ride on 24 December 1898. In 1903, Renault began to manufacture its own engines; until then it had purchased them from
De Dion-Bouton. The first major volume sale came in 1905 when Société des Automobiles de Place bought Renault AG1 cars to establish a fleet of taxis. These vehicles were later used by the French military to transport troops during
World War I which earned them the nickname "
Taxi de la Marne." By 1907, a significant percentage of London and Paris taxis had been built by Renault. In 1908 the company produced 3,575 units, becoming the country's largest car manufacturer. Although Louis never raced again, his company remained very involved, including
Ferenc Szisz winning the first
Grand Prix motor racing event in a
Renault AK 90CV in 1906. Louis took full control of the company as the only remaining brother in 1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons. In 1911, Renault visited Henry Ford at the
Highland Park factory and adopted some of the manufacturing principles from his trip. Renault manufactured
buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years. The first real
commercial truck from the company was introduced in 1906. Renault were also an important pre-war manufacturer of
aircraft engines. The firm entered the business in 1907 with the first of what would become a series of
air-cooled V8 engines. In 1911 the
Renault 90 hp became the world's first
V12 aircraft engine when it was exhibited at the Salon de l’Aéronautique at the
Grand Palais in
Paris. During World War I, the company branched out into
ammunition Renault's most successful aircraft engine was the
300 hp 12Fe with around 5,300 built during the war. The company exported engines to American automobile manufacturers for use in such automobiles as the
GJG, which used a Renault or four-cylinder engine.
Interwar years (1919–1938) , 1935|thumb|right Louis Renault enlarged Renault's scope after 1918, producing
agricultural and
industrial machinery. The war from 1914 until 1918 led to many new products. The first Renault tractor, the Type GP was produced between 1919 and 1930. It was based on the FT tank. Renault struggled to compete with the increasingly popular small, affordable "people's cars," while problems with the United States stock market and the workforce slowed the company's growth. Renault also had to find a way to distribute its vehicles more efficiently. In 1920, Louis signed one of its first distribution contracts with
Gustave Gueudet, an entrepreneur from
Amiens, France. The pre-First World War cars had a distinctive front shape caused by positioning the
radiator behind the engine to give a so-called "
coal scuttle"
bonnet. This continued through the 1920s. Only in 1930 did all models place the radiator at the front. The bonnet badge changed from circular to the familiar and continuing diamond shape in 1925. The practice of installing the radiator behind the engine against the firewall continued during the 1950s and 1960s on vehicles where the engine was installed longitudinally in the rear of the vehicle. Renault introduced new models at the
Paris Motor Show, which was held in September or October of the year. This led to confusion about model years. For example, a "1927" model was mostly produced in 1928. Renault cars during this time period had two model lines; the economy four-cylinder engine models that in the 1930s had the suffix "Quatre" and the luxury six-cylinder models that were sold with the suffix "-six", later becoming "Stella." For example, in 1928, when Renault produced 45,809 cars, its seven models started with a 6CV, a 10CV, the
Monasix, 15CV, the
Vivasix, the 18/22CV and the
40CV. Renault offered eight body styles. The longer
rolling chassis were available to
coachbuilders. The smaller were the most popular while the least produced was the 18/
24CV. The most expensive body style in each range was the closed car. Roadsters and tourers (torpedoes) were the cheapest. The London operation was important to Renault in 1928. The UK market was quite large and North America also received exports for the luxury car market. Lifted suspensions, enhanced cooling, and special bodies were common on vehicles sold abroad. Exports to the US by 1928 had declined to near-zero from their high point prior to WWI. A
Type NM 40CV Tourer had a US list price of over US$4,600 ($ in dollars), about the same as a
Cadillac V-12,
Packard Eight,
Fiat 520, or
Delahaye. Closed 7-seat limousines like the
Renault Suprastella started at US$6,000 ($ in dollars). Cars were conservatively engineered and built. The
Renault Vivasix, model PG1, was sold as the "executive sports" model beginning in 1927. Lighter weight factory steel bodies powered by a 3,180
cubic centimetre (cc) six-cylinder motor provided a formula that lasted until the
Second World War. "de Grand Luxe Renaults", those with a
wheelbase over , were produced in small numbers in two major types – six- and eight-cylinder. The 1927 six-cylinder Grand Renault models NM, PI and PZ introduced the new three spring rear suspension that considerably aided stability that was needed since some vehicles surpassed . The straight 8-cylinder
Reinastella was introduced in 1929 and expanded to a range culminating in 1939
Suprastella. Coachbuilders included
Kellner, ,
J. Rothschild et Fils and Renault bodies. Closed car Renault bodies were often trimmed with interior woodwork by Rothschild. and
Hélène Boucher. During the 1930s, Renault settled several speed world records with Caudron planes, thanks to its 6-cylinders engines and aerodynamic designs. In 1928, Renault introduced an upgraded specification to its "Stella" line. The
Vivastella's and Grand Renaults had upgraded interior fittings and a small star fitted above the front hood logo. This proved to be a winning differentiator and in the 1930s all cars changed to the Stella suffix from the previous two alpha character model identifiers. The Grand Renaults were built using a considerable amount of
aluminium. Engines, brakes, transmissions, floor and running boards and all external body panels were aluminium. Of the few that were built, many went to scrap to aid the war effort. In 1931, Renault introduced
diesel engines for its commercial vehicles. In the 1930s, the company took over the aircraft manufacturer
Caudron, focusing its production in small airplanes, Renault Caudron airplanes settled several speed world records during the 1930s. Renault continued developing tanks as part of France's rearming effort, including the
D1 and the FT's replacement, the
R 35. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Renault was surpassed by
Citroën as the largest car manufacturer in France. Citroën models at the time were more innovative and popular than Renault's. However, by mid-1930s the French manufacturers were hit by the
Great Depression. Renault could initially offset losses through its tractor, railroad and weaponry businesses, while Citroën filed for
bankruptcy, and was later acquired by
Michelin. The disputes were eventually quashed by Renault in a particularly intransigent way, and over 2,000 people lost their jobs. of bombs were dropped on the plant and the surrounding area, causing extensive damage along with heavy civilian casualties. while awaiting trial. On 1 January 1945, by de Gaulle's decree, the company was posthumously expropriated from Louis Renault. On 16 January 1945, it was formally nationalised as
Régie Nationale des Usines Renault. Renault's were the only factories permanently expropriated by the French government. In subsequent years, the Renault family tried to have the nationalisation rescinded by French courts and receive compensation. In 1945, and again in 1961, the Courts responded that they had no authority to review the government's actions.
Postwar resurgence (1945–1971) Under the leadership of
Pierre Lefaucheux, Renault experienced both a commercial resurgence and
labor unrest, that was to continue into the 1980s. In the early 1950s, Renault assembled at least two models; "Standard Saloon" and "De Luxe Saloon" in England. , 1951 In secrecy during the war, Louis Renault had developed the
rear engine 4CV which was subsequently launched under Lefacheux in 1946. Renault debuted its flagship model, the largely conventional 2-litre 4-cylinder
Renault Frégate (1951–1960), shortly thereafter. The 4CV proved a capable rival for cars such as the
Morris Minor and
Volkswagen Beetle; its sales of more than half a million ensured its production until 1961. After the success of the 4CV, Lefacheux continued to defy the postwar French
Ministry of Industrial Production, which had wanted to convert Renault solely to truck manufacture, by directing the development of its successor. He oversaw the prototyping of the
Dauphine (until
his death), enlisting the help of artist
Paule Marrot in
pioneering the company's textile and color division. The
Dauphine sold well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including Africa and North America. The Dauphine sold well initially in the US, although it subsequently became outdated against increased competition, including from the country's nascent domestic compacts such as the
Chevrolet Corvair. Renault also sold the
Renault Caravelle roadster, which was called the Floride outside North America. , 1958 was the first sportive compact car for a public consumption price. During the 1950s, Renault absorbed two small French heavy vehicle manufacturers (
Somua and
Latil) and in 1955 merged them with its own truck and bus division to form the
Société Anonyme de Véhicules Industriels et d'Equipements Mécaniques (Saviem). Renault then launched two successful cars – the
Renault 4 (1961–1992), a practical competitor for the likes of the
Citroën 2CV, and the rear-engined
Renault 8.
Modern era (1972–1980) TS coupe won 8 consecutive championships in the Argentinian
TC 2000 touring car racing series between 1986 and 1993. The company's compact and economical
Renault 5 model, launched in January 1972, was another success, anticipating the
1973 energy crisis. Renault did not have large or luxury cars in its product line and the "Rambler Renault" was positioned as an alternative to the
Mercedes-Benz "Fintail" cars. Later, Renault continued to make and sell a hybrid of AMC's
Rambler American and
Rambler Classic called the
Renault Torino in Argentina (sold through IKA-Renault). Renault partnered with AMC on other projects, such as a rotary concept engine in the late 1960s. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the company established subsidiaries in
Eastern Europe, most notably
Dacia in Romania, and
South America (many of which remain active) and forged technological cooperation agreements with
Volvo and
Peugeot, (for instance, for the development of the
PRV V6 engine, which was used in
Renault 30,
Peugeot 604, and
Volvo 260 in the late 1970s). In the mid-1960s, Renault Australia was set up in Melbourne. The company produced and assembled models including the R8, R10, R12, R16, sporty R15, R17 coupes, R18, and R20. The unit closed in 1981 and the factory closed with LNC Industries taking over import and distribution of Renaults in Australia. When Peugeot acquired Citroën and formed
PSA, the group's collaboration with Renault was reduced, although established joint production projects were maintained. Prior its merging with Peugeot, Citroën sold to Renault the truck and bus manufacturer
Berliet merging it with its subsidiary Saviem in 1978 to create
Renault Véhicules Industriels, which became the only French manufacturer of heavy commercial vehicles. Renault replaced some AMC executives, and
Jose Dedeurwaerder of Renault became President of AMC. The Jeep also used wheels and seats from Renault. Part of AMC's overall strategy was to save manufacturing costs by using Renault's parts and engineering expertise when practical. This led to the improvement of the venerable
AMC inline six – a Renault/Bendix-based port electronic
fuel injection system (usually called
Renix) transformed it into a modern, competitive powerplant with a jump from with less displacement (from 4.2 to 4.0 litres). The XJC Cherokee concept, which was conceived in 1983 as a successor to the XJ series, was also a joint collaboration with AMC and Renault engineers until the design was inherited by the
Chrysler Corporation in late 1987 after Renault divested AMC – which debuted in 1989 as the Jeep Concept 1 (evolving into the
Jeep Grand Cherokee in April 1992). The Renault-AMC marketing effort in passenger cars was unsuccessful compared to the popularity of Jeep vehicles. This was because, by the time the Renault range was ready, the
second energy crisis was over, taking with it much of the desire for economical, compact cars. One exception was the
Renault Alliance (an Americanised version of the
Renault 9), which debuted for the 1983 model year. Assembled at AMC's
Kenosha, Wisconsin plant, The Alliance's 72% US content allowed it to qualify as a domestic vehicle, making it the first car with a foreign nameplate to win the award. (In 2000,
Motor Trend did away with separate awards for domestic and imported vehicles.) A surprising side effect of the AMC linkup was that Renault felt the effects of the
Arab League boycott of companies doing business with
Israel, as AMC built Jeeps there under license. Plans to sell the Renault 9 in the Middle East were mothballed as a result. Introductions in the US during the 1980s included the Renault Alliance GTA and GTA convertible – an automatic-top convertible with a 2.0 L engine – big for a car of its class and the
Renault Fuego coupé. The Alliance was followed by the
Encore (US version of the
Renault 11), an Alliance-based hatchback. Eventually, Renault sold AMC to
Chrysler in 1987 after the assassination of Renault's chairman,
Georges Besse by
Action directe. The aim of this operation was to make use of the company's extensive dealership network to distribute light trucks. In 1983, Renault increased its stake in Mack to 44.6%. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Renault increased its involvement in motorsport, with novel inventions such as
turbochargers in its
Formula One cars. Renault's Head of Engines, Georges Douin, orchestrated the installation of turbocharged engines across much of the Renault range beginning in 1980. 10% of all turbocharged European cars in 1984 were Renaults. The company's road car designs were revolutionary in other ways also – the
Renault Espace was one of the first
minivans and was to remain the most well-known minivan in Europe for the next two decades. The second-generation Renault 5, the European Car of the Year-winning
Renault 9, and the most luxurious Renault yet, the aerodynamic
25, were all released in the early 1980s. At the same time, poor product quality damaged the brand. The ill-fated
Renault 14 may have been the culmination of these problems in the early 1980s. , the first European multi-purpose vehicle popularized the city car in Europe from 1992. Six years later, most of its rivals began to enter the city car market.|thumb|right
Restructuring (1981–1995) Renaults were somewhat successful on both road and track, including the 1984
Espace launch, which was Europe's first multi-purpose vehicle, a dozen years before any competitor. However, Renault was losing a billion francs a month totaling ₣12.5 billion in 1984. The government intervened and
Georges Besse was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling many of Renault's non-core assets (Volvo stake,
Gitane, Eurocar, and Renix), withdrawing almost entirely from
motorsports, and laying off many employees. This halved the deficit by 1986, but Besse was murdered by the communist
terrorist group
Action Directe in November 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued Besse's initiatives, slimming the company enough that by the end of 1987, Renault was more or less financially stable. However, while Besse was convinced that Renault needed a presence in the North American market and wanted to push forward with restructuring AMC, Lévy, facing domestic losses from Renault at home, and losses from AMC in the US, along with the political climate that led to Besse's assassination, decided to sell AMC to
Chrysler that same year. The
Renault 9, a small four-door family saloon, was voted
European Car of the Year on its 1981 launch. It sold well in France, but was eventually eclipsed by its sister vehicle, the
Renault 11 hatchback, as the hatchback body style became more popular in this size of the car. The
Renault 5 entered its second generation in 1984 and continued to sell well. The long-running
Renault 18 was replaced by the
Renault 21 early in 1986, adding a seven-seater estate badged as the Nevada or Savanna depending on where it was sold. Renault's top-of-the-range model in the 1980s was the
Renault 25, launched at the end of 1983. In 1990, Renault strengthened its collaboration with Volvo by signing an agreement that allowed both companies to reduce vehicle conception costs and purchasing expenses. Renault had access to Volvo's expertise in upper market segments and in return, Volvo exploited Renault's designs for low and medium segments. In 1993, the two companies announced their intention to merge operations by 1 January 1994 and increased their cross-shareholding. The French accepted the merger, while Volvo shareholders rejected it. , awarded Car of the year in Europe in 1997 and the first car to be marketed as a compact MPV, is the most popular MPV in Europe for 20 years. led Renault's cost cutting effort in 1998–2000. Renault's financial problems were not all fixed by the privatisation, and Renault's president,
Louis Schweitzer gave to his then deputy,
Carlos Ghosn, the task of confronting them. Ghosn elaborated a plan to cut costs for the period 1998–2000, reducing the workforce, revising production processes, standardising vehicle parts and pushing the launch of new models. The company also undertook organisational changes, introducing a
lean production system with delegate responsibilities inspired by Japanese systems (the "Renault Production Way"), reforming work methods, and centralising
research and development at its Technocentre to reduce vehicle conception costs while accelerating such conception. Starting on 27 March 1999, the Renault–Nissan Alliance is the first of its kind involving a Japanese and a French company, including
cross-ownership. Renault initially acquired a 36.8% stake at a cost of £2.7 billion in Nissan, while Nissan, in turn, took a 15%
non-voting stake in Renault. Renault continued to operate as a stand-alone company, but with the intent to collaborate with its alliance partner to reduce costs. The same year, Renault bought a 51% majority stake of the Romanian company
Dacia for £408.5 million, thus returning after 30 years, in which time the Romanians had built over 2 million cars that primarily consisted of local versions of the Renault 8, 12 and 20. In 2000, Renault acquired a
controlling stake of the newly formed South Korean
Samsung Group's automotive division for £59.5 million. In Japan, Renault was formerly licensed by
Yanase Co, Japan's premier seller of imported cars. However, as a result of Renault's purchase of an interest in Nissan in 1999, Yanase cancelled its licensing contract with Renault in the spring of 2000, and Nissan took over as the sole licensee, hence sales of Renault vehicles in Japan were transferred from
Yanase Store locations to
Nissan Red Stage Store locations. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Renault sold various assets to finance its inversions and acquisitions, refocusing itself as a car and van manufacturer. In 1999, the company sold its
industrial automation subsidiary, Renault Automation, to
Comau and its engine parts division to TWR Engine Components. In 2004, Renault sold a 51% majority stake in its agricultural machinery division, Renault Agriculture, to CLAAS. In 2006, CLAAS increased its ownership to 80% and in 2008 took full control. three-door MPV showcases Renault's distinctive design in early 2000s. In the twenty-first century, Renault developed a reputation for distinctive, outlandish design. The second generation of the
Laguna and
Mégane featured ambitious, angular designs that turned out to be successful, The 2000 Laguna was the second European car to feature
"keyless" entry and
ignition. Less successful were the company's more upmarket models. The
Avantime, a unique
coupé multi-purpose vehicle, sold poorly and was quickly discontinued while the luxury
Vel Satis model also disappointed. However, the design inspired the lines of the second-generation Mégane, the maker's most successful car. As well as its distinctive styling, Renault was to become known for its car safety by the independent company Euro NCAP Thus, in 2001, the Laguna achieved a five-star rating, and acquired control of
AvtoVAZ in 2008. In April 2010, Renault–Nissan announced an alliance with Daimler. Renault supplied Mercedes-Benz with its brand new 1.6-litre
turbo-diesel engine and Mercedes-Benz provided a 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol engine to Renault–Nissan. The resulting new alliance was to develop a replacement for the
Smart based on the Twingo. In February 2010, Renault opened a new production factory near
Tangier, Morocco, with an annual output capacity of 170,000 vehicles. Initially, it manufactured the
Dacia Lodgy and
Dacia Dokker models followed in October 2013 by the second generation
Dacia Sandero. The output capacity increased to 340,000 vehicles per year with the inauguration of a second production line. The site is located in a dedicated
free trade area, neighboring Tanger Automotive City. According to Renault, the new factory emits zero carbon and industrial liquid discharges. Over 100,000 vehicles were produced there in 2013. Renault expects to eventually increase production at the Tangier plant to 400,000 vehicles per year. In the 2010s, Renault increased its efforts to gain market share in the Chinese market. In 2013, it formed a joint venture with
Dongfeng Motor Group named as
Dongfeng Renault, based on a failed previous venture with the Chinese company Sanjiang. In December 2017, it signed an agreement with
Brilliance Auto to create a new joint venture (Renault Brilliance Jinbei) aimed at producing light commercial vehicles and minivans under the Renault,
Jinbei and
Huasong marques. In December 2018, Renault announced it would acquire a "significant" stake in
JMCG's electric vehicle subsidiary
JMEV. In July 2019, Renault took a 50% majority stake from JMEV through capital increase. In April 2020, Renault announced it planned to withdraw from the Dongfeng Renault venture, transferring its stake to Dongfeng. In December 2012, the Algeria's National Investment Fund (FNI), the
Société Nationale de Véhicules Industriels (SNVI), and Renault signed an agreement to establish a factory near the city of
Oran, Algeria, with the aim of manufacturing Symbol units from 2014 onwards. The production output was estimated at 25,000 vehicles. The Algerian State has a 51% stake in the facility. In September 2013, Renault launched its brand in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, with the aim of becoming one of the top European brands there until 2016. The model range at the time of the launch consisted of the
Duster (locally assembled), the
Koleos and the
Mégane RS. Later, the
Clio and the
Captur were also added. In April 2015, the
French government upped its stake in Renault from 15% to 19.73% with the aim of blocking a resolution at the next annual general meeting that could reduce its control over the company. In 2017, the government sold back shares and returned to a 15% stake as agreed with Renault. During 2016, Renault changed position on the viability of small (
B-segment) diesel cars in Europe, as they become significantly more expensive when re-engineered to comply with
new emissions regulations as a result of the
Volkswagen emissions scandal. Renault believes that all small and some mid-size (
C-segment) will no longer be diesels by 2020. However, on Friday, 13 January 2017, Renault shares fell as the
Paris prosecutor started an investigation into possible exhaust emissions cheating. The company later recalled 15,000 cars for
emission testing and fixing. Renault, along with several other automobile companies, has been accused of manipulating the measurement equipment for pollution from diesel cars. Independent tests carried out by the German car club
ADAC proved that, under normal driving conditions, diesel vehicles, including the
Renault Espace, exceeded legal
European emission limits for nitrogen oxide () by more than 10 times. Renault denied any foul play, stating compliance with French and European standards. In November 2018, Renault's CEO Ghosn was arrested by Japanese officials for allegedly underreporting his Nissan's salary, following an internal review conducted by the Japanese company. Renault traded shares fell more than 15% after the arrest was known. After Ghosn's arrest, the
chief operating officer and company deputy chief
Thierry Bolloré became the acting CEO and the board director Philippe Lagayette the acting chairman. In January 2019, following Ghosn's resignation, Renault announced it had appointed
Jean-Dominique Senard as chairman and the acting CEO Bolloré as CEO. In October 2019, Bolloré was fired and replaced by Renault's
CFO Clotilde Delbos as acting CEO. Bolloré said his dismissal was a "coup" by Senard. In January 2021, as part of a company revamp, Renault said it would divide its automotive division into four business units: Renault, Dacia and
Lada, Alpine, and Mobilize (the latter for new "new mobility services"). In April 2021, Renault said that its revenue fell by 1.1% from the beginning of 2021 until March and it will reduce car production and focus on models with higher margins. Following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, many international, particularly Western companies pulled out of Russia. Unlike most of its Western competitors, Renault was slow to announce divestment or scaling back of its operations in Russia, drawing criticism. On 21 March 2022, after a brief halt, Renault resumed production at the Renault Russia car plant near Moscow. In May 2022, Renault sold 100% of its shares in Renault Russia to the city of Moscow and its 67.69% interest in AvtoVAZ to the Russian Central Research and Development Automobile and Engine Institute for a symbolic one
rouble. The agreement provides an option for Renault to buy back its interest in AvtoVAZ within six years. In November 2022, Renault said it plans to spin off the electric car development into a
subsidiary company tentatively called
Ampère. It also plans to spin off its powertrain production and development operations (including internal combustion engines and hybrid systems) into a
joint venture company named
Horse with
Geely as co-owner. In January 2023, Renault said it intended to transfer almost 30% of its controlling stake in Nissan to a French trust (pending approval by both companies), reducing its shares with voting rights to a minority 15% and, in doing so, making Nissan shares in Renault to gain voting rights. The shareholding and voting ratio of both companies is set to be fixed in the future. The agreement also included Nissan investing in Ampere and projects in various markets. In February 2023, both companies approved the going-ahead for the shareholding changes. Final details and regulatory clearances for the transaction were set to be completed by the first quarter of 2023 and it would be done by the fourth quarter. The companies also approved joint projects and Nissan's Ampere investment. The share transfer was completed in November 2023. On March 31, 2025, Renault announced plans to acquire Nissan’s 51% stake in its Indian manufacturing unit In June 2025, Renault announced
Luca de Meo had resigned as its CEO. Renault began production of
drones in Ukraine in 2025. The decision was opposed by the
Confédération Genérale du Travail and
Force Ouvrière unions.
Innovations • 1899 Louis Renault "Driving, speed-changing mechanism and reversing gear" Louis Renault invented a revolutionary
direct drive gear with no drive belt, with much better uphill performances. • 1961 –
Renault 4 was the first serial car with hatchback body style • 1963 –
Renault 8 was the first serial car with four-wheel disc brake system • 1980 – First patents for "Braking distribution device for total adherence" • 1982 –
Renault Fuego was the first serial car with
keyless entry. • 1988 CARMINAT, a real-time system for location and weather information. This program received European support from 1988, under the code Eureka EU-55 CARMINAT. These innovations for the real-time location and human-machine interfaces are included in the Renault R-link system and Carminat
TomTom devices. • 2000 –
Renault Laguna was the second European car to feature "keyless" entry and ignition. ==Motorsport==