Born in a typically bourgeois Paris family in 1877, Louis Renault at an early age developed enthusiasm for all mechanical and technical stuff, including engines and electricity. Louis set up his first workshop in the garden shed of the family’s second house in Billancourt. The young Louis was not a study enthusiast but the best thing about him was that he had an intuitive and practical character.

At the age of 20, he made a brilliant entrance into the emerging world of the motor car, by converting his De Dion-Bouton tricycle into a small four-wheeled vehicle while adding his invention of the ‘direct drive’, in other words the first gearbox. The adventure began on Christmas Eve of 1898, when Louis Renault drove his invention vehicle - A-type Voiturette - up the 13% slope of Rue Lepic in Montmartre, Paris. Here, he managed to pocket his first 12 firm orders, along with cash deposits. Later he filed the patent for the direct drive system, which was soon adopted by all the manufacturers of the time.

His two elder brothers, Marcel and Fernand came into the picture in 1899 when they set up the Renault Brothers company, leaving Louis the ownership of his patent. It was through racing that Renault Brothers became known, with Louis and Marcel at the wheels of their vehicles. Starting with the Paris-Trouvielle event in 1899, they managed to win in most of the city-to-city races.

The succession of victories was the means to an end as the admiring public made their order books fatter with every race. The cars were sold for 3,000 francs – equivalent to ten year’s average salary at that time. The company expanded rapidly and by 1902 the workshops covered 7,500 square metres. The Renault catalogue included several models, together with the first saloon car on the market. Consequently Louis introduced the first Renault engine, with four cylinders and 24 horsepower. Soon after he patented the first turbo.

In 1903 Marcel aged 31 was tragically killed in an accident during the Paris-Madrid race. The loss of a brother was a hard blow for Louis and gave up racing for good leaving the task of defending the Renault company colours on to professional drivers. Accordingly Fernand established the Renault Brothers sales network and set up the company’s first subsidiaries abroad, mainly in England, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United States.

The company now renamed the Louis Renault Automobile Company, was growing fast. By 1907, Louis had been the first car manufacturer to move into aeronautics. During the First World War Renault became the leading manufacturer of aeroplane engines (14, 500) and also supplied the Allies, including the Russians from the company’s factory on the Volga.

The eleven-year period between 1918 and 1929 was the era of records. Renault engineering was everywhere – on the ground, in the air and on water. By 1929, the Renault brand was represented in 49 countries and in all continents except Australia.  Nowadays, the Renault group has over 350 sites in 36 countries and 130,573 employees. In 2004, the group's total revenues amounted to €40.7 billion. Its profitable growth strategy is based on three main pillars: competitiveness, innovation and international development.