Renault S.A.

Type	Société Anonyme
Traded as	Euronext: RNO
Industry	Automotive industry
Founded	25 February 1899
Founder(s)	Louis Renault, Marcel Renault, Fernand Renault
Headquarters	Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Area served	Worldwide (118 countries)
Key people	Carlos Ghosn (Chairman and CEO)
Products	Automobiles, commercial vehicles, financing
Production output	3,195,810[1] (2010)
Revenue	€42.628 billion (2011)[2]
Operating income	€1.244 million (2011)[2]
Profit	€2.139 billion (2011)[2]
Total assets	€72.93 billion (end 2011)[2]
Total equity	€24.57 billion (end 2011)[2]
Employees	128,322[1] (as of December 31, 2011)
Subsidiaries	Automobile Dacia (99.43%) Renault Samsung Motors (80.1%) AutoVAZ (25%) Renault Sport Renault Sport F1 RCI Banque Motrio
Website	www.renault.com

Renault S.A. (Euronext: RNO) is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans, tanks, and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it fourth-largest automotive group.^[3] Together Renault and Nissan are leading electric car development among major car companies, investing 4 billion euros ($5.16 billion) in eight electric vehicles over the next 3–4 years.^[4] Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault Samsung Motors. Renault also owns subsidiaries RCI Banque (providing automotive financing) and Motrio (automotive parts). Renault Trucks, previously Renault Vehicules Industriels, has been part of Volvo Trucks since 2001. Renault Agriculture became 100% owned by German agricultural equipment manufacturer CLAAS in 2008.

Lebanese Brazilian Carlos Ghosn is the current chairman and CEO. The company's most successful cars to date are the Renault Clio and the Renault Mégane, and its core market is Europe.^[5] The company is known for its role in motor sport, and its success over the years in rallying and Formula 1. The French government owns a 15 percent share of Renault.^[4]

History[link]

Foundation and early years (1898–1918)[link]

Louis Renault in 1903

The Renault corporation was founded in 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 models before teaming up with his brothers, who had honed their business skills working for their father's textiles firm. While Louis handled design and production, Marcel and Fernand handled company management.

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. The client was so impressed with the way the tiny car ran and how it climbed the streets that he bought it.

The brothers recognised the publicity that could be obtained for their vehicles by participation in motor racing and Renault made itself known through achieving instant success in the first city-to-city races held in Switzerland resulting in rapid expansion for the company. Both Louis and Marcel Renault raced company vehicles, but Marcel was killed in an accident during the 1903 Paris-Madrid race. Although Louis Renault never raced again, his company remained very involved, including Ferenc Szisz winning the first Grand Prix motor racing event^[6] in a Renault AK 90CV in 1906. Louis was to take full control of the company as the only remaining brother in 1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons.

The Renault reputation for innovation was fostered from very early on. At the time, cars were very much luxury items, and the price of the smallest Renaults available being 3000 francs reflected this; an amount it would take ten years for the average worker at the time to earn. In 1905 the company introduced mass-production techniques, and Taylorism in 1913. As well as cars, Renault manufactured taxis, buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years, and during World War I (1914–18) branched out into ammunition, military airplanes and vehicles such as the revolutionary Renault FT-17 tank.^[7] The company's military designs were so successful that Renault himself was awarded the Legion of Honour for his company's contributions to the war.^[8] The company also exported their engines overseas to American auto manufacturers for use in such automobiles as the GJG which used a Renault 26 hp or 40 hp four-cylinder engine.

Between the world wars (1919–38)[link]

Louis Renault enlarged the scope of his company after 1918, producing agricultural and industrial machinery. However, Renault struggled to compete with the increasingly popular small, affordable "people's cars", while problems with the stock market and the workforce also adversely affected the company's growth. Renault also had to find a way to distribute its vehicles more efficiently. In 1920, he signed one of its first distribution contracts with Gustave Gueudet, an entrepreneur from northern 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 "coalscuttle" bonnet. This continued through the 1920s and it was not until 1930 that all models had the radiator at the front. The bonnet badge changed from circular to the familiar and continuing diamond shape in 1925. Renault models were introduced at the Paris Motor Show which was held in September or October of the year. This has led to a slight confusion as to vehicle identification. For example a "1927" model was mostly produced in 1928.

Renault produced a range of cars from small to very large. For example in 1928 which was the year when Renault produced 45,809 cars the range of 7 models started with a 6cv, a 10cv, the Monasix, 15cv, the Vivasix, the 18/22cv and the 40cv. There was a range of factory bodies, of up to 8 styles, and the larger chassis were available to coachbuilders. The number of a model produced varied with size. The smaller were the most popular with the least produced being the 18/24cv. The most expensive factory body style in each range was the closed car. Roadsters and tourers (torpedoes) were the cheapest.

The London operation was very important to Renault in 1928. The UK market was quite large and from there "colonial" modified vehicles were dispatched. Lifted suspensions, enhanced cooling and special bodies were common on vehicles sold to the colonies. Exports to the USA by 1928 had almost reduced to zero from their high point prior to WW1 when to ship back a Grand Renault or similar high class European manufactured car was common. A NM 40cv Tourer had a USA list price of over $4,600 being about the same as a V12 Cadillac Tourer. Closed 7-seat limousines started at $6,000 which was more expensive than a Cadillac V16 Limousine.

The whole range was conservatively engineered and built. The newly introduced 1927 Vivasix, model PG1, was sold as the "executive sports" model. Lighter weight factory steel bodies powered by a 3180 cc six-cylinder motor provided a formula that went through to the Second World War.

The "de Grand Luxe Renaults", that is any with over 12-foot (3.7 m) wheelbase, were produced in very 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 road holding that was needed as with some body styles over 90 mph (140 km/h) was possible. The 8-cylinder Reinastella was introduced in 1929. This model led on to a range culminating in the 1939 Suprastella. Coachbuilders included Kellner, Labourdette, J.Rothschild et Fils and Renault bodies. Closed car Renault bodies were often trimmed and interior wood work completed by Rothschild.

Renault also introduced in 1928 an upgraded specification to the larger cars designated "Stella". Vivastella's and Grand Renaults had upgraded interior fittings and had a small star fitted above the front hood Renault diamond. This proved to be a winning marketing 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.

World War II and aftermath (1939–44)[link]

Renault Frégate

Renault 4CV

After the French capitulation in 1940, Louis Renault refused to produce tanks for Nazi Germany, which took control of his factories. He produced lorries for the German occupiers instead. On 3 March 1942, the RAF launched 235 low-level bombers at the Billancourt plant, the largest number of aircraft aimed at a single target during the war.^[9] 460 tons of bombs were dropped on the plant and the surrounding area, causing extensive damage to the plant along with heavy civilian casualties.^[10] Renault resolved to rebuild the factory as quickly as possible, but a further heavy bombardment a year later, on 4 April, this time delivered by the Americans, caused further damage, as did subsequent allied bombardments on 3 and 15 September 1943.^[10]

A few weeks after the Liberation of Paris, at the start of September 1944, the factory gates at Renault’s Billancourt plant reopened.^[10] Operations restarted only very slowly, in an atmosphere poisoned by plotting and political conspiracy, undertaken in the name of popular justice.^[10] Back in 1936 the Billancourt factory had been at the heart of violent political and industrial unrest that had surfaced in France under Leon Blum’s Popular Front government: although the political jostling and violence that followed the liberation was ostensibly a backlash from the rivalries between capitalist collaboration and communist resistance, many of the scores being settled actually predated the German invasion.^[10] Responding to the chaotic situation at Renault, on 27 September 1944 a meeting of the Council of (the provisional government's) Ministers took place under de Gaulle’s presidency. Postwar European politics had quickly become polarised between communists and anti-communists, and in France De Gaulle was keen to resist Communist Party attempts to monopolise the political dividends available to resistance heroes: politically Billancourt was a communist stronghold. The government decided to “requisition” the Renault factories.^[10] A week later, on 4 October Pierre Lefaucheux, a resistance leader with a background in engineering and top-level management, was appointed provisional administrator of the firm, assuming his responsibilities at once.^[10]

Meanwhile the provisional government accused Louis Renault of collaborating with the Germans. In the frenzied atmosphere of those early post-liberation days, with many wild accusations against him, but believing himself innocent of the crimes of collaboration, Renault was advised by his lawyers not to flee the country, but to present himself to a judge. He presented himself to Judge Marcel Martin, on 22 September 1944.^[10] Louis Renault was arrested on 23 September 1944, like several other French auto-industry leaders at the time.^[10] He was incarcerated at Fresnes prison where he died On 24 October 1944 under unclear circumstances,^[11] while awaiting trial.^[12]

On 1 January 1945, by decree of General Charles de Gaulle based on the untried^[11] accusations of collaboration, the company was expropriated from Louis Renault posthumously and on 16 January 1945 it was formally nationalised as Régie Nationale des Usines Renault.^[10] Renault's were the only factories permanently expropriated by the French government.^[13]

Postwar resurgence (1945–71)[link]

Under the leadership of Pierre Lefaucheux, Renault experienced both a commercial resurgence as well as labor unrest – that was ultimately to continue into the 1980s.

In secrecy during the war, Louis Renault had developed the rear engine 4CV^[14] 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 itself 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,^[15] 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 extremely well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including Africa and North America. The Dauphine sold well initially in the US, where it subsequently became outdated against increased competition, including from the country's nascent domestic compacts such as the Chevrolet Corvair.

Renault subsequently launched two cars which became very successful – the Renault 4 (1961–1992), a practical competitor for the likes of the Citroën 2CV, and Renault 8. The larger rear-engined Renault 10 followed the success of the R8, and was the last of the rear-engined Renaults. The company achieved success with the more modern and more upmarket Renault 16, a pioneering hatchback launched in 1966, followed by the smaller Renault 6.

Modern era (1972–1980)[link]

The company's compact and economical Renault 5 model, launched in 1972, was another success, particularly in the wake of the 1973 energy crisis. Soon after, the four-door Renault 12 model slotted into the Renault range between the Renault 6 and Renault 16, and introduced a new styling theme. Throughout the 1970s the R4, R5, R6, R12, R15, R16 and R17 maintained Renault's production with further new models launched including the Renault 18 and Renault 20.

Endangered like all of the motor industry by the energy crisis, during the mid seventies the already expansive company diversified further into other industries and continued to expand globally, including into South East Asia. The energy crisis also provoked Renault's attempt to reconquer the North American market; despite the Dauphine's success in the United States in the late 1950s, and an unsuccessful car-assembly project in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, (1964–72), Renault as a stand-alone brand, began to disappear from North America at the end of the '70s.

Throughout the decades Renault developed a collaborative partnership with Nash Motors Rambler and its successor American Motors Corporation (AMC). From 1962 to 1967, Renault assembled complete knock down (CKD) kits of the Rambler Classic sedans in its factory in Belgium. Renault did not have large or luxury cars in its product line and the "Rambler Renault" would be aimed as an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz "Fintail" cars. Later, Renault would continue 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 development of a rotary concept engine in the late 60s.

Renault 5 Turbo

This was one of a series of collaborative ventures undertaken by Renault in the late 1960s and 1970s, as the company established subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, most notably Dacia in Romania, and South America (many of which remain active to the present day) 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 an Australian arm, Renault Australia, was set up in Heidelberg, Melbourne, the company would produce and assemble models from the R8, R10, R12, R16, sporty R15, R17 coupe's to the R18 and R20, soon the company would close in 1981. Renault Australia did not just concentrate on Renaults, they also built and marketed Peugeots as well. From 1977, they assembled Ford Cortina station wagons under contract- the loss of this contract led to the closure of the factory.^{[citation needed]}

1974 Renault 15 coupe

In North America, Renault formed a partnership with American Motors, lending AMC operating capital and buying a small percentage of the company in late 1979. Jeep was keeping AMC afloat until new products, particularly the XJ Cherokee, could be launched. When the bottom fell out of the 4×4 truck market in early 1980 AMC was in danger of going bankrupt. To protect its investment, Renault bailed AMC out with a big cash influx – at the price of a controlling interest in the company of 47.5%. Renault quickly replaced some top AMC executives with their own people.

The Renault–AMC partnership also resulted in the marketing of Jeep vehicles in Europe. Some consider the Jeep XJ Cherokee as a joint AMC/Renault project since some early sketches of the XJ series were made in collaboration by Renault and AMC engineers (AMC insisted that the XJ Cherokee was designed by AMC personnel; however, a former Renault engineer designed the Quadra-Link front suspension for the XJ series).^{[citation needed]} The Jeep also used wheels and seats from Renault. Part of AMC's overall strategy when the partnership was first discussed was to save manufacturing cost by using Renault sourced parts when practical, and some engineering expertise. This led to the improvement of the venerable AMC in-line six – a Renault/Bendix based port electronic fuel injection system (usually called Renix) that transformed it into a modern, competitive powerplant with a jump from 110 hp (82 kW) to 177 hp (132 kW) with less displacement (from 4.2L to 4.0L).

The Renault-AMC marketing effort in passenger cars was not as successful compared to the popularity for Jeep vehicles. This was because by the time the Renault range was ready to become established in the American market, the second energy crisis was over, taking with it much of the trend for economical, compact cars. One exception was the Renault Alliance (an Americanized version of the Renault 9), which debuted for the 1983 model year. Assembled at AMC's plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Alliance received Motor Trend's domestic Car of The Year award in 1983. The Alliance's 72% U.S. content allowed it to qualify as a domestic vehicle, making it the first car with a foreign nameplate to win the award since the magazine established a separate Import Car of The Year prize in 1976. (In 2000, Motor Trend did away with separate awards for domestic and imported vehicles.)

Renault sold some interesting models in the U.S. in the 1980s, especially the simple-looking but fun 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 ahead-of-its-time Renault Fuego coupe. The Alliance was followed by the Encore (U.S. version of the Renault 11), an Alliance-based hatchback. In 1982 Renault become the second European automaker to build cars in the United States, after Volkswagen. However, Renault's Wisconsin-built and imported models quickly became the target of customer complaints for poor quality, and sales plummeted.

Eventually, Renault sold AMC to Chrysler in 1987 after the assassination of Renault’s chairman, Georges Besse. The Renault Medallion (Renault 21 in Europe) sedan and wagon was sold from 1987 to 1989 through Jeep-Eagle dealerships. Jeep-Eagle was the new division Chrysler created out of the former American Motors. However, Renault products were no longer imported into the United States after 1989. A completely new full-sized 4-door sedan, the Eagle Premier, was developed during the partnership between AMC and Renault. The Premier design, as well as its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bramalea, Ontario, Canada, were the starting point for the sleek LH sedans such as the Eagle Vision and Chrysler 300M.

In the late seventies and early eighties Renault increased its involvement in motorsport, with novel inventions such as turbochargers in their Formula One cars. The company's road car designs were revolutionary also – the Renault Espace was one of the first minivans and was to remain the most well-known minivan in Europe for at least 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 25 were all released in the early 1980s, building Renault's reputation, but at the same time the company suffered from poor product quality which reflected badly in the image of the brand and the ill-fated Renault 14 is seen by many as the culmination of these problems in the early 1980s.

Restructuring (1981–95)[link]

Renault 25

Although its cars were somewhat successful both on the road and on the track, including the 1984 launch the Espace – Europe's first multi-purpose vehicle – Renault was losing a billion francs a month and reported a deficit of 12.5 billion in 1984. The government intervened and Georges Besse was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling off many of Renault's non-core assets, withdrawing almost entirely from motorsports, and laying off many employees. This succeeded in halving the deficit by 1986, but he was murdered by the communist terrorist group Action Directe in November 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued along the same lines as Besse, slimming down the company considerably with the result that by the end of 1987 the company was more or less financially stable.

A revitalised Renault launched several successful new cars in the early 1990s, including the successful 5 replacement, the Clio in 1990. The Clio is the first new model of a generation which will see the numeric models replaced by new cars with traditional nameplates. Other important launched included the second-generation Espace and the innovative Twingo in 1992. In the mid-1990s the successor to the R19, the Renault Mégane, was the first car ever to achieve a 4-star rating,^{[citation needed]} the highest at the time, in EuroNCAP crash test in passenger safety.

Privatisation and the alliance era (1996– )[link]

It was eventually decided that the company's state-owned status was detrimental to its growth, and Renault was privatized in 1996. This new freedom allowed the company to venture once again into Eastern Europe and South America, including a new factory in Brazil and upgrades for the infrastructure in Argentina and Turkey.

Signed on 27 March 1999, the Renault–Nissan Alliance is the first of its kind involving a Japanese and a French company, each with its own distinct corporate culture and brand identity, linked through cross-shareholding. Renault initially acquires a 36.8% stake at a cost of US$3.5 billion in Nissan, while Nissan in turn has a 15 percent stake (non-voting) in Renault. Renault continued to operate as a stand-alone company, but with the intent to collaborate with its alliance partner to reduce costs in developing new products. In the same year Renault bought 99% of the Romanian company Dacia, thus returning after 30 years, in which time the Romanians built over 2 million cars, which primarily consisted of the Renault 8, 12 and 20.

Following the sale of the Renault Vehicules Industrials truck and bus division to Volvo in 2001, Renault retained a minority (but controlling) stake (20%) in the Volvo Group. (Volvo passenger cars are now a subsidiary of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group).

Global locations of Renault factories

In the twenty-first century, Renault was to foster a reputation for distinctive, outlandish design. The second generation of the Laguna and Mégane featured ambitious, angular designs which turned out to be successful, with the 2000 Laguna being the first European family car to feature "keyless" entry and ignition. Less successful were the company's more upmarket models. The Avantime, a bizarre coupé / multi-purpose vehicle, sold very poorly and was quickly discontinued while the luxury Vel Satis model did not sell as well as hoped. However, the design inspired the lines of the second-generation Mégane, the most successful car of the maker. As well as its distinctive styling, Renault was to become known for its car safety; currently, it's the car manufacturer with the largest number of models achieving the maximum 5 star rating in EuroNCAP crash tests. The Laguna was the first Renault to achieve a 5 star rating; in 2004 the Modus was the first to achieve this rating in its category.

For 2004 Renault reported a 43% rise in net income to €3.5 billion and 5.9% operating margin, of which Nissan contributed €1,767 million. The Group (Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors) posted a 4.2% increase in worldwide sales to a record 2,489,401 vehicles, representing a global market share of 4.1%. Renault retained its position as the leading brand in Europe with 1.8 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold and market share of 10.8%. In 2005 the Renault–Nissan Alliance held 9.8% of the worldwide market (5.74% for Nissan and 4.04% for the Renault group) with sales of 3,597,748 (Nissan) and 2,531,500 (Renault Group), placing the alliance fourth after GM, Toyota, and Ford. For the calendar year of 2008, its total global sales were 6,090,304, a decrease of 1.1% against a global industry market decline of 5%, resulting in a 9.4% share, up from 9.1% in 2007.^[16] Renault has regularly topped the French car sales charts, fighting off fierce competition from Citroën and Peugeot.^{[citation needed]} With dropping sales 4800 jobs were cut in 2008, partly because of poor performance of the Laguna.^[17]

In April 2010, Renault-Nissan announced a new alliance with Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler with Renault supplying Mercedes-Benz with its brand new 1.6 L turbodiesel engine and Mercedes-Benz to provide a 2.0 L four-cylinder petrol engine to Renault-Nissan.^[18] The resulting new alliance is to also develop a new model to replace the Smart with a new model based on the Renault Twingo.^[19]

Corporate governance[link]

The government of France owns 15.7 per cent of the company. The company is administered by a Board of Directors composed of 19 members (10 of them being independent). As of April 2010, members of the board of directors include:^[20]

• Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (and also Director of Alcoa, AvtoVAZ; President and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.; and Chairman of the Alliance Board: Renault-Nissan b.v.)
• Yves Audvard
• Patrick Biau
• Alexis Kohler, Director appointed by the French State
• Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière
• Philippe Lagayette
• Franck Riboud
• Luc Rousseau, Director appointed by the French State
• Hiroto Saikawa Executive Vice President Purchasing of Nissan
• Pascale Sourisse

Carlos Tavares is the company's Chief Operating Officer and Thierry Moulonguet is Chief Financial Officer. Louis Schweitzer was Chairman and CEO from 1992 to 2005, in succession to Raymond Lévy.

Head office[link]

Renault's head office is in Boulogne-Billancourt.^[21] The head office is located near the old Renault factories; Renault has maintained a historical presence in Boulogne-Billancourt,^[22] as the historic Boulogne-Billancourt plant had Renault's activity since 1898.^[21]

Products and technologies[link]

Current models[link]

Current model line up:^[23]

Dacia vehicles sold in some markets under the Renault marque:

• Duster (2009; A multi terrain vehicle available in 2- and 4-wheel-drive versions built by Dacia)
• Logan (2004)
• Sandero (2008)

Renault light commercial vehicles:

• Kangoo Express (also sold in some markets as Nissan Kubistar)
• Master (also sold in some markets as Nissan Interstar and Opel Movano)
• Trafic (a joint venture with Opel, sold in some markets as Opel Vivaro, Vauxhall Vivaro and Nissan Primastar)

Renault commercial vehicles[link]

Renault SA ceased manufacturing large goods vehicles by 2004 when it sold its truck and military divisions to Volvo in 2001 (but still sold under the Renault Trucks name) and its bus and tram business to Irisbus in 1999. Renault's agricultural division was sold to CLAAS in 2004.

Renault concept cars[link]

Renault Kangoo Z.E. Concept

Renault has displayed numerous concept cars to show future design and technology directions. Since 2008 Renault displayed various all-electric car concepts under the name "Z.E.", starting with a concept based on the Renault Kangoo Be Bop. Further concepts and announcements followed, with a pledge to start production of the Fluence Z.E. saloon in 2011 and the Renault Zoe in 2012.

Renault also revealed the Ondelios hybrid concept in 2008.^[24][25] but this was overtaken by the Z.E. programme.

Electric vehicle partnerships[link]

From 2008, Renault entered a number of agreements for its planned zero-emissions products, including Israel, Portugal, Denmark, the U.S. states of Tennessee and Oregon,^[26] Yokohama in Japan and the Principality of Monaco.^[27] Serge Yoccoz is the electric vehicle project director.^[28]

In 2008 Renault-Nissan signed a deal to mass-produce electric cars for an initiative in Israel with Better Place, a US company developing new non-petroleum based transport infrastructure. Renault aimed to mass market 10,000 to 20,000 cars a year in Israel.^[29] Renault would also develop exchangeable batteries for the project.^[30] Renault also collaborated with Better Place to produce a network of all-electric vehicles and thousands of charging stations in Denmark, planned to be operational by 2011.^[31] The Renault Fluence Z.E.,^[32] was selected for the Israel project, being the first zero-emission vehicle with a switchable battery,^[33] with trials in 2010 undertaken with the Renault Laguna.

Renault-Nissan and the largest French electric utility, Electricite de France (EDF) signed an agreement to promote emission-free mobility in France. The partnership planned to pilot projects on battery management and charging infrastructure.^[34] Renault-Nissan also signed deals with Ireland's ESB,^[35] and in Milton Keynes as part of the UK's Plugged In Places national project.^[36]

According to Ghosn, the Renault-Nissan alliance was a fundamental step in electric car development, and that although the two companies alone could produce an electric car, they both need each other for other issues like battery manufacturing, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and business strategy.^[37]

PHEV Research Center[link]

The Renault-Nissan group is in the PHEV Research Center. Nissan is also hedging its bets by developing both a "parallel hybrid" system (akin to that found in the Toyota Prius) and a plug-in "series hybrid" similar to the Chevy Volt. But it favours the all-electric approach, even though it will be a tough sell, says Mr Lane. As for Mr Ghosn, he has no doubts. "We must have zero-emission vehicles," he says. "Nothing else will prevent the world from exploding."^[38]

Eco²[link]

Renault introduced a new line of eco-friendly derivatives in 2007 marked eco² based on normal production cars. A minimum of 5% recycled plastic was used and at the end of the vehicles life the remains are 95% reusable. Eco²'s CO2 emissions were not to exceed 140g/km, or are biofuel compatible.^[39] At the 2008 Fleet World Honours, Renault was rewarded with the Environment Award. The chairman of Judges, George Emmerson, commented, “This was the most hotly contested category in the history of the Fleet World Honours, such is the clamour for organizations’ green credentials to be recognized. There were some very impressive entries, but the panel felt that Renault’s impressive range of low-emission vehicles was the most tangible, and the most quantifiable.^[40]

Subsidiaries and alliances[link]

Renault-Nissan[link]

Renault has a 44.3% stake in Nissan, and Nissan holds a 15% stake (with no voting rights) in Renault. Renault has a 50% stake in the joint venture Renault-Nissan b.v., which was established to manage synergies in the Renault-Nissan alliance. The company is responsible for the management of two joint companies, RNPO (Renault Nissan Purchasing Organization) and RNIS (Renault-Nissan Information Services).^[41] Combined vehicle sales in 2008 reached 6.9 million (including AvtoVAZ), making the Renault-Nissan Alliance the world’s third-largest automotive group.^[42]

As well as sharing a number of engines in the alliance and joint-development of zero-emissions technology, Nissan increased its presence in Europe by badging various Renault van models such as the Renault Kangoo/Nissan Kubistar, Renault Master/Nissan Interstar, Renault Trafic/Nissan Primastar. Some passenger cars have also been badged-engineered, such as the Renault Clio based Nissan Platina in Brazil. The "Renault Production System" standard used by all Renault factories borrowed extensively from the "Nissan Production Way" and has resulted in Renault productivity improving by 15%. The alliance has led to the loss of 21,000 jobs, the closure of three assembly plants and two powertrain plants.^[43]

In March 2010 the Renault-Nissan alliance opened its first joint facility in Chennai, India, investing 45 billion rupees (US$991.1 million).^[44] The facility builds the Nissan Micra, and the Renault Fluence and Renault Koleos are intended to be assembled there from completely knocked-down units. As a result of opening its own factory, Renault ended its five-year Mahindra Renault joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra company to make and sell the Renault Logan in India.^[45]

Renault-Nissan and Daimler alliance[link]

On 7 April 2010 Renault-Nissan executive, Carlos Ghosn and Daimler AG executive, Dieter Zetsche announced a partnership between the three companies in a joint press conference.^[46] Under the terms of a deal, Daimler acquired a 3.1 per cent stake in Renault-Nissan and Renault and Nissan each take a 1.55 per cent stake in Daimler.^[47]

Dacia[link]

The Romanian based manufacturer Automobile Dacia has been a subsidiary since 1999 with 99.43% owned by Renault.

Renault Samsung Motors[link]

Renault acquired the car division of Samsung on 1 September 2000 in a $560m deal for 70% of the company,^[48] eventually rising to 80.1%.^[49]

AvtoVAZ[link]

In February 2008 Renault acquired a 25% share in AvtoVAZ, known for its Lada range of vehicles.^[50] For a long time needing to modernize its technology, VAZ was seeking a strategic partnership since the late nineties. Its owners tried to form an alliance with various foreign auto manufacturers, such as General Motors. However, most of these attempts weren't successful and generally fell through.

Renault was in talks with VAZ on and off since 2005, initially insisting on CKD assembly of Logan cars with its facilities, while VAZ intended to keep its own Lada brand and only wished to acquire a new platform and engine. After several rounds of talks, between which VAZ also sought alliance with Fiat and Magna, Renault agreed to the partnership under terms not unlike the earlier Nissan deal. Renault and Rosoboronexport, the state corporation that is a major stockholder of VAZ, discussed Renault increasing its stake in VAZ to 50%.^[51]

RCI Banque[link]

Wholly owned subsidiary providing financial services to all three of Renault's brands.

Renault India Private Limited[link]

Renault India Private Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Renault. Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited has invested Rs 4,500–5,000 Crores to build a manufacturing plant in Chennai which will have a capacity of 400,000 vehicles per annum by 2015 divided equally between Renault India Private Limited and Nissan Motor India Private Limited.^[52] RIPL will launch two models in 2011; the Fluence and Koleos.^[53][54] The Mahindra Renault joint venture continued to manufacturer the Dacia Logan until 2011, when it was facelifted and re-launched as the Mahindra Verito.

Proposed alliances[link]

On 30 June 2006, the media reported that General Motors convened an emergency board meeting to discuss a proposal by shareholder Kirk Kerkorian to form an alliance between GM and Renault-Nissan. The hastily arranged meeting suggests that GM's board was treating Kerkorian's proposal with urgency. There was speculation that a GM–Renault–Nissan alliance could pave the way for Renault's return to the U.S. market. However, GM CEO Richard Wagoner felt that an alliance would benefit Renault's shareholders more than those of GM, and that GM should receive some compensation for it. This did not sit well with Renault; subsequently, talks between GM and Renault ended on 4 October 2006.

In 2007 Renault-Nissan were in talks with Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto to develop a new ultra-low-cost car along the lines of the Tata Nano.^[55] Renault's existing partner in India, Mahindra, was not interested in taking part in the project despite already manufacturing the Dacia Logan. The proposed deal for a split of the joint venture (50% Bajaj and 25% each for Renault and Nissan) did not come to fruition, when in late 2009 it was announced that Bajaj would develop and manufacturer the vehicle itself and supply Renault-Nissan with completed cars.^[56]

On 7 October 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that a Renault executive said the company was interested in acquiring or partnering with Chrysler, which at the time was owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.^[57] On 11 October 2008, the New York Times reported that General Motors, Nissan and Renault had all been in discussions over the past month with Cerberus about acquiring Chrysler.^[58]

Motorsport[link]

Renault Megane II F1 team Edition

Renault has taken part in motorsport since the beginning of the 20th century, promoted by Marcel Renault's racing interests, and over the years has acquired companies with a sporting connection such as Gordini and Alpine. In the seventies, Renault set up a dedicated motorsport division called Renault Sport, and won the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Renault Alpine A442 in 1978. Renault has achieved success in both rallying and in Formula One over several decades. The company backs several one-make single-seater series such as Formula Renault, and World Series by Renault.

Formula One[link]

Fernando Alonso driving for Renault F1 at Indianapolis in 2005, the year in which the team won their first Formula One championship.

Renault introduced the turbo engine to Formula One when they debuted their first car, the Renault RS01 at Silverstone in 1977 and the Renault team continued until 1986. From 1989 Renault supplied engines to the successful Williams-Renault car.

Renault took over the Benetton Formula team in 2000^[59] for the 2001 season and became Renault F1 in 2002. In 2005 and 2006 the team won the Constructors' and Drivers' titles (with Fernando Alonso).^[60] At the 2005 French Grand Prix Carlos Ghosn set out his policy regarding the company's involvement in motorsport:

"We are not in Formula One out of habit or tradition. We're here to show our talent and that we can do it properly… Formula One is a cost if you don't get the results. Formula One is an investment if you do have them and know how to exploit them."

Renault powered the winning 2010 Red Bull Racing team, and entered to a similar role with its old team in December 2010, when sold the final participation on it to the investment group Genii Capital, the main stakeholder^[61] since December 2009,^[62] ending Renault's direct role in running a F1 team for the second time.^[63]

At this moment, the F1 involvement of Renault is centered in Renault Sport F1, which provides engines and related elements to several client teams (Red Bull Racing, Lotus F1, Williams F1 and Caterham F1).^[64]

Rallying[link]

Renault has been involved in rallying from an early era. Marcel Renault won the 1902 Rallye Paris-Vienna, but lost his life while competing in the 1903 Paris-Madrid.^[65]

During the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, Renault manufactured several small cars with rear wheel drive in some cases, as the R4, the R8 or the Dauphine. These cars were well-adapted to the rally of the time, and the tuner Amedee Gordini collaborated with its performance.^[65] In the 1950s the Renault Dauphine won several international rallies, including the 1956 Mille Miglia and the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally.^[66]

In 1973, Renault took control of Automobiles Alpine, a related company for several years, which was responsible for building successful rally cars such as the A110.^[67] A highly evolved A110 won the first World Rally Championship, representing Alpine-Renault.^[65]

In 1976, the Alpine's competition department and the Gordini factory at Viry-Chatillon were merged into Renault Sport.^[67] The focus shifted to Formula One, although Renault achieved several victories including the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally with the Renault 5 Turbo^[66] before retirement from the world rally in late 1994.^[65]

Renault cars also participate of cross-country races, most prominently the Dakar Rally. The Marreau brothers won the 1982 edition driving a Renault 20 Turbo 4x4 prototype.^[68] Later, Renault motorized and sponsored the Schlesser-Renault Elf buggies which won the 1999^[69] and 2000 editions.^[70] The 1999 car was the first two-wheel drive Dakar's winner.^[71]

Sponsorship[link]

From 1983 to 1984, Renault sponsored an Unlimited hydroplane in the United States. Owned by Jerry Schoenith and driven by E. Milner Irvin, the Miss Renault was powered by a turbocharged Allison V-1710 piston engine. Miss Renault won the 1983 World Championship race in Houston, Texas.

Renault in the UK[link]

The first popular Renault motor vehicles to achieve sustained sales success in the United Kingdom were the R5 mini-car and R18, both of which attained six-digit sales figures during the late 1970s and early 1980s, although they failed to achieve anything like the volumes of established carmakers Ford, Vauxhall and Austin Rover.

Renault enjoyed a huge rise in popularity among British buyers on the arrival of the Clio supermini in early 1991. It was regularly among Britain's most popular cars each year during the 1990s and its successor (launched in 1998 alongside the final installment of the successful 'Nicole and Papa' advertising campaign),^[72] where the original model left off. The sedan/saloon version, called Thalia, was not launched in the UK.

Renault went from strength to strength in the UK during the 2000s following the introduction of its distinctively styled Mégane hatchback in November 2002. Any suggestions that its quirky styling would not fit in with the tastes of British buyers were quickly confounded in 2005 when it was the fourth best selling car in Britain. By 2006 Renault was the third most popular brand of car in the United Kingdom, only Ford and Vauxhall sold more units.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007 Renault UK lost a US$2 million law suit against an independent distributor who had placed orders for 217 cars under a discount scheme intended for members of the British Airline Pilots Association- 3 were legitimate- because they had "made a profit of some sort on every vehicle". Two Renault employees were criticized for having "turned a blind eye" to the very large number of orders.^[73]

By 2008, Renault sales had started declining in the UK and the marque was down to eighth most popular brand with 89,570 sales (down 29% compared to 2007) and considerably less than the 194,685 sales made in 2002. Renault suffered more than most main brands in the UK during 2009 as the recession deepened and ended the year with 63,174 sales and a reduced 3.17% market share. In 2010, however, as the economy returned to growth, Renault sold more than 95,000 cars and boosted its market share to 4.71%.^[74]

The Koleos SUV was withdrawn from the UK in August 2010 due to slow sales under 3,000 units. In late 2011, Renault announced that the Laguna, Espace, Kangoo, Modus and Wind lines would be withdrawn from the UK due to cutting costs. This change took place in early 2012 leaving the current range limited to the Twingo, Clio, Mégane and Scénic and the new Twizy and Fluence Z.E. models.^[75]

Accolades[link]

Renault cars have performed well in the European Car of the Year awards. The Clio is the only car since the prize's conception in 1964 to win the award twice.

• 1966: Renault 16^[76]
• 1982: Renault 9^[77]
• 1991: Renault Clio^[78]
• 1997: Renault Scénic^[79]
• 2003: Renault Mégane II^[80]
• 2006: Renault Clio III^[81]

The Renault 12 (1970), Renault 5 (1973), Renault 20 (1976), Renault 25 (1985), Renault Safrane (1993), and Renault Laguna (2002) have all achieved runners-up in spot in the competition.

The inaugural Australian Wheels Car of the Year award was won by the R8 in 1963 (particularly in consideration to its four-wheel disc brake system), and Renault won again in 1970 when the Renault 12 won the prestigious award.

Marketing and branding[link]

Renault diamond badge in use 1972–1992

Renault badge[link]

The Renault diamond logo has been through many iterations since it first was used in 1925.^[82] To modernize its image, Renault asked Victor Vasarely to design its new logo in 1972. Vasarely had already worked in the advertising world and he placed his graphic talents at the service of the brand. The transformed logo maintained the diamond shape but gained cleaner, more dynamic and angular lines. A seventies design that has since been revised to reflect the new more rounded lines of the brand’s styling cues.^[83] The current diamond badge has been in use since 1992, though the Renault brand logo was updated in 2007 when a square of yellow and the word Renault was added to form a new logo for print and web use. The yellow first appeared in the diamond badge of 1946 when Renault was nationalised.

Typeface[link]

Both the Renault logo and its documentation (technical as well as commercial) historically used a specially designed typeface called Renault MN, developed by British firm Wolff Olins. This type family is said to have been designed not for prestige reasons, but mainly to save costs at a time where the use of typefaces was more costly than it is now. In 2004, French typeface designer Jean-François Porchez was commissioned to design a replacement. This was shown in October of that year and is called Renault Identité.

L'Atelier Renault Paris[link]

Renault's flagship showroom is located on the Champs Elysees in Paris, where other car manufacturers such as Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota also have showrooms. It was opened in November 2000, located on the site of Pub Renault, which ran from 1963 to 1999. L'Atelier currently features a Renault Boutique as well as regular exhibitions featuring Renault and Dacia cars, while an upmarket restaurant is located on the second floor, looking out onto the Champs Elysees. The ground floor can hold up to five different exhibitions at any one time. As of March 2009, 20 million visitors have visited L'Atelier Renault.

Music[link]

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Renault's European advertising made extensive use of Robert Palmer's song "Johnny and Mary". The earlier television advertisements used Palmer's original version, while a range of special recordings in different styles were produced during the 1990s; most famously Martin Taylor's acoustic interpretation which he released on his album Spirit of Django. Taylor recorded many alternate versions for Renault; the last being in 1998 for the launch of the all-new Renault Clio.^{[citation needed]}

Sponsorship[link]

Renault sponsored and was heavily featured in Le Visionarium a time-travel film at Disneyland Paris.

See also[link]

• Alpine
• Oyak-Renault Renault in Turkey

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Renault

• Official website
• Renault Samsung Motors
• Renault Sport
• Renault Sport F1
• Renault Trucks
• Carmaker alliances Interactive infographic from the Financial Times

v t e Renault S.A. Current: Twizy • Twingo • Wind • Modus • Clio • Symbol • Sandero • Logan • Duster • Kangoo • Mégane • Fluence • Scénic • Laguna • Latitude • Koleos • Espace • Zoe Numeric: 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 25 • 30 1970–2009: Alliance/Encore • Fuego • Medallion • Premier • Torino • Safrane • Rodeo • Avantime • Vel Satis • Virage 1945–1970: 4CV • Caravelle • Colorale • Dauphine • Dauphinoise • Floride • Frégate • Ondine Between wars: Celtaquatre • Monaquatre • Juvaquatre • Monasix • Nervastella • NN • Novaquatre • Primaquatre • Reinastella • Viva Grand Sport • Vivaquatre • Vivasix • Vivastella •Type MT Pre-WWI: 10CV • 12CV • 35CV • 40CV • L/M • N(a)/N(b)/S • N(c)/Q/U(a/e) • R/T • U • AS/V • Taxi de la Marne • Towncar • Voiturette • X/X-1 • Y Alpine: A106 • A108 • A110 • A305 • A310 • A440 • A441 • A442 • A443 • A610/GTA Renault Sport: Grand Prix de l'A.C.F. • 5 Turbo • Clio Williams • Clio Renault Sport • Spider • Mégane Renault Sport • Clio V6 Renault Sport Concept vehicles: Alpine 210 RS • Altica • Argos • Be Bop • BRV • Captur • DeZir • Ellypse • Espace F1 • EPURE • Evado • EVE • Egeus • Etoile Filante • Fiftie • Fluence • Frendzy • Initiale • Koleos • Laguna • Mégane • Nepta • Next • Ondelios • Racoon • R-Space • Sand'up • Scénic • Steppe • Talisman • Twizy Z.E. • VESTA 2 • Wind • Z.E. Concept • Zo • Zoe • Zoom Vans and trucks: Estafette • Fourgonette • Kangoo • Express • Kerax • Magnum • Mascott • Master • Midlum • Maxity • Trafic • 50-series • B90 & B110 Dacia (current): Sandero • Logan • Duster • Lodgy Dacia (2000–2006): 1310 • Pick-Up • SupeRNova • Solenza Renault Samsung: SM3 • SM5 • SM7 • QM5 Formula One: RS01 • RS10 • RE20 • RE20B • RE30 • RE30B • RE30C • RE40 • RE50 • RE60 • RE60B • R202 • R23 • R24 • R25 • R26 • R27 • R28 • R29 • R30 • R31 See also: AvtoVAZ (25%) • Renault-Nissan Alliance Category ·  Commons

v t e CAC 40 companies of France Accor Air Liquide Alcatel-Lucent Alstom ArcelorMittal AXA BNP Paribas Bouygues Capgemini Carrefour Crédit Agricole EADS EDF Essilor France Télécom GDF Suez Groupe Danone L'Oréal Lafarge Legrand LVMH Michelin Pernod Ricard PSA Peugeot Citroën PPR Publicis Renault Safran Saint-Gobain Sanofi Schneider Electric Société Générale STMicroelectronics Technip Total Unibail-Rodamco Vallourec Veolia Environnement VINCI Vivendi

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2009)

Jean Ragnotti

Ragnotti at the 2011 Monte Carlo Rally
Personal information
Nationality	French
Born	(1945-08-29) August 29, 1945 (age 66) Pernes-les-Fontains
World Rally Championship record
Active years	1973 – 1987, 1990 – 1995
Teams	Renault
Rallies	41
Championships	0
Rally wins	3
Podiums	9
Stage wins	90
Total points	190
First rally	1973 Monte Carlo Rally
First win	1981 Monte Carlo Rally
Last win	1985 Tour de Corse
Last rally	1995 Tour de Corse

Jean "Jeannot" Ragnotti (born 29 August 1945 in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Vaucluse), is a French former rally driver for Renault in the World Rally Championship.

Ranking among his achievements are his conquering of the Monte Carlo Rally in 1981,^[1] what was the first turbo victory in the history of the WRC, alongside compatriot Jean-Marc Andrié against the might of the ultimate four-wheel-drive upstart, the Audi Quattro. In the following season, he took his Renault 5 Turbo to victory at the Tour de Corse. The Maxi version of the same Renault 5 was to reign again on the asphalt stages of European rallying, when in 1985, Ragnotti claimed the Tour de Corse again with Group B rallying at its zenith; a win that came on debut of Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. The 1985 Rothmans Tour de Corse would also prove to be a tragic affair after the fatal crash of Attilio Bettega on SS4 (Zerubia) of the event.

In the 1990s, Ragnotti continued to drive for Renault, this time in their front-wheel drive Clio Maxi.

Ragnotti's Renault 5 Maxi Turbo.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jean Ragnotti

WRC victories[link]

#	Event	Season	Co-driver	Car
1	49ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo	1981	Jean-Marc Andrié	Renault 5 Turbo
2	26ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France	1982	Jean-Marc Andrié	Renault 5 Turbo
3	29ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France	1985	Pierre Thimonier	Renault 5 Maxi Turbo

References[link]

This biographical article related to French rallying is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Richard Hammond
Hammond in May 2006.
Born	Richard Mark Hammond (1969-12-19) 19 December 1969 (age 42)[1] Solihull, Warwickshire, England
Residence	Weston under Penyard, Herefordshire, England
Other names	Hamster
Education	Solihull School Ripon Grammar School
Alma mater	Harrogate College of Art and Technology
Occupation	Broadcaster, journalist, author, media personality, talk and game show host, voice-over artist
Years active	1998, 2002–present
Employer	BBC, The Daily Mirror (prev. ITV & Sky)
Known for	Presenting: Brainiac: Science Abuse Crufts Should I Worry About...? The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show Top Gear Petrolheads Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel Total Wipeout Richard Hammond's Blast Lab Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds
Home town	Solihull, West Midlands, England
Height	5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m)[2]
Spouse	Amanda Etheridge (m. 2002) «start: (2002-05-04)»"Marriage: Amanda Etheridge to Richard Hammond" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Richard_Hammond)
Children	2
Parents	Eileen and Alan Hammond

Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting the car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting series 1–4 of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1. Since 2009, Hammond has co-hosted Total Wipeout with Amanda Byram on BBC One which has since been cancelled.

Hammond is currently presenting Planet Earth Live alongside Julia Bradbury.

Early life[link]

Hammond was born in Solihull and is the grandson of workers in the Birmingham automobile industry.^[3][4] In the mid-1980s Hammond moved with his family (mother Eileen, father Alan, and younger brothers Andrew, writer of the 'Crypt' Series, and Nicholas) to the North Yorkshire cathedral city of Ripon where his father ran a probate business in the market square. Originally a pupil of Solihull School, a fee-paying boys' independent school, he moved to Ripon Grammar School, and from 1987 to 1989 attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology. After his graduation he worked for several radio stations, including Radio Cleveland, Radio York, Radio Cumbria, Radio Leeds, Radio Newcastle and Radio Lancashire, before auditioning for Top Gear.^[5]

Top Gear[link]

Hammond became a presenter on Top Gear in 2002, when the show began in its present format. He is sometimes referred to as "Hamster" by fans and his co-presenters on Top Gear due to his name and comparatively small stature.^[6] His nickname was further reinforced when on three separate occasions in series 7, Hammond ate cardboard,^[7] mimicking hamster-like behaviour. A running gag is Hammond's supposed use of teeth whitener.^[8] In a series 7 episode, co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson claimed to have found a pack of teeth whiteners in a Marcos TSO GT2 that Hammond had tested. Hammond objected, claiming it was a set-up. In a series 10 episode that featured the Peel P50, Clarkson was seen supposedly talking to Hammond on the phone about him considering a tooth whitening treatment costing £4000. Later, during a series 13 episode that featured the presenters in their office searching for car insurance prices, a teeth whitening kit was pictured on his desk. It was staged to appear that he was caught looking at a website on teeth whiteners on Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show.

In the first episode of series 9 broadcast on 28 January 2007, having recovered from his high speed crash Hammond returned to a hero's welcome, complete with dancing girls, aeroplane style stairs and fireworks. The show also contained images of the crash, which had made international headlines, with Hammond talking through the events of the day after which the audience broke into spontaneous applause. Hammond then requested that the crash never be mentioned on the show again, though all three Top Gear presenters have since referred to it in jokes during the news segment of the programme. He told his colleagues, "The only difference between me now, and before the crash, is that I like celery now and I didn't before".^[9]

During the third episode of series sixteen, Hammond suggested that no one would ever want to own a Mexican car, since cars are supposed to reflect national characteristics and so a Mexican car would be a "lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight oaf." Hammond finished with the remark "I'm sorry, but can you imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican?!"^[10] Following complaints, the BBC defended the broadcast of this segment on the grounds that such national stereotyping was a "robust part" of traditional British humour.^[11]

Brainiac: Science Abuse[link]

In 2003, Hammond became the first presenter of Brainiac: Science Abuse; he was joined by Jon Tickle with Charlotte Hudson joining in series 2.^[12] After the fourth series it was announced that Hammond was no longer going to present the Sky1 show after he signed an exclusive deal with the BBC. Vic Reeves took his place as main presenter.^[13]

Other television work[link]

Early in his career, as well as his radio work, Hammond presented a number of daytime lifestyle shows and motoring programmes such as Motor Week on Men & Motors.

He presented the Crufts dog show in 2005, the 2004 and 2005 British Parking Awards, and has appeared on School's Out, a quiz show on BBC One where celebrities answer questions about things they learned at school. He has also presented The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend.^[14] Along with his work on Top Gear, he presented Should I Worry About...? on BBC One, Time Commanders on BBC Two and the first four series of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky One. He was also a team captain on the BBC Two quiz show, Petrolheads, in which a memorable part was one where Hammond was tricked into smashing his classic Ferrari while trying to parallel park blindfolded in another car.

From 3 January 2006 until 10 February 2006, Hammond was the eponymous star of Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show with his co-star Mel Giedroyc of Light Lunch fame.^[15] The programme, which discussed a wide range of topics, was shown every weekday on ITV between 17:00 and 18:00.^[15]

In July 2005, Hammond was voted number one in a Heat magazine poll of top "weird celebrity crushes". Also in 2005 he was voted one of the top 10 British TV talents.^[16]

He presented Richard Hammond and the Holy Grail in 2006. During the special, he travelled to various locations around the world, including the Vatican Secret Archives, exploring the history of the Holy Grail.^[17]

In one episode of Top Gear, fellow presenter James May was mocked by both Hammond and Clarkson for being named the celebrity with the worst hairstyle, while Hammond was named the celebrity with the best.

As part of Red Nose Day 2007, Hammond stood for nomination via a public telephone vote, along with Andy Hamilton and Kelvin MacKenzie, to be a one-off co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on 16 March 2007.^[18] However, he was defeated by Andy Hamilton.

In April 2007, Hammond presented a one off special on BBC Radio 2 for Good Friday followed by another in August 2007 for the Bank Holiday. He is scheduled to present more Bank Holiday specials for the station.

Hammond recorded an interview with the famed American stuntman Evel Knievel, which aired on 23 December 2007 on BBC One, and was Knievel's last interview before his death on 30 November 2007.^[19]

In September 2008, Hammond presented the first episode of a new series; Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections on the National Geographic Channel.^[20] In this show, Hammond discovers how the inventions of the past, along with assistance from nature, help designers today. Episodes include the building of the Airbus A380, Taipei 101 and the Keck Observatory.^[20] Series 2 of Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections began in May 2010 and has included the building of the Wembley Stadium and the Sydney Opera House.

Hammond also filmed an advertisement for Morrisons supermarkets in 2008,^[21] and joined the cast of TV show Ashes To Ashes for a special insert on the 2008 Children in Need special.

While in New Zealand for Top Gear Live 2009, Hammond filmed several television commercials for Telecom New Zealand's new XT UTMS mobile network. Telecom claimed that the new network was "faster in more places", compared to its competitors and its existing CDMA network. After the network repeatedly failed in late 2009 and early 2010, Hammond became the butt of a joke when he did not return to New Zealand for Top Gear Live 2010. His fellow Top Gear co-hosts said he was too embarrassed to come back to New Zealand, and in a supposed live feed back to Hammond, the feed suddenly drops out as the "XT Network had crashed".^[22] Hammond was later given the right of reply to his colleagues during an interview with Marcus Lush on RadioLIVE's breakfast show in New Zealand.^[23]

Hammond is currently hosting the UK version of the US series Wipeout, called Total Wipeout. It takes place in Argentina, and is co-presented by Hammond and Amanda Byram. Hammond presents and does the voiceover for the clips in a London studio, and Byram is filmed at the obstacle course in Buenos Aires.^[24]

Hammond also presented a science-themed game show for children, Richard Hammond's Blast Lab which aired on BBC Two and CBBC.^[25]

In March 2010, Hammond presented a 3 episode series called Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds, which looked at things too fast for the naked eye to see, things that are beyond the visible spectrum (e.g. ultraviolet and infra-red light), as well as microscopic things.

One of Hammond's lesser known television roles was as presenter of the BBC2 'gameshow' Time Commanders, a sophisticated warfare simulator which used a modified version of Creative Assembly's Rome: Total War game engine.^[26]

Since February 2011, Hammond has presented a online technology series "Richard Hammond's Tech Head".^[27]

In July 2011, Hammond presented a two-part natural science documentary Richard Hammond's Journey To The Centre Of The Planet, focused on Earth geology and plate tectonics.^[28][29]

Hammond will also host the upcoming BBC America programme Richard Hammond's Crash Course.^[30]

Personal life[link]

Hammond has been married to Amanda Etheridge (mostly known as Mindy)^[31] since May 2002; the couple have two daughters.^[3] The family lives in a mock castle in Herefordshire and also has an apartment in London. Hammond also plays the bass guitar, on which he accompanied the other Top Gear presenters when they performed alongside Justin Hawkins on Top Gear of the Pops for Comic Relief in 2007. Hammond likes to ride his bicycle in cities, for which he is mocked mercilessly by fellow presenter Jeremy Clarkson.^[32]

Hammond is a fan of Porsche 911s and claims the Pagani Zonda to be the ultimate supercar. He once owned a 1982 Porsche 911 SC (sold in the mid-2000s),^[33][34] and later purchased a 2006 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S.^[35] In 2004, Hammond purchased a Porsche 928 for the purpose of daily driving.^[36] Much unlike Clarkson and May, he also has an interest in American muscle cars. Hammond has owned a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T,^[36] a 1967 Ford Mustang GT 390,^[37] and a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 (which was purchased in the United States on a Series 12 episode of Top Gear).^[38]

Hammond had also owned a Morgan AeroMax, in which he was involved in a car accident on 9 August 2009. He also owns a Jaguar E-Type^[39] and is also a fan of monster trucks, having attended Truckfest '07.

An interview with The Sunday Times in February 2008 reported Hammond as having moved briefly from Gloucestershire to Buckinghamshire, then back again because he missed the country life.^[40]

Hammond is a keen motorcyclist^[41] and Land Rover Defender fan. He spent over £70,000 rebuilding his 110 "Buster" in 2008.^{[citation needed]}

During the news segment of Top Gear's 2010 USA Road Trip special, Hammond openly expressed his dislike of the band Genesis. This fact was later exploited by his co-presenters in two special episodes: during the Middle East Special, when they installed a secret second stereo unit in his Fiat Barchetta that only plays the band's Live over Europe 2007 concert; in the India Special, Clarkson played the same song used in the previous special through the megaphone mounted in his Jaguar XJS, despite Hammond driving a different car (a Mini Cooper Sport).

In October it was reported he had spent over £2 million buying Bollitree Castle which is situated near Weston under Penyard, Ross-on-Wye. It has been rumoured he has also bought a large house in the small town of Wantage, Oxfordshire^{[citation needed]}.^[42][43]

On Top Gear in 2007, Hammond went to Africa on an 'Epic Road Trip' across Botswana. While there he found a 1963 Opel Kadett, in which he drove across Botswana. Hammond named it Oliver. On Top Gear a week after the special was aired, Hammond announced during the news, that he had shipped Oliver back to the UK, where it was restored by a team from Practical Classics magazine. Oliver features on Hammond's children's science television show Richard Hammond's Blast Lab and in another episode of Top Gear as a kind of "Hill-holder" in the trailer truck challenge (after it acquired the personal plate "OLI V3R"). Oliver is also mentioned in Hammond's second autobiography As You Do.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Hammond was the President of the 31st Herefordshire Country Fair held at Hampton Court in Hope under Dinmore. His involvement caused unprecedented attendance with "nearly 15,000 people" drawn to the event to meet the presenter.^[45]

In 2010, Hammond gained a private pilot licence PPL(H) in an R44 helicopter.

During season 18 of Top Gear it was revealed that he owns a Fiat 500 TwinAir.

Charity work[link]

Richard Hammond is a Vice-President of UK children's brain injury charity The Children's Trust, Tadworth.^[46]

[edit] Vampire dragster crash

During filming of a Top Gear segment at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York on 20 September 2006, Hammond was injured in the crash of the jet-powered car he was piloting.^{[47][48][49]:1} Hammond was travelling at 288 mph (463 km/h) at the time of the crash.^[50]

His vehicle, a dragster called Vampire, was theoretically capable of travelling at speeds of up to 370 mph (595 km/h).^[48] The vehicle was the same car that in 2000, piloted by Colin Fallows, set the British land speed record at 300.3 mph (483.3 km/h).^[49]:3[51] The Vampire was powered by a single Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus afterburning turbojet engine producing 10000 hp (7.5 MW).^[48][50]

Some accounts suggested that the accident occurred during an attempt to break the British land speed record,^[47][52] but the Health and Safety Executive report on the crash found that a proposal to try to officially break the record was vetoed in advance by Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, due to the risks and complexities of such a venture.^[49]:4 (The report stated: "Runs were to be carried out in only one direction along a pre-set course on the Elvington runway. Vampire’s speed was to be recorded using GPS satellite telemetry. The intention was to record the maximum speed, not to measure an average speed over a measured course, and for [Hammond] to describe how it felt.")^[49]:1

Hammond was completing a seventh and final run to collect extra footage for the programme when his front-right tyre failed,^[49]:8[53] and, according to witness and first responder Dave Ogden, "one of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards from us."^[54] The emergency crew quickly arrived at the car, finding it inverted and partially embedded in the grass.^[52] During the roll, Hammond's helmet had embedded itself into the ground, flipping the visor up and forcing dirt into his mouth and left eye, damaging the eye. Rescuers felt a pulse and heard the unconscious Hammond breathing before the car was turned upright.^[52] Hammond was cut free with hydraulic shears, and placed on a backboard.^[49]:9 "He was regaining consciousness at that point and said he had some lower back pain".^[52] He was then transported by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the neurological unit of the Leeds General Infirmary.^{[47][49]:9[55]} Hammond's family visited him at the hospital along with Top Gear co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson.^[54][55] Clarkson wished Hammond well, saying "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'Hamster' back", referring to Hammond by his nickname.^[47][54]

The Health & Safety Executive report stated that "Hammond's instantaneous reaction to the tyre blow out seems to have been that of a competent high performance car driver, namely to brake the car and to try to steer into the skid. Immediately afterwards he also seems to have followed his training and to have pulled back on the main parachute release lever, thus shutting down the jet engine and also closing the jet and afterburner fuel levers. The main parachute did not have time to deploy before the car ran off the runway."^[49]:13 The HSE notes that, based on the findings of the North Yorkshire Police (who investigated the crash), "the accident may not have been recoverable", even if Hammond's efforts to react were as fast as "humanly possible".^[49]:13

The crash was shown on an episode of Top Gear on 28 January 2007; this was the first episode of the new series, which had been postponed pending Hammond's recovery. Hammond requested at the end of the episode that his fellow presenters never mention the crash again, a request which has been generally observed by both Hammond and the other presenters, although occasional oblique references have been made. On The Edge: My Story, which contains first hand accounts from both Hammond and his wife about the crash, immediate aftermath, and his recovery was published later that year.

In February 2008 Hammond gave an interview to The Sunday Times newspaper in which he described the effects of his brain injuries and the progression of his recovery.^[56] He reported suffering loss of memory, depression, and difficulties with emotional experiences, for which he was consulting a psychiatrist.^[56] He also talked about his recovery in a 2010 television programme where he interviewed Sir Stirling Moss and they discussed the brain injuries they had both received as a result of car crashes.^[57]

After the car crash the BBC website Have Your Say received more than 10,000 messages of good wishes and sympathy for Richard Hammond from people around the world.

Works[link]

TV shows[link]

Books[link]

Car books[link]

• Hammond, Richard (13 October 2005). What Not To Drive. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 276 pages. ISBN 978-0-297-84800-4. 
• Hammond, Richard (5 October 2006). Richard Hammond's Car Confidential. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 144 pages. ISBN 978-0-297-84445-7. 
• Hammond, Richard (28 May 2009). A Short History of Caravans in the UK. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 144 pages. ISBN 978-0-297-84446-4. 
• Hammond, Richard (20 May 2010). Richard Hammond's Caravan Confidential. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 144 pages. ISBN 978-0-7538-2671-3. 

Children's books[link]

• Hammond, Richard (29 June 2006). Can You Feel the Force?: Putting the Fizz Back into Physics. Dorling Kindersley Publishers. pp. 96 pages. ISBN 978-1-4053-1543-2. 
• Hammond, Richard (2 June 2008). Car Science (Hardback). Dorling Kindersley Publishers. pp. 96 pages. ISBN 978-1-4053-3200-2. 
• Hammond, Richard (1 September 2008). Car Science (Paperback). Dorling Kindersley Publishers. pp. 96 pages. ISBN 978-0-7566-4026-2. 

Biographies[link]

• Hammond, Richard (20 September 2007). On The Edge: My Story (Hardback). Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 308 pages. ISBN 978-0-297-85327-5. 
• Hammond, Richard (29 May 2008). On The Edge: My Story (Paperback). Phoenix. pp. 308 pages. ISBN 978-0-7538-2404-7. 
• Hammond, Richard (7 August 2008). On The Edge: My Story (Abridged). Phoenix. pp. 256 pages. ISBN 978-0-7538-2330-9. 
• Hammond, Richard (18 September 2008). As You Do: Adventures with Evel, Oliver and the Vice-President of Botswana (Hardback). Orion Publishing Co. pp. 268 pages. ISBN 978-0-297-85520-0. 
• Hammond, Richard (28 May 2009). As You Do: Adventures with Evel, Oliver and the Vice-President of Botswana (Paperback). Orion Publishing Co. pp. 314 pages. ISBN 978-0-7538-2562-4. 
• Hammond, Richard (1 October 2009). Or Is That Just Me? (Hardback). Phoenix. pp. 256 pages. ISBN 978-0-297-85521-7. 
• Hammond, Richard (20 May 2010). Or Is That Just Me? (Paperback). Phoenix. pp. 352 pages. ISBN 978-0-7538-2562-4. 

DVDs[link]

1. Top Gear Interactive Challenge Quiz (2007, 2|Entertain).
2. Top Gear Interactive Stunt Challenge Quiz (2008, 2|Entertain).
3. Top Gear Uncovered: The DVD Special (2009, 2|Entertain).
4. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series One (2009, Nat Geo DVD).
5. Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds (2010, 2|Entertain).
6. Top Gear: Apocalypse (With James May) (2010, 2|Enertain).
7. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series Two (2010, Nat Geo DVD).
8. Hammond Meets Moss (2010, Acorn Media UK).
9. Richard Hammond's Journey To The Centre Of The Planet (2011, 2|Entertain).
10. Top Gear: At The Movies (With James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
11. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series Three (2011, Nat Geo DVD).

Television advertisements[link]

1. Morrisons (2008)
2. Morrisons (Christmas 2008)
3. Morrisons (2009)
4. Morrisons (Christmas 2009)
5. Top Gear Turbo Challenge Trading Cards Test Set (2009)
6. Top Gear Turbo Challenge Trading Cards (2010)
7. Top Gear Interactive Challenge DVD (2007)
8. Top Gear Interactive Stunt Challenge DVD (2009)
9. Top Gear Uncovered DVD (2009)
10. Top Gear [Re-Runs On Dave] (2009)
11. Telecom XT network NZ (2009)

References[link]