Renault marks 80 years of the 4CV, the car that put Renault and France back on the road
Unveiled at the 1946 Paris Motor Show, the affordable 4CV helped rebuild post-war France and became Renault's first million-selling model.
- More than 1,000,000 units
- 760 cc
- 17 hp
- 300 engines per day
What Happened
In October 1946, as France was barely emerging from the Second World War, Renault unveiled the 4CV at the Paris Motor Show. The compact car, presented in a sandy yellow shade that earned it the nickname "lump of butter," featured rounded lines, a rear-mounted 760 cc engine and four genuine seats. Its simple promise was to give as many people as possible the freedom to get around again. Engineers had worked on the project in secrecy during the Occupation, convinced that post-war France, short of raw materials and fuel, would need a popular car.
Engineers develop the future 4CV in secrecy, anticipating post-war demand for an affordable, fuel-efficient car.
The 4CV is unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.
The 4CV goes on sale.
CEO Pierre Lefaucheux asks his teams to start designing the successor that became the Dauphine.
Production passes one million units, making Renault the first French automaker to exceed one million of a single model.
The car was engineered for its era: the rear-mounted engine freed up space for four proper seats, while low fuel consumption, easy maintenance and low running costs matched the needs of motorists rebuilding their lives. For many families it became the first car, used for commuting, weekend trips and first holidays. The name 4CV came from its four-tax-horsepower rating under French regulations, a classification that did not correspond to the 17 hp delivered by the 760 cc engine.
- Offered in convertible, utility and commercial versions.
- Prepared for competition, it took part in international rallies and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
- Produced for 15 years, mainly at Île Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt.
- Also assembled in several European countries, South Africa, Australia and Japan.
- In Japan, the 4CV was built under licence by Hino.
More than 1,000,000units
In 1961 production passed the symbolic one-million mark, making Renault the first French automaker to exceed one million units of a single car.
Renault moved to a new industrial scale with the 4CV, standardizing components, refining manufacturing methods and including industrial constraints at the start of design. Transfer machines created by engineer Pierre Bézier, later known for the Bézier curves used in computer-aided design, enabled up to 300 engines to be machined each day. CEO Pierre Lefaucheux refused to treat the 4CV's success as the finish line, asking teams as early as 1949 to anticipate the changing expectations of French customers. That foresight led to the Dauphine, launched in 1956, which would take Renault to the next level. Eighty years after its launch, Renault says the legacy of pragmatic innovation, accessibility and anticipating customer needs still drives the group.
Why this matters
The 4CV story shows how one affordable model can revive a carmaker and a country after war. It brought car ownership to hundreds of thousands of French families, made Renault the first French automaker to produce more than one million of a single car, and pushed the company to industrialize its production. Renault says the values behind it - accessibility, pragmatic innovation and anticipating customers - still guide the group today.
Terms in This Story
- tax horsepower
- A French vehicle taxation class based on engine size and other factors; it is not actual engine power.
- transfer machine
- An automated machine tool that moves parts between stations, each performing a different operation in sequence.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.