View source for Renault 4

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}{{Use British English|date=October 2024}}

{{Short description|Small economy car produced by Renault (1961–1994)}}

{{For|the 2025 battery electric vehicle|Renault 4 E-Tech}}{{more citations needed|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox automobile
| name = Renault 4
| image = File:1984 Renault 4 GTL, front left (Germany).jpg
| alt = Five-door car with steel wheels and door mirrors and a two-box body style
| caption = 1984 Renault 4 GTL
| manufacturer = [[Renault]]
| production = 1961–1992 (until 1994 in Slovenia)<br />Over eight million units
| class = [[B-segment|B-segment, small]] [[Economy car|economy]] [[family car]]
| body_style = 5-door [[hatchback]]<br />2-door [[panel van]]<br />2-door [[pickup truck]]
| aka = Renault R4<br />Renault 4L (''Quatrelle'')<br />Renault R3
| assembly = {{ubl
 |France: [[Boulogne-Billancourt|Billancourt]]
 |Algeria: [[Algiers]] ([[:de:Construction des Automobiles Renault en Algérie|CARAL]])
 |Argentina: [[Santa Isabel, Córdoba|Santa Isabel]] ([[Industrias Kaiser Argentina|IKA]])
 |Australia: [[Heidelberg, Victoria|Heidelberg]]<ref>[http://www.caradvice.com.au/94694/renault-4-celebrating-50th-anniversary-in-2011/ Renault 4 celebrating 50th anniversary in 2011, www.caradvice.com.au] Retrieved on 11 December 2012</ref>
 |Belgium: [[Vilvoorde Renault Factory|Vilvoorde]]
 |Chile: [[Arica]] (Industria Automotriz Renault Chile)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.horse.cars/about-horse/locations/los-andes-chile/ | title=Los Andes — Chile }}</ref>
 |Chile: [[Los Andes, Chile|Los Andes]] (Cormecánica)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.horse.cars/about-horse/locations/los-andes-chile/ | title=Los Andes — Chile }}</ref>
 |Colombia: [[Envigado]] ([[SOFASA]])
 |Ireland: [[Naas]]
 |Ireland: [[Wexford]]
 |Italy: [[Milan]]<ref name="alfasud.alfisti.net">{{cite web |url=http://alfasud.alfisti.net/ase.htm |title=Alfa Romeo's small car projects before the birth of the Alfasud |access-date=2009-04-20 |work=alfasud.alfisti.net |archive-date=23 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023094215/http://alfasud.alfisti.net/ase.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 |Madagascar: [[Antananarivo]] (SOMACOA)
 |Mexico: [[Ciudad Sahagún]]
 |Morocco: [[Casablanca]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://somaca.e-monsite.com/ |title=Somaca Casablanca |publisher=Somaca.e-monsite.com |access-date=2010-04-19 |archive-date=20 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520020851/http://somaca.e-monsite.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 |Portugal: [[Guarda, Portugal|Guarda]]
 |Spain: [[Valladolid]] ([[FASA-Renault]])
 |Uruguay: [[Montevideo]] (Renault Mini 4 — local version)
 |Yugoslavia: [[Ljubljana]]
 |Yugoslavia/Slovenia: [[Novo Mesto]] ([[Industrija Motornih Vozil|IMV]])
}}
| layout = [[MF layout|Front mid-engine, front-wheel drive]]
| engine = {{ubl | 603&nbsp;cc ''[[Renault Billancourt engine#603 cc|690]]'' [[Straight-four engine|I4]] (R3 only) | 747&nbsp;cc ''[[Renault Billancourt engine#747 cc|680]]'' I4 | 782&nbsp;cc ''[[Renault Billancourt engine#782 cc|839]]'' I4 | 845&nbsp;cc ''[[Renault Billancourt engine#845 cc|800/B1B]]'' I4 | 956&nbsp;cc ''[[Renault Cléon-Fonte engine#CxC|C1C]]'' I4 | 1108&nbsp;cc ''[[Renault Cléon-Fonte engine#CxE|C1E]]'' I4 }}
| transmission = 3-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]]<br />4-speed manual
| length = {{cvt|3663|mm|in|1}}
| width = {{cvt|1485|mm|in|1}}
| height = {{cvt|1470|mm|in|1}}
| weight = {{cvt|600–750|kg|lb|0}}
| wheelbase = {{cvt|2440|mm|in|1}} (right)<ref name=Automobilia1962/><br />{{cvt|2395|mm|in|1}} (left)<ref name=Automobilia1962/>
| predecessor = [[Renault 4CV]]
| successor = [[Renault 4 E-Tech]]
| related = [[Renault 5]]<br />[[Renault 6]]<br />[[Renault 7]]<br />[[Renault Rodeo]]
| sp = uk
}}
The '''Renault 4''', or '''R4''' in short (and '''4L''', pronounced "Quatrelle" in French {{IPA|fr|ˈkatʁɛl}}), is an [[economy car]] built by the French company [[Renault]] from 1961 to 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glon |first=Ronan |date=2021-04-12 |title=Looking back at 60 years of the Renault 4, the do-it-all "blue jeans" car |url=https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/looking-back-at-60-years-of-the-renault-4-the-do-it-all-blue-jeans-car/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Hagerty Media |language=en-US}}</ref> Although it was first marketed as a short [[station wagon|estate or wagon]], its minimal rear body length, and its top-hinged, single-piece tail-gate means that it is now recognised as the world's first mass-produced [[hatchback]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renault 4: Buying guide and review (1961-1992) |url=https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/renault/104989/renault-4-buying-guide-and-review-1961-1992 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=Auto Express |language=en}}</ref>

It was also the first time Renault had used a [[front-wheel drive]] layout in a [[family car]],{{#tag:ref |The 1959 [[Renault Estafette|Estafette]] [[light commercial vehicle|light commercial]] [[van]] was Renault's first front-wheel drive van.<ref>[https://group.renault.com/en/news/blog-renault/remembering-the-estafette/ Remembering the Estafette — Groupe Renault]</ref> |group="nb"}} the first in a string of Renault's and other carmakers' front-wheel drives that all still used longitudinal engine placement, including Renault's [[Renault 5|models R5]], [[Renault 6|R6]], and [[Renault 16|R16]]; joining [[Citroën 2CV|Citroën's 2CV]] (the Renault 4's prime competition), and [[Citroën Ami]] and [[Citroën DS|DS]], as well as models from [[Audi]] and [[Saab Automobile|Saab]], before most, including Renault, switched to transverse engines, like on the 1959 [[Mini]]. A bare-bones, entry-level '''Renault 3''', or '''R3''' was also offered in 1961/1962.

The car was launched when decades of economic stagnation gave way to [[Economic history of France#Les Trente Glorieuses: 1947–1973|growing prosperity in France]], and surging car ownership. The first million cars were produced by 1&nbsp;February 1966, less than four and a half years after launch.<ref name=Autocar196602>{{cite journal |title=News and Views: 1M Renault 4 |volume=124 |journal=Autocar |issue=2651 |page=248 |date=4 February 1966}}</ref> Eventually over eight million were built, in twenty factories on four continents. The Renault 4 was a commercial success because of the timing of its introduction, and the merits of its value for money design. In{{nbsp}}early 2020, the 33-year production run of the Renault 4 was counted as the seventeenth most long-lived single generation car in history.<ref name=Autocar19>[https://www.autocar.co.uk/slideshow/survivors-world%E2%80%99s-longest-living-cars#19 Survivors: The world’s longest-living cars] — [[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] </ref>

Additionally, the R4 provided a lot of (initial) internals and mechanical components to the later, more fashionable, and also very successful [[Renault 5]].

==Origins and strategy==
{{no sources section|date=January 2024}}
The Renault 4 was Renault's response to the 1948 [[Citroën 2CV]]. Renault was able to review the advantages and disadvantages of the 2CV design. The Citroën had made motoring available to low-income people in France, and especially to farmers and other people in rural areas, for whom the car was as much a working tool as personal transport. The 2CV had been designed in the 1930s for use in the French countryside where the road network was poor — speed was not a requirement but a good ride, useful rough-terrain ability, a versatile body for load carrying, and economy and simplicity of operation were its key considerations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renault 4 review |url=https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/renault/4 |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=Auto Express |language=en}}</ref> However, by the late 1950s, the 2CV was becoming outdated. Rural roads in France were improved and the national system of [[Controlled-access highway|autoroutes]] was being developed. Agriculture was becoming more mechanized with fewer [[Smallholding|smallholdings]] and family farms for which the 2CV was designed. The Citroën had also proved popular with people living in towns and cities as affordable, economical transport but the 2CV's rural design brief made it less than ideal as a [[A-segment|city car]] and, despite improvements, the late-1950s 2CV had a top speed of just {{cvt|70|km/h|mph}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hagerty |date=2012-06-13 |title=Buyers Guide: Citroen 2CV |url=https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/buyers-guide-citroen-2cv/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Hagerty UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> Its air-cooled two-cylinder engine was reliable and economical but noisy and offered poor performance. The 2CV's suspension gave it an excellent ride and good grip and handling but was mechanically complex with many moving parts that required regular maintenance and lubrication at intervals as low as every 1000 miles (1600km). With its roots in the 1930s, the 2CV's styling was also outdated and, with its separate [[Fender (vehicle)|wing/fenders]], had a relatively narrow and cramped body for its overall footprint. While the Citroën had been designed during the [[Great Depression]] when money was tight and living standards were relatively low, by the 1960s the French economy was growing and people would be able to afford a more modern, refined, and less utilitarian small car.

In early 1956, [[Renault]] Chairman [[Pierre Dreyfus]] launched this new project: designing a new model to replace the [[rear engine]]d [[Renault 4CV|4CV]] and compete against the Citroën 2CV that would become an everyman's car, capable of satisfying the needs of most consumers. It would be a family car, a woman's car, a farmer's car, or a city car. Dreyfus summed up his intention for project by requesting his staff produce "a blue jeans car" — a car that, like the [[Jeans|denim trousers]] that were becoming increasingly popular as [[casual wear]] fashion items at the time, could be as useful for recreation as for work, and be appealing to customers of all demographics.

The Renault 4 shared many design traits with the older Citroën 2CV to allow it to fulfill the same role as a versatile utility car, especially for people in rural France and other parts of the world with poor roads. It had a large structural platform with a separate body. It had [[front-wheel drive]], long-travel fully independent suspension, and [[rack and pinion]] steering. It had a simple body with minimal equipment, a large space for cargo or luggage, and 'deckchair' seats which could be easily removed. However, the Renault 4 updated this basic concept with a larger four-cylinder water-cooled engine with a sealed cooling system offering much better refinement and performance than the contemporary 2CV, with a top speed of over {{cvt|104|km/h|mph}}. The suspension consisted of [[Torsion bar suspension|torsion bars]] which required no regular maintenance. The boxy full-width body offered more space for both passengers and luggage than the similar-sized 2CV and the car boasted an early [[hatchback]] body for greater practicality.

<gallery widths=220 heights=150>
File:Renault R4 BW 2016-07-17 13-45-32.jpg|1961–1967 Renault 4
File:Renault R4 BW 2016-07-17 13-45-17.jpg|Rear view (1961–1967)
File:R3 1.jpg|The 1961–1962 Renault 3 was meant to compete with the [[Citroën 2CV|2CV]]; available only in grey it had a smaller, 603cc, 3[[Tax horsepower#France|CV]] engine and no windows in the [[Pillar (car)|c/d-pillar]]. It was discontinued after just 2,526 sales.
File:Renault 4 R 1123 1968.jpg|1967–1974 Renault 4L: For 1968 the car received a more modern aluminium grille that it would retain until 1974
File:R4 3 v sst.jpg|1974–1978 Renault 4L: In 1974 a plastic grille replaced the metal one
File:Renault 4 Aardenburg April 2008.JPG|1978 Renault 4GTL: a further mild facelift followed, on European market cars, in 1978
File:Renault 4 TL interior DSC 2182.jpg|Renault 4 TL interior
</gallery>

==Launch of the R3 and R4==
Renault launched the Renault 3 and the Renault 4 simultaneously in July 1961.<ref name=Autocar1966>{{cite journal|title = Used Cars on test: 1962 Renault 4L|volume=125| journal=Autocar | issue=3678| pages=372–373 |date=12 August 1966}}</ref> The cars shared the same body and most mechanical components, but the R3 was powered by a 603&nbsp;cc version of the engine while the R4 featured a 747&nbsp;cc engine.<ref name=Automobilia1962>{{cite journal| first=René |last=Bellu  | title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1962 (Salon Paris oct 1961)| issue=19| page=48|year=2001|publisher=Histoire & collections|language=fr}}</ref> This placed the R3 in the 3CV [[tax horsepower#Continental Europe|taxation class]] while the R4 was in the 4CV class. Maximum power output was rated by Renault as {{cvt|22.5|hp-metric|kW|1}} for the R3, and {{cvt|26.5|or|32|hp-metric|kW|1}} for the R4, depending on price level and the type of carburettor fitted.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> Initially the base versions of the R3 and R4 came with a thick C-pillar behind each of the rear doors. [[Quarter glass]] was a 400 [[franc]] option for the basic R4. The extra visibility increased the weight of the vehicle, but these windows soon became standard for all R4s.<ref name=Automobilia1962/>

The R3 and R4 were targeted at the [[Citroën 2CV]] that employed soft springs and long wheel travel to absorb bumps on rough roads. The Renault 3/4 applied the same approach and two models appeared at the [[Paris Motor Show]] in 1961 on a specialized demonstration display that incorporated an irregular rolling road. Visitors could sit inside a car, which remained undisturbed while the suspension absorbed the erratic bumps of the rolling road.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> In 1962 Renault employed the same display at the [[Turin Motor Show]].<ref name=Automobilia1962/>

The basic version of the R3 was priced 40 francs below the lowest-priced version of the [[Citroën 2CV]] in 1961 and featured painted bumpers and grille, a simplified instrument panel, a single sun visor, no windshield washer, and no interior door trim panels.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> This trim was also offered with the more powerful R4 engine. The R4L with six side windows, chrome-colored bumper and grille, as well as a less spartan interior cost 400 francs (roughly 8%) more than the R4 with its four side windows.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> However, as with the [[Renault 4CV#Broadening the range downmarket|Renault 4CV "Service"]] in 1953, customers shunned the basic model and in October 1962, the Renault R3 was discontinued, along with the most basic version of the Renault 4.<ref name=Autocar1966/>

A "Super" version (branded "de Luxe" in some export markets) with opening rear quarter-light windows and extra trim was also offered.<ref name=Autocar1966/> The de Luxe and Super versions of the R4L received a version of the engine from the [[Renault Dauphine]] giving them an engine capacity of 845&nbsp;cc.<ref name=Autocar1966/> After the withdrawal of the 603&nbsp;cc engined R3, the 747&nbsp;cc R4 model continued to be listed with an entry-level recommended retail price, but the slightly larger-engined L versions were more popular. By 1965, Renault had removed the extra "R" from their model names: the Renault R4L thus became the Renault 4L.

==Engines==
{{Citations needed section|date=September 2024}}
Early versions of the Renault R4 used engines and transmissions from the [[Renault 4CV]]. The original design brief called for an engine size between 600&nbsp;cc and 700&nbsp;cc, but there was no consensus as to whether to use a four-cylinder unit or to follow Citroën with a two-cylinder unit. With [[Volkswagen Type 1|Volkswagen]] rapidly growing market share across Europe and North America, Renault also gave serious consideration to an air-cooled boxer motor option for the forthcoming R3/R4.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> However, using the existing water-cooled unit from the [[Renault 4CV|4CV]] was a solution, especially in view of the extended period of teething troubles encountered by the [[Renault Frégate]], which was then Renault's most recent attempt to develop an innovative powerplant.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> The existing engines were larger than that specified by management for the new 4CV, but the automaker addressed this by reducing the bore so that the overall capacity of the base engine for the new R3 worked out to be 603&nbsp;cc, comfortably at the lower end of the required 600–700&nbsp;cc range. However, since Renault already produced the 747&nbsp;cc version of the engine that was well proven in the 4CV, it made sense to use this as well in what would in many respects be the older car's successor. Therefore, in 1961, the R3 had a 49&nbsp;mm bore and 80&nbsp;mm stroke, while the R4 received the 54.5&nbsp;mm × 80&nbsp;mm existing engine.<ref name=Automobilia1962/>

Moving the engine from the rear of the 4CV to the front of the new model involved significant planning: design changes to the unit were introduced as part of the process. The inlet manifold was now a steel casting whereas on the 4CV it had been constructed of a light-weight alloy: this was driven by cost considerations now that aluminum was not so inexpensive as it had been fifteen years earlier.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> Renault also took the opportunity to introduce a feature which subsequently became mainstream. Renault also designed a "sealed-for-life" cooling system, supported by a small expansion tank on the right side of the engine bay. The cooling system contained [[antifreeze]] intended to enable operation without topping up or other intervention throughout a car's life provided ambient temperatures below -40°C were avoided.<ref name=Automobilia1962/>

The engines were larger than the small 425&nbsp;cc (later 602&nbsp;cc and 29&nbsp;PS), engines in the 2CV. The R4 always had a four-cylinder [[watercooled]] engine. The original Renault R4's engine capacity of 747&nbsp;cc served to differentiate the model from the more powerful [[Renault Dauphine]], but the Dauphine's 845&nbsp;cc engine was used in the 4 itself from 1963 onwards: for most markets at this stage the Dauphine engine now came as standard in the top of the range Renault R4 Super, and was available in some other versions only as an optional extra.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> Given that Renault’s 603, 747, and 845&nbsp;cc engines all shared the same cylinder stroke and were all of the same basic design, it is likely that there was very little difference between the manufacturing costs of the basic engine block between the three. These three did fall within different taxation classes (3CV, 4CV, and 5CV respectively) but at this end of the market tax levels were by now less of an issue in those European countries that still taxed cars according to engine size.

With time, the increasing trend to the production of Renault 4s in a wide range of countries reduces the validity of generalized statements as to which engines were fitted when: in French-built cars the old 845&nbsp;cc engine continued in the low versions until the mid-1980s, but in 1978 the top-end Renault 4 GTLs received the new 1108&nbsp;cc engine: this engine was not new to Renault, however, being the five-bearing "Sierra" engine, first installed in the [[Renault Estafette|Estafette van]] and [[Renault 8|R8]] in the summer of 1962. A smaller version (956&nbsp;cc) of this new engine finally replaced the by now venerable 845&nbsp;cc engine in the 4 in 1986. Unlike the original "Billancourt" engine from the 4CV, the Sierra engine rotated in a clockwise direction, so fitting it required reversing the direction of the differential in the gear box in order to avoid producing a car with one forward speed and four reverse speeds.

==Transmission==
The initial transmission was a three-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]], described by one critic as an obsolete feature when compared to the four-speed manual of the then thirteen-year-old Citroën 2CV.  The Renault 4 did not inherit its transmission from the Renault 4CV nor from anywhere else: the transmission was newly developed for the car.<ref name=Automobilia1962/>  The dash-mounted [[gear lever]] was linked via a straight horizontal rod that passed over the longitudinally mounted engine and clutch directly to the gearbox right at the front. The resulting absence of any linkage at floor level permitted a flat floor across the full width of the car's cabin. Synchromesh featured only on the top two ratios, even though the low power of the engine required frequent gear changes by drivers using normal roads and wishing to make reasonable progress.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> On this point Renault quickly acknowledged their error and cars produced from 1962 featured synchromesh on all three ratios.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> In 1968 the Renault 4 finally received a four-speed transmission.

==Structure and running gear==
[[File:Chassisroulant.JPG|thumb|Renault 4 [[rolling chassis]] showing the car's [[Vehicle frame#Platform Frame|platform frame]] structure.]]
The three principal new models introduced by Renault since the [[Second World War|war]]<ref>The three principal new models already introduced by Renault since the [[Second World War|war]] were the [[Renault 4CV]], the [[Renault Frégate]] and the [[Renault Dauphine]].</ref> featured [[monocoque]] "chassisless" construction<ref name=Automobilia1962/> that was less expensive to manufacture process and reduced operating costs because of lower vehicle weight. The Renault R3/R4 design defied this by now widely accepted mantra, employing a separate platform to which the body shell was then attached.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> The body's structural role in maintaining the overall rigidity of the car body was thereby reduced, placing less stress on the roof and allowing for thinner window pillars.  Although the use made of a separate platform resembled, in some respects, the use that pre-war designs would have made of a chassis, the outcome was a structure described as semi-[[monocoque]], and it would later allow Renault to use the R4 platform, with very little modification, to build new models such as the [[Renault 6]] and Rodeo.  (Later, the successful [[Renault 5]] used the R4 running gear, but in a monocoque shell).

==Suspension==
[[File:Axle - Trailing arm 41.gif|thumb|Because the rear torsion bars are located one behind the other, the wheelbase is longer on the right side than on the left.]]
The R3 and R4 had four-wheel torsion-bar [[independent suspension]]. This was an innovation that would be copied on a succession of subsequent front-engined Renaults introduced during the 1960s and 70s.

The car has a shorter wheelbase on the left than on the right because the rear wheels are not mounted directly opposite one another.<ref name="wheelbase1">{{cite web| title =Renault 4 — unbelievable truth!?|website = [[YouTube]]| date=11 March 2007 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeKsbHhJFzY| access-date =2008-07-22}}</ref> This concept allowed a very simple design of the rear suspension using transverse torsion bars located one behind the other without affecting handling. The front torsion bars were longitudinal.
The fixed end of the torsion bars is mounted on quadrants that can be adjusted via a holes/fixing bolt arrangement. This enables the suspension to be "beefed up" and the ground clearance increased. With specialist tools provided by Renault, adjustments can be made to provide the light 4L some off-road capabilities. This feature, along with the installation of a thick protecting aluminum plate under the engine, has been used by off-road drivers and student 4L Trophy entrants. Damping was provided by hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers on all four wheels.<ref name=Automobilia1962/> Those at the rear were mounted virtually horizontally which avoided the intrusion of rear suspension componentry into the flat-floored passenger cabin.<ref name=Automobilia1962/>

The longitudinal layout of the front-wheel drive engine and transmission with the engine behind the front axle, and gearbox/differential in front, is identical to the [[Citroën Traction Avant]]. The suspension is similar with the difference being the deletion of the Citroën's flexible beam between the rear wheels to give the Renault 4 fully independent rear suspension.

==Around the world==
[[File:Colombian R4.jpg|right|thumb|Renault 4R Plus 25 (in [[Colombia]])]]
[[File:Renault R4 GTL 1982.jpg|thumb|1982 Renault R4 GTL built in [[Wexford]], Ireland]]
*In [[Colombia]], the Renault 4 was one of the highest-selling vehicles. Many Colombians nicknamed it "{{lang|es|Amigo fiel}}" (Faithful friend)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-07-16|title=El amigo fiel cumplió 40 años en Colombia: Renault 4|url=https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-7810772|access-date=2021-04-26|website=[[El Tiempo (Colombia)|El Tiempo]]|language=es}}</ref> due to its popularity. The vehicle was manufactured at the [[SOFASA]] plant in [[Envigado]] ([[Medellín]]) from 1970 to 1992. Two of the most popular versions included the Master (1,022&nbsp;cc) and the Líder (Leader), which had a more powerful 1,300&nbsp;cc engine. The first Renault 4 was actually called "Azul Pastrana", named after President [[Misael Pastrana]] inaugurated the Renault plant in Envigado, Colombia.
*In [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] the 4 van (Fourgonette) is known as "{{lang|es|Renoleta}}", following the nickname given to the [[Citroën 2CV]] van, "{{lang|es|Citroneta}}". Due to heavy taxation on passenger vehicles in the late 1950s, the first 2CVs were imported unfinished, only up to the front doors and completed with an Argentine-made pickup truck bed. The Spanish word for pickup truck is "camioneta", hence "Renoleta".
*In Italy the 4 was produced by the [[Alfa Romeo]] factory in [[Milan]] under license from 1962 to 1964. 41,809 R4s were built there.
*In Australia the car was produced between 1962 and 1966 in [[Heidelberg, Victoria|Heidelberg]], Victoria but ceased production to make way for other models
*In [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Croatia]] the car was known as "''Mali div''" (Little giant) or "četvorka"
*In [[Finland]], the car was known as "''Tipparellu''" (Drop Rellu) from the marketing slogan ''No grease, no water, just a drop of fuel'' and as it had excellent [[fuel economy in automobiles|fuel economy]]. ''Rellu'' is the common nickname for Renault cars in Finland.
*In Mexico, the Renault 4 was produced in [[Ciudad Sahagún]], an industrial city created by [[Diesel Nacional|DINA]] and [[Renault]] in the fifties. Renault production ceased in 1976.
*In Ireland the car was first produced in a plant established in 1962 in [[Naas]], and production was transferred to a new factory established in [[Wexford]] in 1972, production running until 1984.
*In [[Slovenia]] (formerly part of [[Yugoslavia]]) the Renault 4, nicknamed "''Katrca''" or "''štirica''" (from French ''quatre'', four), was produced in the [[Industrija motornih vozil]] (IMV) plant from 1973 to 1992. 575,960 R4s were built there. In 1989 the plant was sold to Group Renault and renamed [[REVOZ]] d.d.
*In Portugal it had a CKD assembly line in Guarda from 1964 to 1989 where more than 190,000 units were assembled. It was known as "Quatro L" (four L) .
*In Spain the Renault 4L is known as ''"Cuatro latas"'' (four tins).
*In East Africa it became known as the "Roho". In [[Swahili_language|Swahili]] Roho means spirit, soul or character perhaps reflecting the affection the vehicle gained.
*On 7 September 2013, [[Pope Francis]] accepted a white 1984 4L which had done 300,000&nbsp;km (200,000 miles), offered to him by father Renzo Zocca from Verona.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/vaticano/dettaglio-articolo/articolo/papa-pope-el-papa-renault-4-27699/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130912085940/http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/vaticano/dettaglio-articolo/articolo/papa-pope-el-papa-renault-4-27699/ | archive-date = 2013-09-12 | date = 2013-09-09 | title = La Renault 4 di Papa Francesco | language = it | department = Vatican Insider | newspaper = La Stampa | first = Andrea | last = Tornielli }}</ref>

==Design==
The Renault 4 was a basic car with a simple dashboard and sliding windows. Suspension and seats were designed for comfort, and ventilation and the heater were effective.

The Renault 4 was not significantly changed during its production. Exterior chrome trim was eventually phased out on all models, and [[aluminium]] grilles were replaced with [[plastic]]. There were three different dashboard designs. On the right side of the car at the back the position of the fuel filler was raised by approximately {{cvt|15|cm|in|0}} less than a year after the car's launch;<ref name=Automobilia1962/> other than that, changes to the body panels were limited to a slightly altered hood and hinges.

Renault developed new small cars, the [[Renault 6]] and the [[Renault 5]], while the Renault 4 was still selling well. The Renault 5 competed in a somewhat different sector (three-and five-door [[supermini car|supermini]]). The Renault 4 is intermediate between the small utility vehicle (2CV) and the supermini design (R5, [[Peugeot 205]]).

{{anchor|Fourgonnette|Plein-Air|Plein Air|Sinpar}}

==Variants==
[[File:Renault 4 Plein-Air 001.JPG|right|thumb|Plein-Air]]
[[File:Renault R4 F 6.jpg|thumb|Renault 4 Fourgonnette (van)]]
There were many different 'special edition' Renault 4s. Some (including the Safari, Sixties, and Jogging) were sold in special colour schemes, upholstery and other details, while others (Clan, Savane) were standard models with special decals.

There were also special models that were not solely a marketing exercise, such as the Renault 4 [[Sinpar]] 4x4, the Plein Air, a [[pickup truck]], [[Liquefied petroleum gas|LPG]] versions, and electric versions.

The '''Plein Air''' was a doorless and roofless version originally developed to meet a 1964 request by the [[French Army]].<ref name=BivPin34>{{cite magazine | title = Wo ist der Strand? | trans-title = Where's the Beach? | language = de | last = Schneider | first = Bérénice | page = 34 | magazine = Motor Klassik | date = June 2017 | ref = MK617 | publisher = Motor Presse Stuttgart | issn = 0177-8862 }}</ref> Sinpar's version, called the Sinpar 4x4 Torpedo, was first shown as a prototype at the [[Geneva Motor Show#1968|1968 Geneva Salon]], equipped with Sinpar's four-wheel-drive system. Sinpar was quickly given a contract to build a front-wheel-drive version at their works in [[Colombes]] near Paris; it appeared in May 1968. Called the Plein Air (meaning "Open Air"), it had no doors, with only a chain protecting the passengers. A military contract did not materialize but Renault and Sinpar attempted to ride the late sixties/early seventies [[Dune buggy|buggy]] wave in marketing it as a fun beach car.<ref name=BivPin34/> Being more expensive and less capable than the [[Citroën Méhari]] it did not catch on and was discontinued in March 1970, after only 563 had been built. In 1989, Colombian SOFASA produced the variants ''Brisa'' (Breeze) which was based on the French ''Plein Air'' and ''Jogging'', which was marketed as a sportier version of the car and featured red accessories.

In 1978, the ''R4 GTL'' arrived. It had the 1108&nbsp;cc engine from the [[Renault 6]] TL, albeit with the performance reduced for better economy, and bigger drum brakes. The GTL was identifiable by its grey front grille, grey bumpers, and grey plastic strips along the bottoms of the doors. It also had an extra air intake below the front grille (as a result, the registration plate was moved down to the bumper), and 12&nbsp;inch (304.8&nbsp;mm) wiper blades instead of the original 10&nbsp;inch (254&nbsp;mm) ones. For the 1983 model year, the GTL got front disc brakes, the handbrake now working on the rear wheels, and there were a modified dashboard and cloth seats. The Renault 4 was the last French automobile to be sold with drum brakes on all four wheels, after the [[Citroën 2CV]] received disc brakes in 1981.<ref name="salon81">{{Cite journal | editor = Costa, André & Georges-Michel Fraichard | date = September 1981 | title = l'Éditorial de G.G. | last = Guerithault | first = Gilles | issue = 14 & 15 | department = Salon 1981: Toutes les Voitures du Monde | page = 19 | journal = L'Auto Journal | publisher = Homme N°1 | location = Paris | language = fr }}</ref> The very first 1983 models had the handbrake lever moved from left to right under the steering wheel before it was moved to the floor like in almost any other car by then.

There was also a [[panel van]] (Fourgonnette) version of the R4, which with its "high cube" bodyshell and the unique 'giraffon' (giraffe hatch) at the rear became the idiosyncratic French "Boulangerie" van. For many years, this was a successful vehicle of its type and for many customers, as it represents their idea of a Renault 4 more than a passenger version. It remained on sale in Europe until 1993 and was replaced by the [[Renault Express]] (called Extra in UK and Ireland, Rapid in Germany), which was based on the second generation [[Renault 5]] 'Supercinq'.

==End of the R4==
Though reasons such as emissions and safety legislation are often given for the Renault 4's demise in Europe during the 1980s, it would appear that its popularity would not have lasted.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://bjorndal.online.no/r4e/R4-historien_e.htm | title = R4 Story | work = Norwegian Renault 4 Web |first=Bjørn | last=Bjerkeskaug |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060501021948/http://bjorndal.online.no/r4e/R4-historien_e.htm | archive-date=2006-05-01 }}</ref> Outmoded production methods, more advanced competition and the reasons outlined above meant that the Renault 4's days were numbered, at least as a mainstream product. And Renault was already enjoying huge sales success with the far more modern R5, which was only slightly more expensive. Comparable products had already been discontinued in Europe or had their production scaled back, as more modern designs enjoyed the strongest sales. [[British Leyland|British Leyland's]] [[Mini]] had been produced in smaller figures since the launch of the [[Austin Metro]] in 1980 with production continuing until 2000. [[Volkswagen]] had switched [[Volkswagen Beetle|Beetle]] production from [[West Germany]] to [[Mexico]] in 1978 (where it was made until 2003), with the new [[Volkswagen Polo|Polo]] and [[Volkswagen Golf|Golf]] proving hugely popular in Europe. [[Citroën]] kept its [[Citroën 2CV|2CV]] in production until 1990, but did not directly replace it, with the [[Citroën AX|AX]] (launched in 1986) taking its place as the entry-level model in the Citroën range. It had also produced the earlier [[Citroën Dyane|Dyane]] and [[Citroën Visa|Visa]] as more modern and only marginally more expensive alternatives to 2CV.

There were several projects to replace the Renault 4, starting from the early 1970s. However, the continuing success of the Renault 4, the need to replace the more popular [[Renault 5]] during the early 1980s, the difficulties coming up with a suitable replacement (and the idea that the Renault 4's market would die with it) all meant that a new entry-level Renault (the Twingo) did not appear until 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ecole.org/2/VA041292.pdf|title=l'École de Paris du management — Recherche |publisher=Ecole.org |date=2009-04-16 |access-date=2009-04-20 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040114121531/http://www.ecole.org/2/VA041292.pdf|archive-date=2004-01-14}}</ref> To conclude production, a series of 1000 examples marketed as "Bye-Bye" was released, each with a numbered plaque.

To mark the end of Renault 4 production, a retrospective series of ten black-and-white photographs by [[:fr:Thierry des Ouches|Thierry des Ouches]] was published in [[Libération]] in early December 1992, when R4 production finally finished after 31 years. This series later won first prize from Le Club des Directeur Artistiques in the category of daily newspaper. It was also awarded the Lion d'Or at the [[Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival]].

In 2003, a Japanese car modification company called DAMD came up with a design called the Ancel Lapin which could transform a first-generation [[Suzuki Lapin]] into a Renault 4 lookalike.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.damd.co.jp/products/suzuki/lapin03_an.html |title=STYLING EFFECT : アンセル ラパン / ANCEL LAPIN 〜コンプリートボディーキット〜 |publisher=Damd.co.jp |access-date=2009-04-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090409043321/http://www.damd.co.jp/products/suzuki/lapin03_an.html |archive-date=2009-04-09 }}</ref>

==Name reuse (2025)==
{{main|Renault 4 E-Tech}}
[[File:Renault 4 E-Tech Electric IMG 3530.jpg|thumb|Renault 4 E-Tech]]
In 2021, it was announced that a namesake of the Renault 4 would be introduced during the 2020s as the "4ever", a compact crossover cousin of the forthcoming all-electric [[Renault 5 E-Tech]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Attwood |first1=James |last2=Holder |first2=Jim |date=2021-09-10 |title=Renault 4 to be a premium electric crossover |work=Automotive Daily |url=https://www.autodaily.com.au/renault-to-revive-4-as-a-compact-electric-suv/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241015130155/https://www.autodaily.com.au/renault-to-revive-4-as-a-compact-electric-suv/ |archive-date=15 October 2024 |access-date=2022-04-28}}</ref> It will be built alongside the 5&nbsp;EV at Renault ElectriCity, a union of three existing Renault factories in northern France that is planned to produce 400,000 EVs per year by 2025.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/renault-raises-ev-targets-pledges-lower-battery-costs |title=Renault raises EV targets, pledges to lower battery costs |date=30 June 2021 |work=Automotive News Europe |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241015122618/https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/renault-raises-ev-targets-pledges-lower-battery-costs |archive-date=15 October 2024 |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> The 4ever is based on the same [[Renault–Nissan Common Module Family|CMF-B&nbsp;EV platform]] as the 5&nbsp;EV; because the platform shares {{frac|2}} of its components with the existing CMF-B platform, production costs are expected to be {{frac|2|3}} of the current [[Renault Zoe|Zoe]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/renault-confirms-it-will-build-4ever-retro-themed-ev |title=Renault confirms it will build 4ever retro-themed EV |author=Sigal, Peter |date=30 June 2021 |work=Automotive News Europe |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210914140734/https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/renault-confirms-it-will-build-4ever-retro-themed-ev |archive-date=14 September 2021 |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref>

==In motorsport==
[[File:Racing R4.jpg|thumb|right|Renault 4 [[Sinpar]] from the Paris–Dakar Rally]]
The Renault 4 was originally powered by a {{cvt|24|hp|kW|0}} engine and its suspension were never intended for sporting dynamics. The Renault 4 had certain advantages in its high torque and a suspension and ground-clearance that gave it go-anywhere capabilities. This meant that Renault was able to give it a sporting image with programs such as the "Cross Elf Cup of France" in 1974 and the "Routes du Monde" program in 1968. The latter was a project in which Renault would lend young people cars to travel the world in, and this would help to give the Renault 4 an adventurous and durable image.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} The "Coupe de France Renault Cross Elf" was a series of races in France on dirt tracks with slightly tuned 782&nbsp;cc R4s.

A Renault 4 [[Sinpar]] (the four-wheel drive version) was entered in the [[Paris-Dakar Rally]] in 1979 and 1980 by Bernard and Claude Marreau, coming fifth in 1979 and in third in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dakar.com/2011/DAK/presentation/docs/historique-dakar-1979-2009_us.pdf|title=Dakar Retrospective 1979–2009 |work=Dakar.com|access-date=30 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130614234211/http://www.dakar.com/2011/DAK/presentation/docs/historique-dakar-1979-2009_us.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2013}}</ref> Renault 4 continued to feature in many long distance rallies after production ceased, such as in 2001 in the London–Sahara–London rally (Renault 4 GTL)<ref>{{cite web|last=Hall |first=Peter |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/4753183/Ladies-and-gentlemen...-start-your-engines.html |title=Daily Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date=2001-09-29 |access-date=2011-08-06}}</ref> and the 2008 [[Mongol Rally]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mongolrally08.theadventurists.com/index.php?mode=team&sub=display&pagemode=vehicle&name=Optimistic|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716220515/http://mongolrally08.theadventurists.com/index.php?mode=team&sub=display&pagemode=vehicle&name=Optimistic |url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-07-16|title=The Mongol Rally 2008 |publisher=Mongolrally08.theadventurists.com|access-date=2011-08-06}}</ref> The Renault 4 forms the basis of the [[4L Trophy]], an annual rally established in 1997 for students who collect sponsorship and drive to the Sahara to deliver educational materials to children of the desert and of Morocco.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_BE/be/press/press-releases/3f3c9407d43c6210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm |title=Deloitte press release |publisher=Deloitte.com |date=2010-02-12 |access-date=2011-08-06 |archive-date=16 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616051150/http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_BE/be/press/press-releases/3f3c9407d43c6210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Renault 4 GTL was homologated in [[Group A]]. Jacky Cesbron raced one in the [[Monte Carlo Rally]] in 1993 and the [[Tour de Corse]] in 1991. Pinto dos Santos raced a [[Group N]] 4 GTL in visiting every round of the [[World Rally Championship|WRC]] though not all during the same season. To celebrate the car's 50th birthday, Renault entered the R4 in the [[Monte Carlo Rally]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.mirror.co.uk/advice/motoring/2010/12/17/happy-birthday-renault-4-115875-22788662/ |title= Happy birthday Renault 4 | first = Richard | last = Hammond | authorlink = Richard Hammond | publisher=Mirror.co.uk |date=2010-12-17 |access-date=2011-08-06}}</ref>

Standard Renault 4s has taken part in a [[Drag racing|drag race]] at [[Santa Pod Raceway]], [[Northamptonshire]] since 2004, and covered the quarter mile in 21.438 seconds with a terminal speed of 59.14&nbsp;mph.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.renault4.co.uk/r4-drag-racing.htm |title=Renault 4 Drag Racing |publisher=Renault4.co.uk |date=2005-09-04|access-date=2011-08-06}}</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Renault 4}}
*[http://www.renault4serbia.com/ renault4serbia.com]
* {{cite web |last =Czajko |first =Thierry |title=2CV-4L — La guerre des petites voitures |url=https://vimeo.com/148721352 |website=[[vimeo]] |date=12 December 2015 |language=fr <!-- |access-date=20 July 2023 -->}}
:* {{cite web |title=Citroën 2CV vs Renault 4L — La Guerre des Petites Voitures |url=https://citroenvie.com/citroen-2cv-vs-renault-4l-la-guerre-des-petites-voitures/ |website=Citroën Vie <!-- |access-date=20 July 2023 |language=en-CA |date=6 March 2016 -->|date=6 March 2016 }}
* {{cite web |work=Classics World |title=French People's Car Fight! (1988 2CV6 Dolly & 1985 R4 GTL Road Test) |date=16 June 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBZLTCTGN2E |via=youtube |access-date=20 July 2023 |language=en |quote=Citroën 2CV vs Renault 4}}

{{Early Renault vehicles}}
{{Renault vehicles timeline 1980 to date}}
{{Renault}}
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