Women's cars over 50 years ago
03/31/2018
When we talk about women's cars here, we mean cars that have been developed specifically to meet the needs of female drivers. Renault recognized early on that women represented an increasingly important group of buyers for the car manufacturer. As early as 1969, more driving licenses were being issued to women than to men in France.
As early as 1965, Renault presented its first car that focused on the needs of women, the Renault 10. This was a variant of the Renault 8 that had been extended at the front and rear, giving it more trunk space, while at the same time ensuring that it had a friendly and comfortable interior.
The Renault 5, launched in January 1972, went even further. The specifications for this compact front-wheel drive car contained many requirements that were important to the modern young woman of the 1970s, such as a large tailgate, space in the trunk to store the contents of an entire shopping cart, front and rear plastic bumpers that were resistant to impact, and a safe compartment for small children in the rear.
Renault hit the bull's eye with the R5 and it wasn't just women who loved it, as a look at the 1972 Auto Revue test report impressively confirms.
Anyone who sits behind the wheel of a well-preserved and over 40-year-old Renault 5 today will be amazed at how modern and pleasant the car still feels in 2018.
The Alpine version, which appeared in 1975 at the latest, then also inspired male sports drivers and ultimately almost 5.5 million R5s were built by 1983.
