Renault 4

The Renault 4, also called the R4 or 4L and nicknamed the Quatrelle in France, is an economy car that Renault built from 1961 to 1994. It was sold first as a short estate, but its small rear body and single-piece top-hinged tailgate mean it is now recognised as the first mass-produced hatchback. It was also the first Renault family car with front-wheel drive. The car was Renault's answer to the Citroën 2CV: a simple, versatile utility car with long-travel independent suspension, removable deckchair seats and a large load space, but with a water-cooled four-cylinder engine that gave better refinement and performance than the 2CV. A cheaper Renault 3 was sold beside it in the early years. The first million were built by February 1966, and over eight million were eventually made in twenty factories on four continents, which placed its 33-year run among the longest of any single-generation car.