2023-06-18 17:30:11
Car manufacturers regularly invite themselves to tech fairs, but we do not remember that one of them had the idea of presenting a new model at an aeronautical event. Sunday June 18, Renault took the plunge by unveiling its brand new SUV-coupé at the Paris Air Show (Seine-Saint-Denis).
The name of this car lends itself to this: it was baptized… Rafale. This choice, which benefits from the notoriety of Dassault Aviation’s combat aircraft, has nothing to do with a misappropriation of the surname since the diamond brand has owned this name since the 1930s.
In 1933, Renault, which had made its mark as an aeronautical engine manufacturer, had bought the Caudron company, an aircraft manufacturer well known in the interwar period for having accumulated speed records. Renault-Caudron, a subsidiary of the manufacturer, had renamed the “racing aircraft” in its range following the name of a wind.
Reservations
The famous C460, recognizable by its long nose and its inimitable silhouette, was renamed Rafale in 1934. Hélène Boucher won six speed records at the controls of a Renault-Caudron and became the muse of the Billancourt brand ( Hauts-de-Seine). In the diptych Mr. Pump’s will et Destination New-York, d’Hergé, the heroes Jo, Zette and Jocko embark on board the Stratonef H22, a device which strangely resembles this airplane which has become famous.
The decision to call this new model Rafale, which will be marketed in the spring of 2024 and will become the flagship of the brand, determined to regain a position in the high-end segment, was not appreciated by everyone within Dassault Aviation. . On May 16, during the general meeting of shareholders, Laurent Dassault, grandson of founder Marcel Dassault, did not hide his reservations.
These are not legally admissible, pointed out the management of the aircraft manufacturer. At Renault, it is recalled that the two companies have concluded a reciprocal agreement which allows them to use this name for their products. In the future, we might therefore see planes and cars baptized Simoun, Typhoon or Cyclone flourish. Like the Renault-Caudron aircraft of the 1930s…
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