2023-05-16 08:13:36
“Rafale”: this will be the name of Renault’s next large coupe SUV. A name that has belonged to it since 1936, with the acquisition of the Caudron aviation companies.
There will soon be a Renault Rafale. The French brand announced on Tuesday that it would soon launch an SUV that will bear this name, associated with the famous Dassault fighter plane. A surprising choice and which does not follow an agreement between the two manufacturers. The name Rafale indeed (also) belongs to Renault, with its links forged in the first half of the 20th century with the aeronautical sector.
Renault Rafale, since 1936
“Who does not know the name Rafale? It is steeped in history and has a prestigious list of records in French aviation. This heritage begins with Louis Renault 89 years ago. We know little regarding it, but this name belongs to Renault since 1936”, underlines the press release of the French mark.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the diamond brand was indeed a pioneer in the design of internal combustion engines. For cars of course, but also for trains, with the railcar, and therefore also planes.
In 1933, the brand’s founder and aviation enthusiast, Louis Renault, acquired the Caudron aviation companies. The “Caudron Renault” company then renamed all its aircraft by wind names: the C460 became Rafale in 1934, the C500 Simoun, the C640 Typhon and the C714 Cyclone.
“The first Rafale in history, the Caudron Renault C460, is a single-seat racing aircraft. Designed for records, only a handful of copies are produced”, recalls the press release from Renault.
It is on this device that pilot Hélène Boucher, for example, broke several speed records, including that of the women’s world speed record over 1,000 kilometers by reaching 445 km/h on August 11, 1934.
A future high-end coupe SUV
Renault therefore brings out this mythical name from the closet to embody its high-end universe, with what looks like in the “teaser” photo released on Tuesday to a large coupe SUV.
A sympathetic nod to this link with aeronautics, this model will be presented not at the auto show, but at the next Paris Air Show, on June 18.
“Rafale evokes the wind, which sculpts its aerodynamic bodywork. It immediately refers to the streamlined silhouette and the strong character of our vehicle”, explains Sylvia Dos Santos, head of appellation strategy in the “Global Marketing” department of the Renault brand, mentioned in the press release.
The brand insists in particular on its desire to cling to this name, “symbol of French excellence”.
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