Renault Renault 16 History

Launched at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show, the Renault 16 was the first French car to win the European Car of the Year award (for 1966), and it introduced the five-door hatchback to the mid-size family-car class. Its flexible rear interior — configurable in seven different ways — established the 'living space' concept that Renault would carry forward through the Espace and Scénic.

Front-wheel drive, an aluminium engine, and an electric cooling fan were technical innovations for a mainstream family car of the mid-1960s. Over 1.8 million R16s were built through 1980, and the model is credited with normalizing the hatchback format in Europe's largest car segment.