Renault 16 History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
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.
Body styles
- Hatchback
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Renault 16
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.