Editing Renault (section)

===Restructuring (1981–1995)===
Renaults were somewhat successful on both road and track, including the 1984 [[Renault Espace|Espace]] launch, which was Europe's first multi-purpose vehicle, a dozen years before any competitor. However, Renault was losing a billion francs a month totaling ₣12.5&nbsp;billion in 1984. The government intervened and [[Georges Besse]] was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling many of Renault's non-core assets (Volvo stake, [[Gitane]], Eurocar, and Renix), withdrawing almost entirely from [[motorsports]], and laying off many employees.<ref name=R1985>{{cite book |date=2004 |url=http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/digitalfordism/fordism_materials/Donnelly.pdf |last1=Donnelly |first1=Tom |last2=Donnelly |first2=Tim |last3=Morris |first3=David |title=Renault 1985–2000: From bankruptcy to profit |issue=30 |series=Working papers (Caen Innovation Marché Entreprise) |oclc=799704146 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903080634/http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/digitalfordism/fordism_materials/Donnelly.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2013}}</ref> This halved the deficit by 1986, but Besse was murdered by the communist [[terrorist]] group ''[[Action Directe (terrorist group)|Action Directe]]'' in November 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued Besse's initiatives, slimming the company enough that by the end of 1987, Renault was more or less financially stable. However, while Besse was convinced that Renault needed a presence in the North American market and wanted to push forward with restructuring AMC, Lévy, facing domestic losses from Renault at home, and losses from AMC in the US, along with the political climate that led to Besse's assassination, decided to sell AMC to [[Chrysler]] that same year.

The [[Renault 9]], a small four-door family saloon, was voted [[European Car of the Year]] on its 1981 launch. It sold well in France, but was eventually eclipsed by its sister vehicle, the [[Renault 11]] hatchback, as the hatchback body style became more popular in this size of the car. The [[Renault 5]] entered its second generation in 1984 and continued to sell well. The long-running [[Renault 18]] was replaced by the [[Renault 21]] early in 1986, adding a seven-seater estate badged as the Nevada or Savanna depending on where it was sold. Renault's top-of-the-range model in the 1980s was the [[Renault 25]], launched at the end of 1983.

In 1990, Renault strengthened its collaboration with Volvo by signing an agreement that allowed both companies to reduce vehicle conception costs and purchasing expenses. Renault had access to Volvo's expertise in upper market segments and in return, Volvo exploited Renault's designs for low and medium segments. In 1993, the two companies announced their intention to merge operations by 1 January 1994 and increased their cross-shareholding. The French accepted the merger, while Volvo shareholders rejected it.<ref name=R1985/>

A revitalised Renault launched successful new cars in the early 1990s, accompanied by an improved marketing effort on European markets,<ref name=R1985/> including the 5 replacement, the [[Renault Clio|Clio]] in May 1990.<ref name="IDCH"/> The Clio was the first new model of a generation that replaced numeric identifiers with traditional nameplates. The Clio was voted [[European Car of the Year]] soon after its launch, and was one of Europe's best-selling cars in the 1990s, proving even more popular than its predecessor. Other important launches included the third-generation [[Renault Espace|Espace]] in 1996 and the innovative [[Renault Twingo|Twingo]] in 1992, the first car to be marketed as a city car MPV ([[multi-purpose vehicle]]). The Twingo was roomier than any prior cars of its size range. Twingo sales reached 2.4 million in Europe, even though the original was only built for (Continental) [[Left- and right-hand traffic|left-hand drive]] markets.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.carscoops.com/2013/12/renault-remembers-original-twingo-on.html|title= Renault Remembers the Original Twingo on its 20th Anniversary |publisher=Carscoops.com |date=3 December 2013 |access-date= 28 April 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Renault Mégane Scénic (cropped).JPG|thumb|[[Renault Scénic]], awarded Car of the year in Europe in 1997 and the first<ref name="ScenicLeaderMPV">{{cite web|url=http://www.autonews.com/article/20090320/ANE02/903209993/renault-wants-to-be-minivan-leader-again|title=From 1996, the Scenic has dominated the MPV market in Europe for more than a decade.|publisher=Auto news|quote="Renault invented the niche when it launched the first-generation Scenic in 1996."...&nbsp;"From 1996, the Scenic has dominated the MPV market in Europe for more than a decade."|date=20 March 2009|access-date=2014-11-30}}</ref> car to be marketed as a compact MPV, is the most popular MPV in Europe for 20 years.<ref name="ScenicLeaderMPV"/>]]