Information about Renault

[thegriffon]

Renault owns both Volvo and Mack truck.  Volvo is big in class 8 (over the road) as well as trash trucks!!  Mack is big in Class 8 as well as numerous vocational applications (construction site stuff - dirt haulers -etc.)

Mercedes owns Freightliner, Sterling, Thomas Bus  and Western Star.  The former sells over the road as well as many class 7 and 6 applications, etc.  Western Star is mostly over-the -road owner operated trucks.

Freighliner also owns Detroit diesel.  This was formerly GM's truck diesel.  GM sold out to Pensky (the same guy that is going to distribute the Smart car) who turned the operation around ito a money maker and then sold Detroit Diesel to Freightliner.

Peterbuilt and Kenworth are co-owned and are American last time I heard.

The French government owns 15% (not 20) of Renault.  Not that that makes much difference. 

Peugeot/Citreon owns Michellin tire company.

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Not true. Volvo bought Renault VI (trucks), which in turn owned Mack. Renault got a small stake in Volvo in return and still co-operates in producing commercial vans for Renault Trucks. Volvo also owns White and took over the former White-GMC venture. Volvo/Renault also bought the largest stake in Nissan Diesel (UD), just as DCX took over Mitsubishi Fuso.

The other big truck companies are Paccar (Peterbuilt and Kenworth) which took over the bankrupt Dutch company DAF, and it's British Leyland operations; IVECO, which took over Ford Trucks in Europe and was itself the result of a merger between the German Magirus, French UNIC and Italian OM/Fiat companies. IVECO also took over Intrnational's former Australian operations and Spanish company Pegaso, which once also made sports cars, as well as another British truck-manufacturing congolmerate; and Isuzu, which took over most of GM's commercial vehicle businesses outside of North America, although GM largely kept the factories and switched to producing Isuzu trucks and vans, at least temporarily. VW produces trucks in Brazil and owns a big stake in Scania. Smaller companies include Navistar (International), MAN, the Russian KAMAZ, Indian company TATA, which bought Daewoo trucks, and a smaller British company which bought the Bedford heavy truck business from GM.

PSA (Peugeot SA) is a very old metal fabricating business that got into making cars early on. In addition to Automobiles Citroen and Automobiles Peugeot they also own component manufacturer Faurecia and Peugeot Motorcycles (motor scooters). They used to make bicycles (sold to Cycleurope) armored vehicles under the old Panhard et Levasseur (recently sold to military 4x4 manufacturer Auverland), and still make Peugeot pepper and salt mills, and grinding mechanisms also used by other companies. They also acquired Chrysler's European and South-American operations many years ago, including the former Rootes and SIMCA operations in the UK and France respectively. They do not own Michellin.

Edited July 22, 2006 by thegriffon

[91z4me]

thegriffon > *.*

[Sixty8panther]

I don't think so, you guys can have your 40K Euros Skodas.

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Hey, don't bring Skodas into this... They're not French or American.

From the 50s up until the late 80s Skodas were rear engined & RWD

so that right there shows they were at least trying. Way cooler than

some Yugo or Hyundai Pony, both of which were more expensive.

Te Escalade rocks and anyone who has driven one & sat in one

knows that. If Europeans had roads wider than 3.75 meters and

gas did not cost $7.00/gallon they'd all be rocking the Escalade

just as much as we do here in the USA. Big sedans like Mercedes S,

BMW 7-series & Audi A8 sell in big numbers over there to big-shots

so why not a truck.

As far as the Escalades mechanicals being "antiquidated" that's a

cheap shot at it's actual rugged design unlike most of the pu$$y

SUVs built off of minivans & cars by the Europeans & Japanese.

Mark my words much of the "hate" for the USA is resentment that

we CAN drive a 3 ton truck to work and back and fill up its 30

gallon tank without dipping inot the kid's college money.

But those foreigners seem to forget that we pay BILLIONS for

things they get for free, like HEALTHCARE & HIGHER EDUCATION.

[HarleyEarl]

France, many, many years ago used to be known for some of the most beautiful cars in the world. Now, with Renault, they may have some of the most awkward, homely cars on the planet. No wonder the Nissan Quest van is so ugly...it has Renault parenthood.

I think sometimes French auto stylists try too hard to be different. They just end up looking weird.