Vilvoorde Renault Factory
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automobile manufacturing |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Headquarters | Vilvoorde , Belgium |
| Products | Automobiles, automotive components |
Number of employees | 500 (2013) |
| Parent | Renault |
Renault Industrie Belgique S.A. / Renault Industrie België N.V, commonly abbreviated as RIB, was established in 1931 as Renault's inaugural automobile assembly facility outside of France, situated in Vilvoorde, near Brussels, Belgium.
Automobile manufacturing at the site was discontinued abruptly in 1997, leading to the loss of roughly 3,500 jobs amid widespread public dissent.
Founding and Early Years
Operations commenced in 1931 with limited production runs of models such as the Renault Monaquatre and Renault Primaquatre. The plant’s first mass-produced vehicle was the Renault Juvaquatre, which remained in production until 1955 and competed against cars like the Peugeot 202 and Opel Kadett. The station wagon variant, known as the Renault Dauphinoise, was manufactured until 1960. During this era, the rear-engine Renault Dauphine was also introduced. By 1960, the Vilvoorde facility expanded its scope beyond assembly to include manufacturing components such as axles, exhaust systems, and body panels.
Period of Expansion
In the early 1960s, the Dauphinoise was succeeded by the contemporary Renault R4. A third assembly line was added in 1962 to produce the Rambler-Renault Classic, part of American Motors Corporation’s (AMC) global expansion strategy led by marketing executive Roy D. Chapin Jr. This collaboration laid groundwork for AMC’s eventual acquisition by Renault in the late 1970s. The Rambler Rebel replaced the Classic model in 1967. Despite these partnerships, Renault vehicles dominated output, with annual production reaching approximately 100,000 units by the late 1960s. The Dauphine model was replaced by the Renault 6.
Production of Ramblers ceased in 1967, with that assembly line transitioning to manufacture the Renault R12. Following the 1973 oil crisis, Renault’s compact, fuel-efficient vehicles gained a competitive edge. The R12 remained in production until 1976 before being superseded by the Renault 14.
Throughout the 1980s, production primarily centered on smaller models such as the Renault 5 Turbo. A mid-sized vehicle reappeared with the launch of the Renault 21 in 1986. During the 1990s, Vilvoorde produced models including the compact Renault Clio and Renault Mégane.
Closure of Assembly Operations and the loi Renault
The shutdown of automobile assembly at Vilvoorde in 1997 resulted in about 3,500 job losses, provoking strikes, demonstrations, and political controversy. This closure inspired the 1999 film Fermeture de l'usine Renault à Vilvoorde, which dramatized Renault chairman Louis Schweitzer’s involvement in the decision. Schweitzer continued to serve as Renault’s chairman until 2005.
The event led to the introduction of the loi Renault in 1998, which established mandatory consultation procedures for large-scale layoffs. As a result, Belgian media frequently refer to redundancy consultation processes as Procédure Renault.
Following cessation of vehicle assembly, the Vilvoorde plant underwent modernization and shifted focus to producing automotive components, employing around 500 people as of 2013.
Identification number
Vehicles assembled at Renault Vilvoorde are identifiable by an “H” located in the eleventh character position within their Vehicle Identification Number.