RENAULT V.I., Bus and Coach division: a legend that has been built ...
This webpage about R.V.I. was started in 2014 to present the history of our national manufacturer, now disappeared. We are gathering a whole collection of documents across the years as well as various objects and variants that mark the history of the French coach. Former employees of R.V.I. are invited to share their recollections: their memories are unsurpassable!
In 1974, the government of Georges Pompidou decided to group Citroën with Peugeot after Fiat’s refusal to purchase. It was to be the same between Berliet and SAVIEM. This decision was made following losses at Berliet and Citroën. At the time, Berliet was making everything from A to Z, but under activity of is a dangerous way of working. Berliet found itself in a phase of under activity in the seventies and saw itself going with Citroen which was under the Michelin aegis.
That is why Pompidou and his government paid a billion francs to Citroën / Peugeot and Berliet / Saviem.
Berliet and Saviem each pursued their own industrial policies. This way of working between the two industrial manufacturers held until September 1976 when SODIEVI was created: the Industrial Vehicle Industries Development Company, with the aim of bringing about a range of common bodies and having a common commercial policy.
On October 3, 1978, Renault Véhicules Industriels (RVI) was founded with their black and red logo. The Berliet and Saviem logos would remain on buses and coaches until 1980 before ceding place to the ‘diamond’.
For buses only the SC10 and the PR100 were maintained due to their success with transport operators. In the range of coaches the Saviem E7 is not much appreciated since its presentation at the salon of Nice in 1969.
At the beginning of 1977, SODIEVI commenced a project to study the future of the coach. But in 1977, the research and study divisions were still independent of one another. At Saviem a restyling of the S45 / S53 range is carried out whilst Berliet also updates its range.
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Renault Véhicules Industriels has 8 factories, equipped with means of production with advanced technologies:
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Robotics
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Flexible Workshop
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Cataphoresis
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Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD / CAM)
These factories were located at:
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Annonay (bus / coach assembly)
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Blainville (truck assembly)
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Bouthéon (gearboxes)
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Limoges (military activities, small mechanical series and engines)
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Lyon-Monplaisir (mechanics, generators)
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Saint-Priest (axles and axle-trains)
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Vénissieux (basic technologies, truck engines, bus / coach assembly)
In 1999, part of the bus and coach division of R.V.I. Is sold to the Fiat-Iveco group, merged with Iveco Cars-Bus. This merger gives rise to Irisbus, whose ‘dolphin’ appears in May 1999. In 2001, following the sale of Renault trucks to Volvo, Fiat-Iveco obtains all the shares of Irisbus following Renault’s withdrawal. The Renault models are equipped with Iveco engines and produced until 2006 / 2007, when the Convergence* program ends. Except for the ILIADE which keeps a Renault engine.
The detailed history of the Coach and Bus division will be presented to you through the searchable files below.
* Contract for the gradual replacement of Iveco & Renault vehicles.
Files RVI space (preparation in progress, update 08.05.2015)
Situation report Cars & Buses RVI - January 1980
History of the Renault FR1 - 1987 - 1996 (up-to-date file)
History of the Renault TRACER - 1991 - 2002 (up-to-date folder)
History of the Renault ILIADE - 1996 - 2007 (up-to-date file)
Bibliography on Renault buses and coaches (and Saviem, Berliet ...)
La fabuleuse aventure du S45, ou, 40 ans d'histoire de cars Renault (The fabulous adventure of the S45, or, 40 years history of Renault buses), N. TELLIER, April 1993, ed. Massin
Autocars, autobus, trolleybus de France 1950-1980 (Coaches, buses, trolleybuses of France 1950-1980), N. TELLIER & J.H. MANARA, February 2013, Histoire & Collections
Autocars et Autobus Berliet (Berliet Coaches and Buses), C. PUVILLAND, June 2008, Histoire & Collections
Some commercial catalogues of Renault buses and coaches - background composed of approximately 240 R.V.I. documents
in the G. SAMSON collection
S45 R & S53 R - April 1981 - 75534
FR1 GTX - 50 00 632 786 - 07.90
FR1 TX - September 1990 - 50 00 632 997
TRACER - February 1992 - 50 01 819 231
1 FM 200 (MOROCCAN FR1) - March 1992
PR 112 / PR 118 - 50 01 819 539 - September 1994
