This pioneering French automobile manufacturer was once master-minded by the autocratic Louis Renault, whose first design was produced in 1898. By 1913 the company was responsible for producing around 20 per cent of French cars. Between the wars, Renault products were uninspired compared to those of rising star Citroen. After nationalisation in 1945, it produced some truly great designs, such as the 4CV and the 5. Its reputation lies mainly in small and medium cars, although there have been attempts to produce executive type cars, as well as a major effort to break into the US market by purchasing a stake in American Motors in the 1980s. Renault remains 15% owned by the French government.