The Renault Juvaquatre was a small automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1937 and 1953. It was available in both sedan and station wagon body styles; later models of the station wagon were known as the Renault Dauphinoise.
The Juvaquatre was originally conceived in 1936 by Louis Renault as a small, affordable car designed to fit in the Renault range below the existing more upmarket models such as the Primaquatre or Celtaquatre. The company was focused on creating new customers who would not otherwise buy Renaults, and on appealing to the new class of lower-income consumer created by changing labor conditions and the rise of the Popular Front in France in the 1930s (which ironically had adversely affected Renault considerably). The Juvaquatre was heavily inspired by the German Opel Olympia, a car which Louis Renault had been impressed by during a 1935 visit to Berlin (consequently the Juvaquatre, particularly early models, bore a strong resemblance to the Olympia). The Juvaquatre was showcased at the 1937 Paris Motor Show and put on sale the following year. A van version was developed soon afterwards for commercial usage and was used extensively by La Poste, while public demand for four-door cars (and the introduction of affordable 4-door models from French rivals Peugeot and Simca) resulted in a 4-door Juvaquatre in 1939. A station wagon model based on the van was also launched.
The rate of Juvaquatre production decreased considerably with the onset of World War II, but remained high compared to other European marques who had switched over almost entirely to production of military equipment. After France was taken over by Nazi Germany, car design and production was banned and Juvaquatre production consequently halted. It restarted however in 1946, with Renault now owned and controlled by the French government, with production finally ending in 1955. However the station wagon remained in production as the Renault Dauphinoise until 1960, equipped with the engine from the Renault Dauphine.
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