Car manufacturers regularly invite themselves to tech fairs, but we do not remember that one of them had the idea of ????presenting a new model at an aeronautical event. On Sunday June 18, Renault took the plunge by unveiling its brand new SUV-coupé at the Paris Air Show (Seine-Saint-Denis).
The name of this car lends itself to it: it was baptized… Rafale. This choice, which benefits from the notoriety of the Dassault Aviation fighter plane, has nothing to do with a misappropriation of the surname since the diamond brand has owned this name since the 1930s.
In 1933, Renault, which had made its mark as an aeronautical engine manufacturer, had bought the company Caudron, an aircraft manufacturer well known in the interwar period for having accumulated speed records. Renault-Caudron, a subsidiary of the manufacturer, had renamed the “racing planes” in its range after a wind.
Reservations
The famous C460, recognizable by its long nose and its inimitable silhouette, was renamed Rafale in 1934. Hélène Boucher won six speed records at the controls of a Renault-Caudron and became the advertising muse of the Billancourt brand ( Hauts-de-Seine). In the diptych The Testament of Mr. Pump and Destination New-York, by Hergé, the heroes Jo, Zette and Jocko board the Stratonef H22, a device that strangely resembles this plane that has become famous.
The decision to call this new model Rafale, which will be marketed in the spring of 2024 and will become the flagship of the brand, determined to regain a position in the high-end segment, was not appreciated by everyone within Dassault Aviation. . On May 16, during the general meeting of shareholders, Laurent Dassault, grandson of founder Marcel Dassault, did not hide his reservations.
These are not legally admissible, pointed out the management of the aircraft manufacturer. At Renault, it is recalled that the two companies have concluded a reciprocal agreement which allows them to use this name for their products. In the future, therefore, we could see airplanes and cars baptized Simoun, Typhoon or Cyclone flourish. Like the Renault-Caudron aircraft of the 1930s…
