Le Car
The late 1970’s saw car makers aiming for the modest, low-cost market with the Ford Fiesta and the VW Rabbit, because consumers were tired of waiting in line for gasoline. Renault’s “Le Car” was the snazzy European version of the nice cheap car. It sold well in Europe but not in the USA, where it was offered from 1976-1983. (Ironically, in French “le car” actually means “the bus.”)
In 1979, for the modest price of $3,895, Le Car was cheaper than the Honda Civic hatchback, which was offered the same year and retailed for a whopping $4,499. Le Car boasted a 58 hp engine, but it was not as powerful as the Civic CC’s 63 hp.
Unfortunately, it was hard to find le parts to fix Le Car, and within a few years Renault left America, never to return.