The Renault 4CV was an economy car

Economy car

An economy car is an automobile that is designed for low cost operation. Typical economy cars are small, light weight, and inexpensive to buy. Economy car designers are forced by stringent design constraints to be inventive...

 produced by the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 manufacturer Renault

Renault

Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

 from August 1947-July 1961. The first French car to sell over a million units, the 4CV was ultimately superseded by the Renault Dauphine

Renault Dauphine

Renault Dauphine is a rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in one body style — a three-box, four-door sedan — as the successor to the Renault 4CV, with over two million examples marketed worldwide during its production from 1956-1967....

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The 4CV was a four-door sedan of monocoque

Monocoque

Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

 construction, 3.6 metre in length with front suicide door

Suicide door

A suicide door is a car door hinged on the trailing edge, the edge closer to the rear of the vehicle. Such doors are rarely used on vehicles in modern times because of their disadvantages....

s and using Renault's Ventoux

Renault Ventoux engine

The Ventoux was an automotive engine designed by Renault for the Renault 4CV, used subsequently until 1997, and named after Mont Ventoux in Provence....

 engine in a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.

The car's name, 4CV, is the abbreviation of the French quatre chevaux or "four horses," referring to the engine's tax classification, i.e., four taxable horsepower.

In 1996, Renault presented a fully roadworthy concept car — the Renault Fiftie

Renault Fiftie

The Renault Fiftie was a concept car presented in 1996 by Renault to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of the 4CV. Its exterior styling drew heavily on its illustrious ancestor's, as did the choice of a rear-wheel-drive layout. However, the Fiftie was a two-door, mid-engine design...

 — to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 4CV's debut.