2001 Renault Premium Distribution

In 1956, the company Saviem was formed as a subsidiary company of Renault from the combination of Renault's own truck and bus production with the producers Somua and Latil. From 1957 on, Saviem was also used as the brand name for the trucks and buses produced by the company.

As a result of French industrial policy, in 1975 state-owned Renault also acquired the truck and bus producer Berliet from Michelin. In 1978, Berliet and Saviem were merged to form Renault Véhicules Industriels. Again, the old brand names were retained for two more years while the model lineups gradually were incorporated, until in 1980 they were replaced by the name Renault.

From 1975 on, Saviem also had been a member in the Club of Four, a cooperation between four European truck producers (Saviem, Volvo, DAF and Magirus-Deutz, which soon after became a part of Iveco) for the production of medium-sized trucks. The truck models resulting from this cooperation would be produced by Saviem and later Renault even until 2001 and also be sold on the North American market as Mack Mid-Liner. For the military trucks of the Sherpa range, Renault even today (July 2006) uses a derivative of the Club of Four cab.