Colombia 1977: Renault 12 best-seller

The Renault 12 was the most popular vehicle in Colombia in 1977.

After half a decade of domination by the Renault 4, the Renault 12 is the surprise winner in Colombia in 1977. At a time when the country was just beginning to move from the countryside into urban life, the R12 became one of the most sought after vehicles on sales despite being – for the time – a mid high-end model. It filled a gap between popular cars already present such as the R4 and Simca, and out-of-reach family sedans such as the Dodge Dart. In 1973 at the time the Renault 12 was launched in Colombia, only they Zastava 1300 was in the same segment. According to local outlet El Carro Colombiano, the R12 allowed many families to achieve the dream of owning a large, powerful and “posh” car , without breaking the bank, and arrived on the market almost simultaneously with the Dodge 1500 and Fiat 125 Polski.

The locally produced R12 launched in Colombia on 11 September 1973 and by December of that year 1.550 units had already been produced. On 30 October 1974 the Renault 12 Break arrived, the first station wagon to be ever sold in the country. The The first series of the Renault 12 (TL Sedan and TN Break) was sold between 1973 and 1976, and in 1977 a facelift was introduced with new front grille and rear headlight design and new bumpers. It’s thanks to this facelift that the Renault 12 became the best-selling car in Colombia in 1977. After being hit by such strong competitors as the Dodge Polara 1800 and Dodge Alpine from 1979 onwards, it was replaced in 1981 by the Renault 18. 56.250 Renault 12 were produced in 8 years in Colombia: 36.235 sedans, 18.100 breaks and 1.915 taxis.