Renault introduced the 18 in the late '70s as a replacement for the 12 range and made the car available in two bodywork versions: sedan and station wagon, also known as Break or Estate.

Introduced to the market in late 1977 and showed at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring of 1978, the Renault 18 was a little more than a re-bodied Renault 12, a car that was state of the art in 1969.