[1] Initially it was constructed for the assembly of the Renault 16 which was formally launched in March 1965 at the Geneva Motor Show, but not available for sale, even in its home market, till June 1965.

[1] Initially the plant, which enjoyed excellent communication links, notably by rail and river, focused on final assembly, while most of the sub-assemblies and other components arrived from older Renault plants located along the River Seine between Le Havre and Paris.

Since the Second World War Renault traditionally concentrated on smaller cars, and many of the company's mid-sized and larger models have encountered difficulty establishing significant market share against competitor offerings.

Le Monde on 30 September 2006 reported Renault as saying that if the Laguna III, intended to revive Sandouville's fortunes, failed to take off in the market place, there would be [adverse] consequences for a site currently operating at only 40% of its design capacity.

[2]) The new Laguna was not an instant hit with customers, and in July 2008 Renault announced that one of the two work teams would be cancelled, which would involve about 1,000 of the workforce.