drive layouts are either transverse or sometimes longitudinally but with the engine in front of the transmission. Although this north-south/forward gearbox layout gave excellent handling, servicing access to the engine was so difficult that the R16's successor, the Renault 20, kept the north-south layout but put the engine ahead of the gearbox. Gear changing was performed by means of a column-mounted lever which allowed for a more spacious front cabin. The column-mounted gear change (required by the position of the transmission in front of the engine) was rare in West European markets. Model history Series production started in March 1965 at the company's recently completed Sandouville plant, a few kilometers to the east of Le Havre. The car had its formal launch in March 1965 at the Geneva Motor Show, and was made available for sale in France and most other left-hand drive markets during June 1965. Late that year, it was first imported to the UK market in right-hand drive form, and would quickly establish itself as one of Britain's most popular imported cars. It arrived on the UK market at a time when imported models still only accounted for a small percentage of new car sales, but was one of a string of cars from foreign brands which helped foreign cars increase their market share during the 1970s; other notable examples being the Fiat 127 and MK1 Volkswagen Golf. Renault's later R5 and R12 models also sold well in Britain during the 1970s. In 1967 a lower-equipped model better suited for cargo appeared; called the 16 Commerciale it was built until about 1976. Equipment levels were high for the price. Initially, Renault sold the R16 with just a 1.5 L (1470cc) gasoline engine in GL specification for which was claimed; in March 1968 there appeared at the Geneva Motor Show the 1.6 L (1565cc) inline-four TS which could top . An automatic transmission version, originally designated the Renault 16 TA, was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show early in 1969. The top-line model was the TX, launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 1973, featuring a 5-speed manual transmission. Equipment included power windows for the front doors and central door locking, one of the first family cars in Europe to feature such equipment. Sales of the TX were less than stellar, as with the entire 16 lineup, due to the effects of the 1973 oil crisis. The