Sales in Japan began in 1976, where both the 2-door and 4-door were available at Capital Car Dealerships. It was called the "Renault Go" because that is the Japanese word for "five". While originally sold with North American spec emissions equipment, including a catalytic converter, the heat emanating from the converter caused the bonnet to be excessively hot and the paint would blister. Soon thereafter, the French emissions package was sold instead. It was initially sold as left hand drive, then upgraded to right hand drive later.