Hang on, the Espace is an MPV again?
Hold your horses, we’re not quite there yet. This isn’t a production car; this is the Renault E-Space concept car (see what they did, there?). It’s part of what Renault calls its ‘voitures à vivre’ — or cars for living — lineup, which already includes the likes of the Renault 5 and Twingo, and for the first time ever it may take the Espace into the world of electric motoring.
It looks fantastic!
We think you mean ‘fantastique’ but yes, it does. Shaking off the SUV shape of the current Espace, the E-Space pays very clear homage to the shape and styling of the original 1984 Renault Espace.
That’s especially true at the front, where in spite of the very modern LED lights, which wrap all the way around the nose of the E-Space, there’s an obvious reference to the slatted radiator grille of the original, while the snub nose is very much influenced by the first-generation Espace, which itself was influenced by France’s then-new TGV high-speed trains.
What else do we know about the E-Space?
Renault hasn’t issued any technical details as yet, but we’d hazard a guess that the E-Space has been at least theoretically designed around the 89kWh battery of the updated Renault Scenic. Though we would not rule out hybrid power, either.
As for actual other details, so far there are none. Renault hasn’t let us look inside the E-Space as yet, although we can see through the concept’s windows that there are three rows of seats — maybe in a six-seat layout — with slim, high seatbacks.
We can also see that the wheels take inspiration from the original Espace’s alloys, with flat faces and four slots. There are also door-mounted cameras instead of conventional wing mirrors, and a distinct rear spoiler section where the roof seems to separate from the rear pillar (is it a moving spoiler? Possibly…).
The colour, a deep red, is called Black Rubé and the whole car is a trim 4.7 metres long.
Will it actually go into production?
Ah. Good question, and so far, Renault isn’t really saying one way or the other. While it would be tempting to think that Renault is thinking of expanding the 4, 5 and Twingo’s successful retro styling to a larger, more profitable car, the sad fact is that right now there is just no market for large MPVs, and while that might be shifting slightly, it might equally be hard to find enough customers to justify the investment in a car such as the E-Space.
Renault, for now, says that the E-Space “is a future-focused vision of the original, true to the approach that has always set Renault apart: innovating for the benefit of people, human emotion and the in-car experience. Design to be loved, Electrified by passion, Human-first tech and Crafted space.”
That doesn’t specifically exclude the possibility of a production model, but it equally doesn’t confirm such a thing. Keep your fingers crossed.
What else will Renault show at the Paris Motor Show?
As well as the E-Space concept, Renault will bring along an updated Twingo which shows off its new optional glass sunroof; a new version of the Rafale plug-in-hybrid coupe-SUV called the ‘Hypnotic’; a four-wheel-drive concept version of the Renault 4 E-Tech made for the French Open tennis tournament; the spectacular Renault 8 Gordini concept car (more on that here); and the revised Megane E-Tech, 5-E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech lineups which now feature new lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries.
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