Inovev forecasts 25,000 units per year of the new Renault Espace
- Renault has just unveiled the sixth generation of its Espace, but this model is no longer an MPV like the five previous generations (the Espace was moreover the pioneer of this segment in Europe in 1984) but a SUV. SUVs have higher ground clearance with a higher placed windshield and little interior modularity. The new Renault Espace is a stretched 7 seats variant of the recent Renault Austral SUV (CMF-C/D platform). It now becomes a direct competitor to the Peugeot 5008, VW Tiguan All-Space or Skoda Kodiaq.
- The old Renault Espace launched in 2014 ended up having no more competitors, carmakers gradually removing their large MPVs in to replaced them by SUVs. The MPV market thus only represented 1.3% of passenger car sales in Europe in 2022, compared to 3% in 2020, 11% in 2015, 14% in 2010 and 20% in 2005 (year of peak sales for MPVs sales in Europe). In the United States, the cradle of the MPV market, the MPV market is not much more flourishing. In 2022, the share of MPVs will only represent 1.7% of sales there, compared to 4% in 2015, 5% in 2010, 6% in 2005 and 7% in 2000.
- The new Renault Espace is 21 cm longer than the Austral (4.72 m against 4.51 m) but can carry two additional seats in the back. Its engine is the largest currently available on the Austral, a 1.2-liter hybrid with 200 hp. Importantly, the new Renault Espace is 215 kilos lighter than the old Espace, in particular thanks to its new platform. Inovev forecasts 25,000 units produced per year in Palencia (Spain) of the new Renault model.