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Renault is planning to replace today’s soon-to-be-axed Espace MPV with a lower and more luxurious six-seater, company design boss Patrick Le Quemen has said.
The new car will ditch many of the compromises of modern people-carriers, and follows recent research conducted by Renault that suggested modern buyers no longer appreciate the ‘exposed’ high seating positions and low window sills of traditional MPVs.
The new car is likely to have three rows of two seats and should be launched before the end of 2010.
Renault insiders insist that the Renault Espace name, first used 25-years ago on the original Matra-developed car, is “too valuable to lose”, and will probably be applied to the forthcoming six-seater. The new car is also likely to depart from the current Renault Espace’s simple, steeply-raked nose and windscreen for a more complex design.
Renault’s design team has decided that an odd number of seats, employed in most MPVs, are relatively uncomfortable for most passengers. Hence the decision to go for a ‘2+2+2’ configuration similar to that employed by the Mercedes R-class.
Steve Cropley
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