Renault May Launch A Stretched Austral As An Espace Alternative

With conventional minivans falling out of style, the way forward for the Renault Espace is kind of unsure. Nonetheless, a brand new report accompanied by a single spy shot means that the French automaker may need a future for the Espace nameplate, utilizing it in a three-row SUV primarily based on the just lately unveiled Austral.

The Renault Espace is among the minivan pioneers, spanning 5 generations since its debut again in 1984. The newest mannequin debuted in 2014 and obtained facelifted in 2020 adopting crossover styling cues, which didn’t show to be sufficient to deliver again buyer curiosity. Individuals are going loopy over SUVs, which may provide virtually the identical degree of practicality as MPVs together with a extra adventurous stance. Thus, Renault considered a extra drastic change in an effort to hold the historic nameplate alive and related for the longer term.

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The prototype was caught by our spy photographers in Spain after Renault engineers briefly took it out of the truck – which is why there’s solely a single picture. The mannequin appears just like the Renault Austral with a unique roofline, and redesigned rear finish, hinting at an extended and extra sensible variant with a three-row seven-seater structure, extra headroom for the rear passengers, and extra roof for his or her baggage.

The Austral’s sibling may additionally sport styling variations on the entrance, making it simpler to inform them aside. It’s protected to imagine that the longer SUV would sit on the identical CMF-CD structure and share the vary of electrified powertrains with the Austral. Rival fashions would come with the Peugeot 5008, the VW Tiguan Allspace, the Skoda Kodiaq, and the Nissan X-Path.

Sources from France declare that the brand new mannequin may undertake the Espace identify, though it’s not clear if it will likely be referred to as Austral Espace, or just Espace. Earlier rumors urged that Renault may use the nameplate within the passenger model of the Site visitors, much like what Opel did with the Zafira Life which is a sibling to the Vivaro LCV, however it appears that evidently a unique technique has been chosen.

In any case, an oblique substitute for the fifth-generation Espace can be unveiled quickly, for the reason that mannequin is ready to be discontinued by the tip of the yr. Renault retains its playing cards closed concerning the mannequin however there’s a likelihood we would see a debut on the 2022 Paris Motor Present, earlier than a doable market launch in 2023.