It seemed clear as day, the Renault Espace, Talisman and Scenic would disappear forever. But there will be a completely new Espace in 2023!
In May 2020, we quoted an anonymous source who told the Reuters news agency: “The cutback plans are not yet final, but the Scenic, Espace and Talisman will certainly be scrapped. The focus will be on SUVs and crossovers .” We didn’t think that was crazy. The popularity of D-segment business sedans and (midi) MPVs has never been lower. The buyer public is more likely to go for an SUV or crossover.
Later that year, the brand new Renault CEO Luca de Meo announced that the emphasis would be on the C-segment. But he did not want to go into the fate of specific models. De Meo did say that he “has launched the attack” on Renault’s delivery program. The emphasis had to be on segments in which growth can be achieved and profits are made.
Renault Austral with seven seats
The Talisman has actually disappeared and the Scenic does not seem to have a successor. But apparently Renault still has confidence in the Espace, although the heyday in the Netherlands is centuries behind him. In the whole of 2022, Renault only managed to sell one with us. In peak year 2004 there were 4477.
Yet Renault is not crazy, because the new Espace is no longer an MPV. It will actually be a Renault Austral in XXL format with seven seats. And so it has been transformed into an SUV. It succeeds both the Koleos (which dates from 2016) and the old Espace.
Renault Espace will arrive spring 2023
Renault has yet to reveal virtually nothing about the new Espace. It is known that it will be on the same CMF-CD platform as the Austral and the Nissan X-Trail. The latter is also a seven-seater and is 4.68 meters long – more than 17 centimeters more than the Austral. The new Espace will probably be about the same length as the X-Trail.
We don’t know anything about the engines yet. Will the Espace get the e-Power engine from the Nissan X-Trail (203 and 213 hp) or the engines from the Austral (130 hp and 200 hp)? We will know in the spring of 2023, because then Renault will pull the curtain on the new Espace.