The Renault Espace is a large MPV from French car-maker Renault. Generations 1-3 were sold under the Renault brand but manufactured by Matra. The current fourth generation model, which seats seven passengers, is an all-Renault product; the Renault Grand Espace is a long-wheelbase version with increased rear leg room and boot size.
The Espace is often credited as being the world's first MPV (a claim Renault themselves encourage). However, the 1950 Volkswagen Type 2, also known as the Kombi, and the 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla, popularised the versatile multi-seater concept some 30 years prior to the Espace, and the concept had been tried several times before that, an early example being the 1935 Stout Scarab, and there was the very similar in concept Plymouth Voyager which Lee Iacocca claims was proposed by himself in 1973 when he was working at Ford, although he never got the chance to build it until he went to Chrysler in 1984, the same year the Renault Espace was launched.
In December 2011, Renault announced that the Laguna, Espace, Kangoo, Modus, and Wind lines would be axed in the United Kingdom as part of a cost-cutting plan to help the company earn a profit.
This change took effect in February 2012. The Laguna, Espace, Kangoo, Modus, and Wind lines are still available in Europe.
Read more about Renault Espace: Espace I (1984–1991), Espace II (1991–1997), Espace III (1997–2003), Espace IV (2003–present)