The new Renault E-Space Concept is the anti-SUV we've been craving
Renault's wild new Paris show concept could be teasing a retro-inspired ‘reboot’ for the Espace
It was a little galling to see the latest, sixth-generation Renault Espace evolve into little more than an enlarged Austral, given how revolutionary the original was. The new E-Space concept, however, could suggest the Espace is in for an MPV-shaped, all-electric reinvention.
Renault has been especially interested in looking to past models for inspiration of late, not just with the 4, 5 and Twingo, but also the 8 Gordini concept. The French manufacturer calls the E-Space a ‘modern-day successor to the original 1984 Renault Espace’ which ‘reboots the founding principles of the MPV as part of an ultra-modern vision’.
> The Renault 8 Gordini concept is a rear-wheel drive coupe with hidden lights
The car has been ‘designed first and foremost as a living space’. Inside there’s a completely flat floor and six individual seats with lacquered shells inspired by the work of famed French furniture designer Pierre Paulin. The two second-row chairs are able to rotate 180 degrees to create a ‘TVG train square’ with the third row.
When facing forward, second-row occupants can use folding tray tables and a 12.3-inch screen each, both mounted in the back of the first-row seats. Or, they can fold down to give the row three passengers a large table and a view of the aforementioned displays.
Up front, a large ‘Open R Panorama’ display stays true to its name, stretching between each of the A-pillars and effectively forming the dashboard. It’s not a touchscreen, with touch controls instead featuring on two screens that swivel on a tubular base. To the left of this arrangement is a yoke-style steering wheel that gives a clearer view of the Open R Panorama.
The bodywork designed to house all this is intended to let as much light in as possible. Renault is happy to indulge in retro design, as seen with the Gordini concept plus the Renault 4 and 5, and although the 4.7-metre-long E-Space isn’t as close an homage as any of those, there are some nods to Espace models of the past.
The TVG train-style windscreen, which stretches down below the base of the A-pillars, is a notable feature of the 1984 original, while the rear spoiler references a similar part on the second- and third-generation models. All of this comes together in a contemporary-looking machine with a large grille made up of pixel elements and incorporating the headlights.
Technical details are thin on the ground, and there’s no talk of a production version just yet. This is the second recent concept inspired by the Espace, though, following the R-Space Lab, hinting at Renault’s interest in an electric reinvention of the MPV.
Should such a thing emerge, it’d likely be built on RGEV Medium, Renault’s next-generation, electric-first vehicle architecture. For now, we’ll have to settle for poking around the concept, which is on display at the 2026 Paris Motor Show.
