Renault Avantime
French fancy appeared at the peak of people-carrier popularity
OF all the recent car industry trends, the decline of the MPV is one of the easiest to plot. Buyers have moved away from these traditionally boxy models towards SUVs, forcing many brands to leave the market altogether.
Back in the nineties, though, the MPV was king. And Renault, a pioneer of the breed, provided perhaps the peak of the era by offering a ‘coupé MPV’ – even though the original idea for the car didn’t come from within the French manufacturer at all. This is the tale of the Renault Avantime.
IT’S hard to define the first true MPV, but the Renault Espace would be on the shortlist. Introduced in 1984, the car was actually conceived by British designer Fergus Pollock in the previous decade, only to be rejected by PSA Peugeot Talbot. But it was picked up by Renault and industrialised for the company by French engineering consultancy Matra.
As part of the arrangement, the Espace would be built by Matra itself, at its factory in Romorantin. So both parties were naturally delighted when the idea proved a smash hit with customers, who lapped up the Espace’s mix of a huge, airy glasshouse and a boxy shape that could cope with pretty much any everyday load.
The arrangement extended into the second-generation Espace, then the third. By the end of the nineties, Matra’s automotive boss Philippe Guédon believed that Espace devotees were so taken by the concept that they were continuing to want one long after they had need of its practicality. The idea of an ‘Espace for empty nesters’ was born. And Matra, keen to bolster its own manufacturing order book, didn’t waste any time in pitching the idea to Renault.
The concept that resulted from these early conversations was called Coupéspace – a striking red creation that made its public debut at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. There were clear Espace overtones, especially around the nose and bonnet line. But there were more pronounced shoulder lines along the flanks, a striking contrast-colour roof, chunky alloy wheels – and a single door on each side. This was a sporty creation, an MPV that you were supposed to want, rather than need. In fact, the