The general demise of the van segment is particularly evident at Renault. We have just experienced the first trips with the new generation of the Espace, which is now an SUV, and the French are already showing the next series that will no longer be a van in the future: the Scenic.
Renault is taking an offensive approach: “We have changed everything. Just not the name.” Admittedly, the outcry will be quieter with the Scenic because it doesn’t have the long tradition of the Espace and, above all, it doesn’t have the outstanding spaceship characteristics of the first generations. And yet one or the other will ask “why the next SUV”? The sales figures will provide an answer. The current images of the production vehicle in camouflage foil suggest that it is essentially identical to the study that was presented a good year ago. The rear suicide doors will obviously not make it into series production, but the wheelbase, which has been stretched to 1.84 meters, and the 4.49 meter length can be considered set. Hydrogen hybrid? Renault has not yet made any statements about the drive technology. But when the study was presented, there was talk that the top version should have a kind of hybrid drive on board: A fuel cell should be mounted behind the battery, which charges the battery with 16 kW/22 hp, and a hydrogen tank under the front hood. Renault wants to extend the electric range of the 40 kWh battery to up to 800 kilometers. It would be a big surprise if this niche program went into series production. Otherwise, one can assume the drive of the Renault Megane E-Tec Electric, which gives customers the choice between a 40 kWh and a 60 kWh battery and drives the front wheels with 96 kW/131 HP or 160 kW/218 HP. We will see the new Renault Scenic undisguised at the IAA in Munich at the beginning of September.
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