Espace I
Production	1984-1991
Assembly	Romorantin, France

Espace II
Production	1991-1996
Assembly	Romorantin, France

Espace III
An NGV and taxi conversion of the Espace III in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Production	1996-2002
Assembly	Romorantin, France

Espace IV
Production	2002-present
Assembly	Sandouville, France

The Renault Espace is a large MPV produced by French automaker Renault since 1984 and manufactured in Matra factories. Currently in its fourth generation, it seats seven passengers; the Renault Grand Espace is a long-wheelbase version with increased rear leg room and boot size. Along with the Dodge Caravan, the Espace was the original minivan. Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... Renault S.A. is a French vehicle manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. ... Car classification is subjective since many vehicles fall into multiple categories. ... A modern minivan - 2004 Chrysler Town & Country Typical early minivan (a Dodge Caravan) A minivan, people carrier, multi utility vehicle (MUV),or multi purpose vehicle (MPV) is a type of vehicle which has a body that resembles a van, but which has rear side doors, rear side windows, and interior... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... An MPV or multi-purpose vehicle is a passenger-carrying vehicle based on a car platform, and is generally a one box design—neither a distinct bonnet (US: hood) nor boot (US: trunk), but rather a maximised interior space. ... In automobile design layout is the place where both the engine and driven wheels are. ... In automobile design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front wheel drive, layout places both the engine and driven wheels at the front of the vehicle. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Romorantin-Lanthenay is a commune of the Loir-et-Cher département, in France. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Romorantin-Lanthenay is a commune of the Loir-et-Cher département, in France. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 927 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... A Natural gas vehicle or NGV is a vehicle that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or, less commonly, liquified natural gas (LNG)) as a clean alternative to other automobile fuels. ... Nickname: Motto: Maju dan makmur (Malay: Progress and Prosper) Location in Malaysia Coordinates: , Country State Establishment 1857 Granted city status 1974 Government  - Mayor (Datuk Bandar) Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan From 14 December 2006 Area  - City 243. ... Romorantin-Lanthenay is a commune of the Loir-et-Cher département, in France. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 379 pixelsFull resolution (1812 × 858 pixel, file size: 208 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This picture may have usage restrictions - Renault Espace 2005 Own picture File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that... A modern minivan - 2004 Chrysler Town & Country Typical early minivan (a Dodge Caravan) A minivan, people carrier, multi utility vehicle (MUV),or multi purpose vehicle (MPV) is a type of vehicle which has a body that resembles a van, but which has rear side doors, rear side windows, and interior... Renault S.A. is a French vehicle manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. ... Mécanique Avion TRAction or Matra is a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to aeronautics and weaponry which today operates as the Lagardère Group. ... The Dodge Caravan and Dodge Grand Caravan are minivans manufactured by DaimlerChrysler (they were sold by the Chrysler Corporation until 1998). ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four...

Espace I (1984-1991)

The Espace's design was originally conceived in the 1970s by the British designer, Fergus Pollock, who was working for Chrysler UK (formerly the Rootes Group), at their design centre in Coventry ^[1]. Later Matra, who were affiliated with Simca, the then French subsidiary of Chrysler, were involved in partnership in the design. Fergus Pollock is a British car designer. ... The Chrysler Corporation was a United States-based automobile manufacturer that existed independently from 1925–1998. ... The Rootes Group is a now-defunct British automobile manufacturer. ... For other places with the same name, see Coventry (disambiguation). ... Mécanique Avion TRAction or Matra is a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to aeronautics and weaponry which today operates as the Lagardère Group. ... Simca Rallye 2 Simca is a now-defunct French automobile manufacturer, which also produced cars in Brazil and Spain in the 1960s. ...

The Espace was originally intended to be sold as a Talbot, and to be a replacement for the Matra Rancho leisure activity vehicle. Early prototypes used Simca parts, and hence featured a grille reminiscent of the Simca 1307 (Chrysler Alpine). The Matra Rancho is a leisure activity vehicle created by the French engineering group Matra in cooperation with the automaker Simca to capitalize on the off-road trend started by the Range Rover, but provide the off-road look at a lower price. ... A leisure activity vehicle is a small van, generally related to a supermini, with a second or even a third seat row, and a large, tall boot. ...

In 1978, before the Espace went into production, Chrysler UK and Simca were sold to the French company PSA Peugeot Citroën (PSA), and the Espace design was given to Matra. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... PSA Peugeot Citroën (PSA) is a vehicle company that owns the marques Peugeot and Citroën. ...

PSA decided the Espace was too expensive and too risky a design to put into production, and Matra took their idea to Renault (PSA finally ventured into the minivan sector eleven years later with the Citroën Evasion/Peugeot 806). 1998 SX 2. ... The Peugeot 806 was a minivan automobile produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot between 1994 and 2002. ...

The Matra concept became the Renault Espace. The design featured a fiberglass body mounted on a warm-galvanized steel chassis, using the same technique and assembly line at the factory as the Talbot Matra Murena. In fact, the introduction of the Espace required the relatively small factory to cease the production of the Murena, to make room for the Espace. Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre) is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ... Talbot Matra Murena Talbot Matra Murena The Matra Murena was a 3-seat sports car produced from 1979 through 1983. ...

The Espace was launched by Renault in 1984 (incidentally, the minivan that Chrysler had also been developing in the US was released a year earlier than the Espace in 1983). After a very slow start—a grand total of nine Espaces were sold in the first month after launch—customers warmed up to the benefits of the minivan concept and the Espace became very popular. This article is about the year. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

Espace I - Phase 2

Building upon its success, the Espace was revamped in 1988 with most of the Talbot/Simca content being replaced by equivalent Renault parts (the chassis and mechanical components of the car remained largely unchanged). The most obvious cosmetic exterior difference between the very first Espaces and the revamped post-1988 models were the changed headlights: the forward-slanting lights with orange indicator casing of the original Espace were replaced with backward-slanting lights with a clear indicator casing. Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

Espace II (1991-1997)

A heavily revised Espace was launched in 1991, adopting the Renault family look to replace the Talbot-themed styling of the original. This was essentially a re-skin of the original car, with a new dashboard and other interior improvements. The chassis was essentially unchanged. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Talbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industrys most complex. ...

In an episode of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson referred to this version as 'probably the best of the MPVs'. However, he went on to say 'but that's like saying, 'Oh good, I've got syphilis, the best of the sexually transmitted diseases'!!!! Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear (current format), a BBC television series about cars and motorsport in its new format (2002–present). ... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. ...

Espace III (1997-2003)

The third generation of the Espace arrived in 1997, its most notable feature being the radical futuristic interior (with a centrally-mounted digital speedometer). A number of third generation Espaces were used as bases for NGV and taxi conversions for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Kuala Lumpur Sentral transportation hub in Malaysia, rebranded as Enviro 2000s. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... A Natural gas vehicle or NGV is a vehicle that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or, less commonly, liquified natural gas (LNG)) as a clean alternative to other automobile fuels. ... The KLIA Control Tower Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (IATA: KUL, ICAO: WMKK) is Malaysias main international airport and is situated in Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about 50 km from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. ... A partial view of Kuala Lumpur Sentral at dusk. ...

Espace IV (2003-present)

The fourth-generation Espace arrived in 2003 and was the first Espace designed and built entirely by Renault. All of the production of the earlier Espaces was built by Matra in their Romarantin factory. The new vehicle was also the first all-steel Espace. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Romorantin-Lanthenay is a commune of the Loir-et-Cher département, in France. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ...

Its styling was reflective of a new design direction at Renault, symbolised by the radical Vel Satis and Avantime models, marking a major departure from the previous model, which also saw the range moved upmarket. The Renault Vel Satis is a full-size luxury car produced by the French manufacturer Renault. ... The Renault Avantime was a coupé/MPV automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault (though in fact designed and built by the French manufacturer Matra) between 2001 and 2003. ...

Espace F1

In 1995, Renault displayed a show car called the Espace F1 (created by Matra) to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Espace and Renault's involvement in Formula One racing. It was based on a V10-powered Williams Formula 1 racing car with an Espace J63 body reinforced with lightweight carbon-fiber instead of the glass fiber of the standard model. The Renault-Williams engine powered it from 0-200 km/h in 6 seconds, and helped by the carbon brakes, it did 0-270 km/h and back to 0 in under 600 meters. This version of the Espace was featured in the driving simulator, Gran Turismo 2. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gran Turismo 2 (commonly abbreviated to GT2) is a racing game for the Sony PlayStation. ...

References

1. ^ Lewin, Tony (2003). How to Design Cars Like a Pro: A Complete Guide to Car Design from the Top Professionals. Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-7603-1641-4. 

• Chapman, Giles. "Classic Cars: The Renault Espace", The Independent, 2004-07-22. Retrieved on 2006-05-22. 

The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Renault Espace

• Gallery and historical data
• Top Gear Episode featuring the Renault Espace in a MPV Race