One of the most famous people carriers of all time could be about to make a return to Britain's showrooms.
Renault has unveiled a striking new concept called the E-Space – an electrified twist of the seven-seat Espace MPV that arrived in Britain in 1985 and became a favourite among families with enough kids to make up a five-a-side football team.
In today's market where the SUV is king, the 'design study' suggests carmakers are having second thoughts about filling their line-ups with large jacked-up models.
Its debut at Monday's Paris Motor Show is the latest sign that the once uncool - but undeniably practical - multi-purpose vehicle is making a covert comeback, potentially following in the tyre tracks of other recent arrives like the Ford E-Tourneo Connect and Kia's PV5.
The E-Space concept revives many of the features that made the original Espace revolutionary more than 40 years ago with a major design focus on maximising interior room, visibility and passenger comfort.
The concept measures 4.7 metres long and features a huge glasshouse that makes the cabin feel airy and Rolls-Royce-style coach doors that swing open in opposite directions.
This is the Renault E-Space concept unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. And it sets out to prove the point that MPVs aren't dead... and the SUV isn't the last word in family car options...
When the Espace I arrived on Britain's roads in 1985, it was like nothing else on the market. Three generations followed and it is still considered today the Daddy of MPVs
Its low waistline and cab-forward proportions are a deliberate echo of the pioneering first-generation car.
Renault says the vehicle has been designed from the inside out, placing occupants at the centre of the development process before wrapping the cabin in sleek bodywork.
Renault designers have made no secret of the fact that the concept intentionally distances itself from conventional SUV design.
While most modern family cars have grown taller, bulkier and more rugged-looking, the E-Space sits lower to the ground and adopts more aerodynamic proportions.
Design boss Alexandre Malval said the concept demonstrates that Renault can still 'make its mark with intelligence and appeal' in a market currently dominated by jacked-up 4X4s and crossovers.
The E-Space concept revives many of the features that made the original Espace revolutionary more than 40 years ago
The electric people carrier shift attention to maximising interior room, visibility and passenger comfort
‹ Slide me ›
The concept measures 4.7 metres long and features a huge glasshouse that makes the cabin feel airy. It has Rolls-Royce-style coach doors that swing open in opposite directions
And it's the cabin where the concept really very interesting... and red.
Renault has equipped the E-Space with six individual seats arranged across three rows on a completely flat floor.
The middle-row seats can swivel through 180 degrees to face rear passengers, creating what Renault describes as a 'TGV train square' seating arrangement mimicking that of France's high-speed rail system.
There's also a sliding centre console complete with an air purifier, mini fridge, video game controllers and even a game of Connect 4.
The company's designers say they took inspiration from furniture rather than traditional car interiors, with slim seats designed to maximise the feeling of space.
Passengers are surrounded by deep rouge materials, thick carpets and fabric trim in a deliberate attempt to make the cabin feel more like a living room than a car interior.
Up front, a huge, double-stacked curved screen stretches almost the full width of the cabin.
Called the OpenR Panorama, Renault says the display previews technology that could appear in future production vehicles.
Steering comes in the form of by-wire tech. And the removal of traditional mechanical parts has allowed the cabin to sit further over the front wheels to extend the wheelbase and room inside for passengers.
In the rear is a sliding centre console complete with an air purifier, mini fridge, video game controllers and even a game of Connect 4
‹ Slide me ›
Up front, a huge, double-stacked curved screen spans the width of the cabin. Called the OpenR Panorama, Renault says the display previews tech that could appear in future production cars
With no details about its electric powertrain and Renault stating that it is a design study, it's unclear just how serious the French brand is about bringing the Espace MPV back to our roads
Will it see production?
Officially, Renault is calling the E-Space as a concept car that signals its future design philosophy.
This also explains why there is little detail about the electric powertrain that drives it.
But should the public go crazy for the idea of the iconic Espace being reborn for the 21st Century, Renault might just consider making it a reality.
While the Espace was officially removed from Renault's UK showrooms in 2013, the nameplate is still available across mainland Europe.
Oddly, however, it is sold as a 5 or 7-seat hybrid SUV.
The mk1 Espace hit UK showrooms in 1985 and featured a largely plastic body and a 2.0-litre engine.
The second generation car built on its predecessors success in 1991 with curvier styling and the introduction of a range-topping 2.9-litre V6 petrol, shortly followed by a turbo diesel in 1993 that proved woefully unreliable.
By the time the third-gen MPV arrived in 1996, sales were at their peak. But popularity soon dwindled with the mk4 car as SUVs began to chomp into the people carrier's market share.
