2:27 am, March 3, 2011
RENAULT has confirmed that the Espace replacement has been signed off and the Laguna is in its ‘early stages’.
That was the announcement from Beatrice Foucher, head of product planning at Renault, who said that the new Laguna is at the very early stages of development.
‘I know in my mind what it should be. It needs to be different without being bizarre,’ she said, adding that Renault needs a traditional 4.9m saloon and estate but they need to be more innovative than the current model.
The R-Space, unveiled at Geneva, gives some clues to how next generation MPVs will look in terms of family space, she revealed, but is not a preview of the new Espace which will be a full seven-seater.
The 2016 Laguna is expected to be developed alongside Renault Samsung’s next Latitude and SM5.
Also in the pipeline is a new crossover, drawn from Alliance partner Nissan’s success with Qashqai.
Foucher said that she would also like to see the Alpine brand revived. ‘But we have to have a car to fit the brand – and not just one car but two or three in the range.’ A decision on Alpine has not yet been taken.
