Renault has revealed the E-Space Concept at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, an all-electric MPV presented as the modern successor to the original 1984 Espace. The design study puts the interior first, with six swivelling seats, a glass-walled cabin and a full-width display. Renault says it is meant as a real alternative to the SUVs and saloons that dominate today’s market.
An MPV designed from the inside out
Renault is going back to its own history for its latest show car. The E-Space Concept, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, takes the idea behind the 1984 Espace, often called the first MPV, and updates it for battery-electric power. Renault frames it as a return to voitures à vivre, its long-running term for cars built around the way people actually live in them.
Renault says the designers began with the cabin, treating it as a living area, and only then wrapped bodywork around it. The result is a clean, single-volume MPV shape with large areas of glass in the sides and roof. It is a deliberate move away from the high-riding SUV look, which now includes the current Espace itself.
“E-Space Concept shows how our heritage can inspire the future. When Renault created Espace in 1984, it invented a new way of designing cars by putting people and their lives at the center. With E-Space Concept, we revisit that pioneering spirit for the electric era. This design exploration pushes the ‘voiture à vivre’ philosophy to new heights, imagining a versatile, generous and fully electric vehicle designed around the needs, aspirations and lifestyles of tomorrow.” — Fabrice Cambolive, Renault Brand CEO & Renault Group Chief Growth Officer
Proportions that echo the original Espace
The concept is 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) long, 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) wide and 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) tall. Renault says its height and length-to-width ratio are close to those of the first Espace. The overhangs are short, putting the 23-inch wheels right at the corners.
The windscreen runs on from the bonnet, a nod to the 1984 car’s “TGV train” profile. The waistline is low and the ground clearance moderate. Other details include a front splitter that can drop closer to the road to help aerodynamics at speed, upright rear surfaces that hint at interior space, and a roof spoiler that recalls the Espace 2 and 3. Along the base, a black “skateboard” section houses the battery and aerodynamic features, much like the grey lower cladding on the original.
At both ends there is a new lighting signature: a large illuminated “U” around the grille, with a lit logo in the centre that appears to float.
A glass cabin with six swivelling seats
Renault cites Bauhaus architecture and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House as influences for the fully glazed cabin. The glass carries on below the waistline behind the body panels. Rear-hinged doors without a central pillar open onto a flat floor and six individual seats of the same size.
The seats can be rearranged in several ways. The two in the second row can turn 180° to face the third row, or fold flat into a large table in a four-seat layout. Facing forward, second-row passengers get fold-out trays with a 12.3-inch screen mounted on the backs of the front seats. A sliding console runs along the cabin’s spine and holds an air purifier, a small fridge, video game controllers and a game of Connect 4.
“With the low waistline, you can see into the cabin when standing next to the car. And once again, you can drive with your elbows on the door.” — Romain Gauvin, Renault Brand Head of Advanced Design & Concept Cars
A preview of Renault’s next dashboard
The feature most likely to reach production is OpenR Panorama, a curved screen measuring 1,130 x 110 mm that spans the cabin from pillar to pillar. It is not a touchscreen. The driver uses it through two flexible touch displays that swivel around the steering column. Renault confirms that OpenR Panorama will appear in future models in its executive range, beginning with the next-generation Rafale and Scenic.
The compact steering wheel uses steer-by-wire, so there is no mechanical link to the wheels. Its fixed hub carries touch controls for the multimedia system.
Colour and bio-based materials
Inside, the cabin is finished in shades of red, from scarlet to garnet. The 3 cm (1.2 in) wool carpet fades from a coral centre to darker edges. Renault says the concept tests bio-based materials beyond the usual leather and wood. These include dyed straw trim and marquetry, a 100% wool long-pile carpet, interior paint with 18% bio-based resin, and steering-wheel material containing 26% castor oil and 25% organic cotton. According to the company, the tyres contain an average of 19% natural rubber from managed plantations.
What it means
Renault has not released any powertrain, battery, range or performance figures, so the E-Space should be read as a design statement rather than a production preview. Still, it signals that Renault sees room for a spacious electric family car outside the SUV mould. The OpenR Panorama screen gives a confirmed glimpse of what is coming in its larger models.
Renault has given no production plans for the E-Space Concept, which made its debut at the 2026 Paris Motor Show.
Facts: Renault E-Space Concept
- Type: All-electric MPV concept
- Length / width / height: 4.70 m / 2.02 m / 1.67 m (15 ft 5 in / 6 ft 8 in / 5 ft 6 in)
- Wheels: 23-inch
- Seating: Six individual seats, three rows
- Display: OpenR Panorama, 1,130 x 110 mm
- Steering: Steer-by-wire
- Debut: 2026 Paris Motor Show
Source: media.renault.com