2024-01-21 05:05:00
Work to replace the Renault Express began in the early 1990s. The Italian bodybuilder Coggiola then produced a first proposal for a future small utility vehicle for Renault.
A particularity of this prototype is that it is a “monovolume” vehicle. That is to say, no break between the cockpit and the rear loading space.
Until now, small utility vehicles are content to add a box to the rear of a city car, like the Express derived from the Super cinq or the Visa C15. But things might well change.
In the meantime, we already find the genes of the future Kangoo, with the volumes but also the curves.
Strike a big blow
At Renault, we want to revolutionize the concept of a small all-purpose utility vehicle. The role of the Kangoo will go well beyond the simple sheet metal version intended for craftsmen and delivery people.
The new model with its unique design is intended for a dual clientele: professionals in its utility version and individuals in its five-seater version.
The latter offers unprecedented habitability for passengers combined with record loading space. Simple, practical and with a nice look, the Kangoo wants to become the first “Ludospace” on the market. But the competition is watching out…
Citroën shoots first
At the 1996 Paris Motor Show, the Kangoo was not yet quite ready. Unfortunately for Renault, Citroën is presenting its own small utility vehicle, the Berlingo!
For the first time, the silhouette of a van is unrelated to a sedan: the loading volume is integrated, with no separation between the front part and the van area.
But it’s the five-seater version that causes a sensation. Called Multispace, and very colorful, it manages to definitively erase the image of a converted utility vehicle. The MPV was born! To mark the occasion, Citroën is also offering its vehicle in several concept cars.
The Berlingo Grand Large takes up the principle of the Multispace but is more chic, the Berlingo Plage is an elegant leisure pickup and the Berlingo Bulle is a curvy sedan. The message is clear, the Berlingo can do absolutely everything!
The magic door
Renault was lagging behind but a few months later, in 1997, the manufacturer finally presented the Kangoo. We appreciate its round face, its space and its family version.
But above all, the Kangoo creates a surprise with… a sliding side door! A revolution in this segment which makes life easier for craftsmen on the utility version but which also transforms the family version.
No more contorting yourself to reach the back seat. The Berlingo is forced to react by adopting this side door in turn. No matter, in November 1999, Renault released…the second sliding side door!
Since then, Berlingo and Kangoo have continued, three generations later, to wage a merciless war.
A global success
The first generation of Kangoo was produced not only in Maubeuge, but in Malaysia, Morocco, and Argentina until 2018. It will even have the right to join the Nissan range by becoming Kubistar or NV250.
Marketed worldwide, Kangoo is used in more than 50 countries for the postal service. In Japan, a large gathering of loyal Kangoo customers is organized outdoors at the foot of Mount Fuji: the Kangoo Jamboree.
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