After the R5 and the 4L, Renault is now turning its attention to the Estafette. Renault presented at the beginning of the week the concept car that foreshadows the new range of electric utility vehicles that Flexis will soon produce at the Sandouville factory, called the Estafette Concept. A concept that aims to be the successor of the iconic van, produced in more than 500,000 units between 1959 and the early 1980s.
Measuring 4.87 metres long and 1.92 metres wide, “this 100% electric utility vehicle combines the footprint of the Kangoo L2 with the agility of the Clio and the loading volume of the Trafic L1H2,” Renault said in a statement, presenting it as “designed for the city” and “capable of parking in a conventional parking space”.
This concept, named Estafette, foreshadows the new generation of electric vans to be produced by the Flexis joint venture, created by Renault, Volvo and the shipowner CMA CGM (owner of BFM Business), at the Sandouville site, near Le Havre in the Seine-Maritime. An investment of more than 300 million euros was announced in March 2024, which provides for mass production of this new electric utility vehicle (previously called FlexEvan) from 2026.
More and more are being sold
Currently, one in six utility vehicles sold in Europe is made by Renault, with the Renault Trafic being manufactured at the Sandouville plant. With the electrification of the car fleet and cities restricting access to the most polluting vehicles, electric vans are becoming more and more popular. But Chinese brands such as Maxus, BYD and Farizon could provide serious competition in the coming years.
According to the Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), electric vans accounted for 7.4% of the European utility market in 2023, compared to 85.7% for diesel.
Source: BFM TV
