Matra Espace (for Renault) History

The Espace concept originated inside Matra in 1978, when Technical Director Philippe Guédon — inspired by US minivan concepts he had observed — commissioned designer Antonis Volanis to develop a high-roofed, van-like family vehicle on a car platform. Early prototypes designated P16 and P17 were complete by 1979. Renault agreed to market the vehicle; Matra would design, engineer, and manufacture it.

Commercial production began at Matra's Romorantin plant in April 1984 (public launch in France, July 1984), directly replacing the Murena on the same assembly line. The first-generation Espace sold slowly at first — only nine units in the opening month — before demand accelerated sharply and hit 191,674 units by January 1991. A second generation followed in 1991 and a third in 1997; Matra built all three at Romorantin, with combined first-through-third-generation output exceeding 980,000 units.

The Espace invented the European minivan segment and spawned dozens of imitators across every mainstream manufacturer. Matra's contract to build the third-generation Espace ended in 2002 when Renault moved the fourth generation in-house; it was the end of the practical, high-volume reason for Matra's Romorantin plant to exist.