AFTER four generations of the Renault Espace, this month marks its 20th anniversary. The ground-breaking Espace, which started the MPV revolution back in the early 80s, has also reached another major milestone with the one millionth example having just rolled off the production line in Sandouville, France.

Originally conceived by Renault and its partner, Matra, the first Espace appeared in 1984 and was initially greeted with a combination of intrigue and scepticism as nothing like it had ever been seen before. Flying in the face of accepted wisdom, the Espace epitomised Renault's desire to push the boundaries of conventional design and create a car which met the changing needs of a rapidly evolving society.

Many rivals have since tried to copy the Espace's winning formula but over four successive vehicle generations the Espace has led the European large MPV market and is still the best-seller today. With each successive version, Renault has also sought to bring additional enhancements in terms of safety, driving pleasure and travelling comfort, to the point where today's latest model is more than a match for any 'conventional' executive car.

Espace's roots can be traced back to late November 1979 when a prototype (P16) was trialled on Renault's plans for a grand-touring saloon inspired by the passenger van, meanwhile Matra had plans for a similar vehicle. Espace, as we know, was conceived on December 15, 1982, when Matra and Renault joined forces on a second prototype codenamed P23. Renault took charge of product definition, design, powertrains, promotion and sale while Matra handled vehicle development and production.

The third-generation Espace, unveiled in October 1996, brought an upmarket shift to keep it ahead of the competition. The dashboard featured a central digital display for improved legibility and, to meet the needs of customers looking for an even more spacious vehicle, Renault launched a longer wheelbase version (27cm longer) of Espace III in January 1998, called Grand Espace. By the end of 2001, Espace III held an 18.5% share of the upmarket MPV market. Overall production of this third-generation Espace went on to top 365,200 units.