PARIS -- Renault is moving the new generation of the Kangoo small van upmarket, with enhanced connectivity and driver assistance options and a full-electric version available from the start of production next spring.
The current Kangoo was introduced in 2007. Renault also builds versions of it for Daimler (the Mercedes-Benz Citan) and alliance partner Nissan (the NV250) at its factory in Maubeuge, northern France. Mercedes has already announced that it will sell a passenger version of the new Kangoo called the T-Class.
The new Kangoo will be built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF C/D architecture in passenger and commercial versions. Gasoline, diesel and full-electric powertrains will be available, although Renault did not provide specifications. A concept version was shown in April 2019.
The automaker also said Thursday that it will launch the budget-priced Renault Express van, reviving a nameplate used for small vans based on the Renault 5 in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Express has similar styling to the Kangoo but is based on the existing Dacia Dokker van’s B0 alliance platform.
The Express will serve as a replacement for the Dokker in the Renault Group lineup, and will be built in Renault’s factory in Tangier, Morocco, with sales starting in spring.
A commercial version of the Express will be sold in Europe, aimed at “young entrepreneurs and small fleets,” but the passenger version is destined only for international markets, Renault said.
Renault says it has improved side access by eliminating the central pillar in the Kangoo, allowing for an opening 1,416 mm wide, twice as much as the current Kangoo.