Renault Scenic’s 20th birthday

Renault is celebrating 20 years of the game-changing Scenic compact MPV.

The award-winning Renault Scenic compact MPV was launched in 1996 and nearly five million have been sold during its 20-year production run.

Now the success story is set to continue in 2016 with unveiling of fourth-generation model at 2016 Geneva Motor Show.

Renault says the new model draws inspiration and influences from the 2011 R-Space concept car.

The original Scénic was conceptualised as early as 1988 by then Design Director, Patrick Le Quément.

In 1991 the idea of a small, family MPV was moved forward with the unveiling of the Scénic concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show – its name being short for ‘Safety Concept Embodied in a New Innovative Car’.

Five years later the Scénic was officially launched and with its introduction came the establishment of a brand new sector of vehicle – the compact MPV. It went on to win the European Car of the Year title in 1997.

Other manufacturers quickly followed suit and the compact MPV soon became a key vehicle sector.

In 2003, the second-generation model was launched, scoring a maximum five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests, making it the safest vehicle in its category.

The current third-generation model arrived in March 2009, “continuing the formula of its predecessors but now with more emphasis on elegance and travelling comfort and convenience”.