Europe may have been all-in on SUVs in the recent past, but Renault design boss Gilles Vidal foresees a near future in which electrification and an emphasis on efficiency may renew interest in MPVs (we call some of them minivans), Autocar reports. “Maybe MPVs could come back in a sexier, desirable shape or form,” said Vidal. While I never thought of minivans as particularly sexy (except Renault’s Espace F1, of course), Vidal makes a convincing case that this might just be the future of large people movers.
While the minivan never really went away, it has certainly fallen out of favor, particularly in the U.S. In 2022, trucks and SUVs comprised 80% of new car sales. That same year, minivans made up just 3.6% of sales, according to GoodCarBadCar. People feel cooler hauling seven people and their stuff around in a Chevy Tahoe than a Kia Carnival, even though both are equally capable of doing it. Vidal agrees, saying, “SUVs won the battle against the MPVs because MPVs are cars that you need but you don’t desire, and suddenly SUVs with the same engines, same weight, same everything — they are shapes that you will desire.”
What’s old is new again
While big trucks and SUVs have been all about conspicuous consumption, trends toward electric cars have emphasized efficiency as well as performance. Range anxiety is still a concern (even though you’re wrong), so sleek designs with low drag are becoming the norm rather than big, brutish designs. A lower ride height improves aerodynamics. Placing large, heavy batteries as low as possible also improves handling, even if guardrails can’t handle them. The end result of this metamorphosis looks less like a traditional SUV and more like a minivan without the sliding doors.
Renault’s own Emblème concept is a great example of this. While the latest Renault Espace is an SUV instead of the minivan it always was before, the Emblème rejects the tall, chunky styling currently in fashion to return to a more car-like design — in other words, an MPV.
“What will probably happen with SUVs is they will try to be more and more efficient, so maybe slightly lower and better in aerodynamics,” said Vidal. “They will morph into a very efficient car, less energy consuming, with equivalent habitability and roominess and everything that’s probably the trend.”
So don’t worry about your manliness. Minivans can do everything SUVs can do, and better. I once won my class at a BMW club ice race in the AWD Dodge Grand Caravan I used for courier work, beating cars, trucks, and SUVs in the process. Perhaps the good vans aren’t gone after all.