Renault cuts Grand Scenic MPV from UK line-up

Removal of brand’s only seven-seater follows axing of five-seat Scenic last year and Koleos SUV last week

Renault has removed the Grand Scenic MPV from its UK portfolio, following the five-seat Scenic's departure last year. 

The departure of the formerly popular people carrier, confirmed to Autocar by a Renault UK spokesperson, also comes after the Koleos large SUV met the same fate last week. The decision to remove the seven-seater was taken prior to that and the Covid-19 pandemic, however. 

Both models remain on sale in other European markets, with the French brand’s UK range realigned to “better meet the needs of customers”. Although no UK-specific figures have been released, Renault sold just over 76,000 Scenics and Grand Scenics across Europe in 2019 – less than half the number it sold back in 2011. 

The sales decline reflects that of the wider MPV sector in favour of SUVs, with a number of manufacturers including Ford, Toyota and Vauxhall having exited the segment in recent years. All three of those brands are now reliant on larger, van-based models to satisfy the multi-passenger fleet markets. 

The original Scenic launched in 1996 and is widely credited with igniting the compact MPV sector. In 2003, the five-seater was joined by a seven-seat Grand Scenic, sitting beneath the Espace (which itself left the UK in 2014). At the MPV market’s peak in 2004, Renault shifted 320,000 Scenics and Grand Scenics in Europe. 

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