Renault revives its Estafette van from the ‘60s

The compact-sized Renault Estafette Concept van serves as a contemporary take on the original Estafette model introduced in 1959 and popular in the 1960s. Renault and Volvo Trucks’ joint enterprise, Flexis, plans to mass-produce vans like this in a few years’ time.

The concept – which is also known under the name “ZFlexEVan” – looks fairly modern with its flat sides and unusual cascaded front end. The headlights don’t resemble anything Renault had introduced before, and the driver gets plenty of visibility thanks to a massive glass dome. The design team behind the project claims that it is supposed to evoke associations with the original Estafette with details like the round headlights, but the overall impression is that of a modern van.

Renault claims that, despite being 4,870 mm (190.2 inches) long, the van has almost the same turn radius as the Clio hatchback. The overall height of 2,590 mm (101.2 inches) allows the driver to stand up and move from the cabin to the cargo area and back without bending over. The designers argue that not having to exit the car to retrieve packages most of the time will be greatly appreciated by delivery service workers.

The production version of the Estafette will be designed by Renault’s Ampere division. The van will offer extended multimedia features and connected services running on new software, which has yet to be written. Once complete, this software will allow Renault experts to continue optimizing such things as the efficiency of the powertrain using simple over-the-air updates. It will also enable owners to retrofit their vans for all kinds of different use scenarios – for example, if you put a refrigerator into the cargo area, the software will automatically detect and display its parameters.