Official: Renault Slashes UK Lineup, Gone Are the Modus, Kangoo, Wind, Laguna, Espace and Gordini Models

We first heard about Renault's plans to decimate its model lineup in Britain due to poor sales in a report back in December, and now it's officially official with the French brand providing more details on the changes.

The Renault models no longer available for sale in the UK are the Modus small MPV, the Kangoo passenger and commercial vans, the Wind roadster, the Laguna and the Espace MPV.

In addition, Renault has discontinued all Gordini variants while the core Twingo Renaultsport 133 range has been slimmed down to a single version.

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Renault Decimates UK Line-Up Due to Poor Sales, Cuts Laguna, Wind, Espace and More

Something is rotten in the state of Renault: its sales in the UK market. The fall of the pound against the Euro by 16 percent since the end of 2008, which minimized profitability of companies based in euro-denominated countries along with a staggering 29 percent drop in Renault's sales in the first 11 months of the year, forced the French carmaker to make some hard decisions.

Renault spokesperson Caroline De Gezelle announced today that, from February, the company will stop taking orders for no less than five of its models that are currently sold in Europe’s third largest car market.

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Automotive Flops: Renault’s Quirky 2001 Avantime Coupe-MPV

The automotive industry has seen many flops during its century-long existence, most of them due to poor thinking and execution. Every once in a while, though, some truly innovative vehicles receive the axe simply because they were ahead of their time.

Renault’s Avantime is one such an example. Built in cooperation with Matra, the coupe-MPV was unlike anything else on the road when it was launched in 2001. Unfortunately, buyers weren’t ready to embrace such a radical vehicle. Ironically, a decade later, oddities like the BMW X6 and Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet are on the verge of becoming trendsetters.

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Refined 2011 Renault Espace MPV Priced from £24,495 in the UK

The Renault Espace MPV is entering the 2011 model year with some subtle updates including the addition of LED daytime running lights and new equipment, as well as a Euro 5 compliant engine range. In the UK, it will be available to order from November 8 and in showrooms from January 2011, priced from £24,495 to £28,495. The cost to upgrade from the Espace to the long-wheelbase Grand Espace is £1,500.

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