Laurens van den Acker on the Scenic, and Renault's image deficit

"We realised we either had to let the Scenic die or completely revise it. And we decided not to give up without a fight," says Renault Design director Laurens van den Acker.

He admits the MPV market has gone flat, as so many people switch to crossovers. "But if this doesn't sell, the segment deserves to die. If you can't sell a car with a two-tone roof and standard 20-inch wheels – when the new Aston Martin has 19s – then I give up."

"We couldn't turn the Scenic into a crossover because we have the Kadjar," he points out. So it has retained the 'monobox' outline, but sexed up with those wheels, lots of jewellery and a wavy belt-line.

"The first Scenic was for progressive parents. Then it got lost. By the time of the [outgoing car] it was for platonic parents who were just ferrying their kids between school sports games. This one is for people who are in the prime of life again."

I mention the BMW 2-series Active Tourer, an MPV that's selling well. "If we did [a car like] that we would be dead. We need to try harder than the competition."

Why? Is Renault's brand lacking? "Let's just say we want to improve our image."

How? "Products on their own are important but not enough. We need to change our brand. It's why we stayed in Formula One. If we didn't have F1 we would be just like any other generalist manufacturer, but here we are competing against Mercedes and Ferrari and McLaren.

"Alpine will help our image. And the fact we make a profit. Our strength in electric vehicles. The fact that we're not giving up with the Scenic.

"Image is a collection of many pieces," he concludes. "Sooner or later the customer will wake up to us."