Renault Laguna Evado (1995)
The Renault Laguna Evado, revealed at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, was a sleek and luxurious concept car that combined the practicality of a station wagon with the prestige and comfort of a grand tourer. Based on the first-generation Renault Laguna, the Evado was designed to showcase Renault’s ambitions in upscale design, flexible interiors, and innovative materials — all while hinting at the brand’s desire to enter the premium wagon segment with flair and French character.
History
By the mid-1990s, Renault was transitioning from a utilitarian image toward more emotionally driven and design-focused vehicles. The success of the original Laguna had positioned the brand well in the family car market, and Renault was ready to explore how it could elevate that platform with luxury, flexibility, and style.
The Laguna Evado (from the French "évasion", meaning “escape”) was created as a design and lifestyle study — part estate car, part executive tourer. It was not intended for direct production but to explore new ideas in interior adaptability, material use, and premium positioning. This concept came at a time when automakers across Europe were experimenting with high-end wagons and lifestyle vehicles, and Renault was keen to show it could compete creatively in that space.
Design Features
At first glance, the Laguna Evado resembled an elegant estate, but a closer look revealed details that set it apart from production models. The car retained the Laguna’s basic silhouette but featured a redesigned front end, complete with a smoother, more aerodynamic nose, slim headlights, and a cleaner grille treatment.
The body was longer and lower than the standard Laguna, giving it a stretched, almost shooting-brake profile. The roofline tapered slightly toward the rear, emphasizing movement and refinement. Chrome details and metallic blue-green paintwork gave the car a premium aesthetic unusual for a Renault of the time.
The interior was the Evado’s true showcase. It featured four individual seats trimmed in high-grade leather, separated by a full-length central console. Rear passengers were treated to reclining seats and built-in entertainment modules, while a panoramic glass roof flooded the cabin with light.
The dashboard was minimalist, with digital instrumentation and floating control elements. The luggage area was fully modular, with retractable covers, storage compartments, and a bespoke suitcase set built to match the car.
Specs
As a concept car, the Laguna Evado was not presented with detailed performance specifications, but it was based on the standard Laguna platform, likely using a 2.0-liter or 3.0-liter V6 engine available in the production range at the time.
Key features included:
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Front-wheel drive layout
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Automatic transmission (presumed)
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Independent suspension
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Luxury-focused tuning over performance
More important than raw performance were the technological showcases, such as:
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Voice-command interface (prototype-level)
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Custom sound system integrated into the seats
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Modular interior with folding seatbacks and movable console elements
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Panoramic glass roof and electrochromic glass options under testing
The emphasis was clearly on comfort, aesthetics, and modularity, not speed — aiming to appeal to families, professionals, and design-conscious buyers.
Production Status
The Renault Laguna Evado never entered production, nor was it expected to. However, it did influence future Renault designs — particularly the Laguna Estate models and later lifestyle-focused concepts like the Avantime and Vel Satis.
The concept helped Renault explore what premium wagons could look like under the brand’s French design philosophy. It also reflected the broader shift in the mid-1990s toward luxury wagons and crossovers, laying some aesthetic groundwork for future Renault projects.
The one-off concept remained part of Renault’s internal collection and has occasionally appeared at classic car shows and design retrospectives. While not as well-known as other concepts from the era, the Laguna Evado holds a unique place as a stylistic and functional bridge between practical family cars and the aspirational lifestyle vehicles Renault would later attempt.
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