Named after…
AutoWeek is not only there for the hard news and extensive tests and background stories, but also for facts that you can bury deep in the corner of your brain that deals with your car love. Today we have another one in that category. Did you know that Renault has already built four million copies of the Kangoo in its home country of France?
In the time that so-called ludospaces were unable to catch on, Renault was a serious player with the Kangoo. The van, which also had extremely practical passenger versions in various configurations, was introduced in 1997, a year after the Peugeot Partner and its twin sister Citroën Berlingo appeared on the market. The first generation Kangoo – which also included a Kubistar variant from Nissan – was assembled not only in Maubeuge, France, but also in Argentina, Morocco and Malaysia.
It is the factory in home country France that recently built its four millionth Kangoo. Naturally, this is a copy of the current third generation. There is also a Nissan version of this, although it is now not called Kubistar but Townstar. More fun facts: in Maubeuge, Renault previously produced the 12, the 18, the Fuego and the 21. Nowadays, a new Kangoo rolls off the production line every 90 seconds. In 2002, the millionth Kangoo was born in France, five years later the production count was already at two million copies. And did you know that the model name Kangoo is derived from kangaroo because these hopping marsupials are ‘agile, energetic, rhythmic and practical (pouch!)’. Do you think the Kangoo is a cheerful thing? Then you are not alone. In Japan, the practical Frenchman has even become a real cult car. Every year, thousands of Kangoo owners gather with them ludospace around Mount Fuji.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl