The SUV-dominated market is a tough place for traditional MPVs which have been slowly dying. The latest victim is the Citroën Grand C4 SpaceTourer, which will be officially discontinued this year without a planned successor. This means that Citroën is left without a dedicated MPV model in its range after nearly three decades and almost 4.5 million MPV sales.
The demise of the Grand C4 SpaceTourer was hinted at in November 2021 by Citroën’s CEO Vincent Cobée. Now the French automaker confirmed the news, with the last model set to roll off the production line in Vigo, Spain in July 2022. This will mark the completion of current orders which means that you are not able to buy the Grand C4 SpaceTourer anymore.
Read Also: Stellantis’s Passenger Vans Drop ICE-Powered Variants And Go EV Only In Europe And UK
The model originates from the second-generation Grand C4 Picasso that was unveiled back in 2013, received a mild facelift in 2016 and was renamed the Grand C4 SpaceTourer in 2018. The EMP2-based model is the longer seven-seater variant of the C4 Picasso / C4 SpaceTourer which was discontinued in 2020. It follows a bloodline of Citroën MPVs including the large Evasion (1994-2002) and C8 (2002-2014), the compact Xsara Picasso (1999-2012) and C4 Picasso (2006-2020), and the smaller C3 Picasso (2009-2019).
While the C4 SpaceTourer won’t be getting a new generation, Citroën already has a few alternatives for those who prioritize practicality and space. These include the recently facelifted C5 Aircross SUV, the flagship C5 X, and the electric-only ë-Berlingo and ë-SpaceTourer. However, we must note that the LCV-based MPVs are the only remaining offerings with a three-row cabin option, and their exclusive availability as EVs starting from this year has definitely narrowed down the target group.
Citroën’s decision to end the traditional MPV line and continue with LCV-based models is following a growing trend in the automotive industry due to the declining popularity of the former and the lower development cost of the latter. The only remaining models in the market are the Renault Scenic and the Volkswagen Touran, which will likely be axed after the end of their current generations’ lifecycle.