The Renault Trafic (pronounced as "traffic") is a light commercial van produced by the French automaker

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

since 1980. It has also been marketed as the Fiat Talento, the Nissan NV300, the Nissan Primastar and the Mitsubishi Express. Until 2019, it was also sold as the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro (briefly sold as the Opel/Vauxhall Arena earlier) by

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

and its associated company

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

. From early 2022 onwards, the van is also marketed by

Renault Trucks Renault Trucks was a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it was a subsidiary of Volvo since 2001. In July 2024, John Cockerill (company) completed the takeover ...

as the Renault Trucks Trafic. Previous versions of the Renault Trafic have been sold under Inokom,

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

and Tata badges. The second generation Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro was produced in GM Manufacturing Luton and in Sandouville Renault Factory plant starting in 2014. However, following the takeover of Opel/Vauxhall by

Groupe PSA Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...

, the Trafic-based Vivaro went out of production in 2019, and was replaced by the next generation Vivaro based on the Citroën Jumpy EMP2 Platform for the 2020 model year. __TOC__

First generation (1980)

The original Renault Trafic was sold from 1980 to 2001 and was somewhat revised and updated during its lifetime. Originally, the van had some variations in the front end shape depending on which engine was fitted, with the original 1397 cc motor fitting behind a flat grille, and the 2.1-litre diesel engine and larger 1647 cc petrol engines requiring an extended plastic grille and deeper bumper. The 1721 cc OHC engine replaced the 1647 cc OHV unit in the mid 1980s, which fitted under the shorter grille, but required a small lump in the bonnet. The diesel and 2.2-litre petrol carried on with the extended grille. In the end of 1984, a four-wheel drive version was introduced. This was a part time system coupled with the diesel engine and a five speed manual transmission. This model operated as a front wheel drive until the rear wheels were engaged with a

dog clutch A dog clutch (also known as a dog box, dog gears, dog ring, clutch dog, or positive clutch) is a type of clutch that couples two rotating shafts or other rotating components by engagement of interlocking teeth or dogs rather than by friction. T ...

, a system similar to the one used by Renault on the R18 4x4. In May 1989, the Trafic underwent a major front end facelift, with a rounder shape and a plastic bumper, and the new longer body shape covering all varieties of engine. In 1995, the Mk1 Trafic got its final facelift, with a new grille, new tail lights, large double rear view mirrors, and a new interior with a modern dashboard and multi adjustable seats.

Winnebago

The chassis and cab of the 1980s models were used as the base vehicle by Winnebago Industries to build the Winnebago ' LeSharo' from 1983, and Itasca Phasar. For the chassis and cab version to meet safety and emission requirements in the United States, this version was sold with Renault's J7T gasoline engine, and 2.1-litre diesel and turbo diesel engines, coded as J8S and shared with the 1985 to 1987 AMC/Jeep Cherokee/ Commanche. Jeep versions used the Garrett T2 turbocharger while Winnebagos received the larger T3 type. CARB granted a series of yearly waivers to Winnebago for non compliance in omitting On Board Diagnostics (OBD I), these waivers remained in effect throughout the model run from 1983 to 1992.

Campervan Variants

The Mk1 Trafic became popular for professional conversion into budget family

motorhome A motorhome (or coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels. Features Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed o ...

s due to the flexibility of the design and the generous internal space for what was a relatively small van. Popular converters were ''Auto Sleepers'' and ''Holdsworth'' (now defunct). Other motorhome builders using the Trafic Mk1 as a base include Hymer, Elddis, Eriba, and Autostar.

Opel Arena

From 1997 to 2001, the Renault Trafic was marketed as the Opel Arena in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and as the Vauxhall Arena in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Nick Reilly,

's chairman and managing director commented that the Arena marked the first time the company could offer a total commercial range ever since the days of the old Bedford CF, which ended production in 1986.

Tata Winger

In June 2007,

Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive company, headquartered in Mumbai and part of the Tata Group. The company produces passenger cars, cars, trucks, vans, and busses, buses. T ...

announced the introduction of the Winger, a panel van and minibus based on the 1995 to 2001 version of the Renault Trafic, but fitted with Tata's own two litre diesel engines, with or without turbo.

Inokom Permas

The Inokom Permas was launched in Malaysia in 1998. Production of the van was at Kulim District.

South America

For South America, the vehicle was made in the

Renault Argentina Renault Argentina is the Argentine subsidiary of the French car manufacturer Renault. It is one of the oldest Renault operations in the world and is ranked consistently in first place by sales between the local automakers. Renault Argentina was of ...

facility at Santa Isabel, Córdoba. In Brazil, it was badged as Chevrolet Trafic and later as the Renault Trafic or Chevrolet SpaceVan. A pickup version was sold as the Renault Trafic Rodeo. Production ended in 2002.

Gallery

File:Renault Trafic 4x4.jpg, Renault Trafic first generation (facelift) 4x4 version: The 4x4 has the rear axle set further forward than the FWD. File:Renault Trafic front 20080106.jpg, Renault Trafic first generation (second facelift) with high roof body File:Renault Trafic (21625695174).jpg, Renault Trafic first generation (second facelift) with high roof body File:Opel arena passenger side.jpg, Opel Arena File:Tata Winger van, Bangladesh. (33029016652).jpg, Tata Winger (2007–) File:2000 Vauxhall Arena 1.9 TD SWB (23376780904).jpg, Vauxhall Arena File:1988 Winnebago LeSharo 2.2 gasoline, front right.jpg, 1988 Winnebago LeSharo File:Renault Trafic Camper (43101588534).jpg, 1984 Renault Trafic Camper

Second generation (X83; 2001)

The second Trafic resulted from a joint venture between

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

, and French

. It is also sold as an Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro and

Primastar. Designed by Renault's corporate design department based within the company's Technocentre outside Paris, the Trafic was developed by the engineering team of Renault's light commercial vehicle unit at Villiers-Saint-Frédéric. Manufactured by GM Manufacturing Luton at its plant in

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

— beside Primastar and the Vivaro — the Trafic was the first Renault vehicle to be built in the United Kingdom in more than thirty years. In an agreement between Renault and Nissan, versions of the van are also manufactured at Nissan's plant in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In particular, high roof versions for Opel, Vauxhall, Renault, and Nissan are made in Barcelona because the Luton assembly plant has a low roof which cannot accommodate the extra height of the high roof. The van exists in several versions, from a three seater with all the rear space available for loads, to a nine seater, also known as a "Passenger van". Its name is based on the French word for "trade" or "traffic" (depending on the context). The van was designed by Renault in Paris, and both Renault-Nissan and Opel/Vauxhall versions are manufactured by Opel/Vauxhall at their plant in Luton. In 2012, production of the Vauxhall Vivaro totalled 36,982 and 16,483 for the Renault Trafic. A mild facelift in October 2006 had the orange indicators swapped for clear ones, which were more integrated into the headlamp housings. On the Opel/Vauxhall model, the indicators moved from the front bumpers, up into the headlamp housings, thus looking more similar to the Renault one. Production ended in June 2015.

Gallery

File:2004 Renault Trafic SL27 DCi 100 SWB 1.9.jpg, Renault Trafic second generation (before facelift) File:Renault Trafic dCi 80 Heck.JPG, Renault Trafic second generation (before facelift) File:Renault Trafic Grand Passenger Black Edition dCi 115 (II, Facelift) – Heckansicht, 1. September 2013, Münster.jpg, Renault Trafic second generation (phase 2 facelift)

Nissan Primastar

The

Primastar was also launched in 2001, and is available in

panel van A panel van, also known as a delivery van (United Kingdom), blind van, car-derived van or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind ...

, combi, bus, and chassis cab configurations. Two

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

s and two roof heights are available, as well as three

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s and a

petrol Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...

one. In the end of 2014, the last Primastar rolled off the production line. It was replaced by the NV300 in September 2016.

Gallery

File:Nissan Primastar dCi 100 – Frontansicht, 1. März 2014, Wuppertal.jpg, Nissan Primastar with options including colour coded bumpers File:2012 Nissan Primastar SE LWB DCi 2.0 Front.jpg, Nissan Primastar, after facelift — note revised indicator lights

Opel Vivaro A

The Opel Vivaro from the

automaker Opel was launched in September 2001. While the Vivaro is sold as an Opel in most European markets, in the

it was sold as a

. The Vivaro is primarily manufactured at GM Manufacturing Luton (previously IBC) in Luton, England and by Nissan at their Zona Franca (Barcelona) facility in Spain. The Vivaro is available in panel van, minibus, combined bus/van, and platform crew cab configurations. Two different wheelbase styles, and two roof height options are also available, as well as three diesel engine power options and a

petrol engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American and Canadian English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends ...

. The vehicle was given a mild facelift in 2006, during which the front indicators were moved from the front bumper, up into the headlight housing and only a 2.0 L

four cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...

diesel engine is available in two states of tune; a or mated to a six speed manual or optional automatic transmission. The Vivaro e Concept debuted September 2010 at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, Germany. It is plug in hybrid vehicle, with an extended range up to and includes 21 kWh lithium ion batteries enabling over of pure electric driving range.

Gallery

File:Opel Vivaro 2900.JPG, Pre-facelift Opel Vivaro (2001–2006) File:Opel_Vivaro_front_20080108.jpg, Facelift Opel Vivaro (2006–2015) File:2004 Vauxhall Vivaro 2700 Diesel SWB 1.9.jpg, Pre-facelift Vauxhall Vivaro (2004) File:2012 Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 CDTi LWB 2.0.jpg, Facelift Vauxhall Vivaro (2012) File:2010 09 27 Hannover 105842 (5040153676).jpg, Opel Vivaro E-Concept (2009)

Engines

Third generation (X82; 2014)

Renault released a new generation Trafic in September 2014. It was again rebadged and sold as the Opel Vivaro in Europe and Vauxhall Vivaro in the UK. Styling was updated for the 2019 model year and again for the 2021 model year, then in 2024 with the new Renault logo. Two lower power variants (95 PS and 115 PS) use a variable geometry turbocharger, while the highest output (125 PS and 145 PS) variant employs a twin turbocharger arrangement; other features include variable output water and oil pumps and a maintenance free timing chain.

Rebadged variants

Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro variants for the United Kingdom and mainland Europe were manufactured at GM Manufacturing Luton and at Sandouville, except for the high roof variants and the left-hand drive variants, which were manufactured at Sandouville. The new Vivaro dropped the previous larger capacity diesel engines, in favour of a 1.6 Energy dCi (Renault/Renault Trucks/Nissan/)/CDTI (Opel/Vauxhall)/MultiJet (Fiat)/Di-D (Mitsubishi) engine. From 2016, Vauxhall Vivaro models gained a ''Made In Britain'' badge at the rear. The Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro went out of production in 2019, when Opel/Vauxhall was acquired by

; it was replaced by a new generation Vivaro which was a rebadged

Citroën Jumpy The Citroën Jumpy (badged Citroën Dispatch in some countries) is a Light commercial vehicle, light commercial van jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group (currently Stellantis), and previously manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture betwe ...

for the model year of 2019. Renault–Nissan Alliance partner Nissan sold a rebadged Trafic II (X83) as the Primastar. The Primastar was renamed to the NV300 for 2016 and moved to the Trafic III (X82). The light commercial vehicle variant of the NV300 reverted to using the Primastar nameplate in 2021. In July 2016,

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

introduced a rebadged Trafic, called Talento to replace its Scudo, which had been a rebadged

. In October 2019, all of the vans were given a facelift which introduced a new 2.0-litre EcoJet diesel engine which is 11 percent more fuel efficient than the older 1.6 litre and variable-geometry turbocharger for smoother engine performance at low speeds. Small exterior changes include revised front bumper and black plastic wing mirrors instead of painted ones. Interior received a updated steering wheel, textured crash pads on the dashboard, new choice of interior trims and 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto supported. In September 2020, Renault announced it would stop supplying Talentos to Fiat, as Fiat Chrysler had declared plans to merge with Renault's rival

to form

Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...

. The Talento was replaced by a new Scudo/Ulysses, which was again a rebadged Jumpy. In 2020, the Trafic was rebadged and introduced as the third-generation Mitsubishi Express for Australia, and as a replacement for the former L300 in the New Zealand market. It was discontinued two years later. The existing Renault Trafic has also been sold in these markets since 2014. In 2022, Renault starts to supply the Trafic to

(company owned by Volvo AB) to sell Trafics on its dealerships using the Renault Trucks badging.

Models

Trafic Formula Edition

2017 Renault Trafic S127 Energy Formula Edition DCI 1

Launched in 2018, the Formula Edition was available on the Trafic alongside the Kangoo and Master, and featured a new paint and wheels, plus black and yellow trim.

Trafic X-Track

Launched in 2016, the Trafic X-Track is a front-wheel drive offroad version of the Trafic.

Trafic Van E-Tech

The 100% electric Trafic was officially presented at the 2022 IAA. It is equipped with a electric traction motor drawing from the same 52 kW-hr battery as the larger electric Master E-Tech, giving a WLTP range of . The van can accept charging power of up to 7 kW (single-phase AC) or 22 kW (three-phase AC), and a fast-charging option (50 kW DC) is available. A passenger van variant may be based on the Hippie Caviar Hotel concept shown in 2021.

Gallery

File:2014 Renault Trafic (X82) dCi140 van (2018-05-05) 01.jpg, Renault Trafic (original) File:2019 Renault Trafic Sport SWB.jpg, Renault Trafic (first facelift) File:Renault Trafic III buses Facelift IMG 7691 (cropped).jpg, Renault Trafic (second facelift) File:2017 Nissan NV300 Acenta DCi 1.6.jpg, Nissan NV300 File:Nissan NV300 Facelift IMG 5361.jpg, Nissan NV300 (facelift) File:Fiat Talento Kombi 1.6 Ecojet 125 Twin Turbo Family – Frontansicht, 27. Juli 2016, Düsseldorf.jpg, Fiat Talento File:Opel Vivaro Combi 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI ecoFLEX (B) – Frontansicht, 7. Oktober 2015, Düsseldorf.jpg, Opel Vivaro B File:2018 Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 Sportive CDTi 1.6.jpg, Vauxhall Vivaro File:2020 Mitsubishi Express SWB (X82).jpg, Mitsubishi Express File:2015 Vauxhall Vivaro, rear interior.jpg, Lined interior of Vauxhall Vivaro van

Engines

Dimensions

;Notes

References

External links

Renault Trafic official website

(includes a photo of the original Trafic, pre-facelift)

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