The Kangoo has been around since 1997.  It’s been through three successive generations and is a run away success for Renault. Over here, it’s available as a mini people carrier and, above all, as a light commercial vehicle. It is part of the landscape because it won over many companies as well as private customers. Things are different in Japan : there, it’s an exotic vehicle that is somewhat  symbolic of a certain French art de vivre, a blend of ingenuity and good ideas, rational use of interior space and modularity.

Since 2009, Japan is the home of the largest gathering of Kangoos in the world! Every year, hundreds of Kangoos go to Mount Fuji to celebrate it. Over the last 25 years, more than 4,400,000 Kangoos have been sold in 50 countries. For the most part, they come from the Maubeuge factory which is just a stone’s throw from Belgium. It’s not even unusual to see lorries full of them on our roads, as some bridges close to the factory are too low.  Drivers just head down to Belgium to avoid them.

While the first editions of the Kangoo Jamboree brought together only a handful of enthusiasts, now more than 5,000 visitors come to wander among nearly 2,000 Kangoos. Most of them have been modified by their owners to make them unique. Very often they are adorned with tricolour stickers and even French number plates for that « authentic » look!

There are even a number of books about it in Japanese. It is such a success in the Land of the Rising Sun that Renault even launches Japanese market limited editions on a regular basis. The most recent one is the Urban Grey Edition of the brand new Grand Kangoo. Here’s a look back at the event in pictures. (Text: Dimitri Urbain, photos: Renault Media)