Renault is to reinvent its innovative Scenic MPV as a family-friendly SUV with electric and range-extender hydrogen power.

The company has revealed a concept version of the car which drops heavy hints at the way the new model will look, along with details including a carbon footprint that is claimed to be 75 per cent less than a conventional electric car.

The new model will sit above the new electric Megane in the range and is slightly larger than a Nissan Qashqai. The inside is exceptionally spacious however, with family-friendly features which hark back to the original 1991 Scenic.

Although the first production cars will use the same electric motors and battery options as the Megane, the concept is powered by an innovation hydrogen fuel cell range extender.

Renault claim the Scenic has a carbon footprint 75 per cent smaller than a conventional electric car

This uses an electric motor, a smaller 40 kWh battery and a 15 kW fuel cell to recharge it during long drives and extend its range. This could make it possible to drive up to 500 miles using both power sources. The motor is at the rear, so there is enough space for the 2.5 kg hydrogen tank at the front; the fuel cell is under the floor at the rear of the Scenic, behind the battery.

Renault – still reeling from the backlash created by poor crash test results from the Zoe – has pulled all the stops out to make the Scenic safe, with self-driver tech and other innovations including a ‘Safety Score” which gives owners hints to improve their driving at the end of a journey.

If you do hit something, the Scenic has a ‘Cocoon Airbag’ housed in the seats, which wraps around passengers in the event of an accident. It is also fitted with a heart rate sensor placed in the steering wheel which can send warning signals to the occupants of the car and can alert emergency services automatically.

The safety systems include a heart monitor and sensors which nag you about your driving style

The Scenic will help the driver see too. It features extra-large screen located where the dashboard meets the windscreen which displays the view in front of the car from an array of cameras. The system increases the driver's field of view by 24 per cent and is said to make the bonnet ‘disappear’.

The Scenic was one of the most popular family cars of the 1990s and 2000s, but sales fell as competition increased and MPVs were replaced by SUVs as the family favourites. The last Scenic went out of production earlier this year after a poor sales performance.

Scenic view - the production car is not expected to have rear-hinged doors