You might think the Renault Kangoo Be Bop is a concept vehicle what with its quirky looks and trick sliding roof. You can credit the quirky styling to it being a Renault, an automaker not known for producing bland production designs. As for the rear roof panel that slides forward to create a van-vertible, that's a direct carryover from the concept on which the Kangoo Be Bop is faithfully based: the Kangoo Compact Concept that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The production Be Bop maintains the two-door van layout of the concept, and the ceiling is now composed of two tilting glazed glass panels up front, one fixed glass panel in the middle, and an opaque roof panel in the rear that lifts and forward to create an open air experience for back seat passengers. Letting even more light in are expansive side windows, so despite being tiny in dimension, the Be Bop shouldn't feel confining to its passengers. The rear seats can also be removed to increase cargo capacity, and Renault says the passengers can even enter the vehicle through the open rear gate and slide between the rear seats. Power will come from three engines: an 85-hp 1.5L dCi and 105-hp dCi, both of which are paired with a six-speed manual, and a gas-powered 105-hp 1.6L four-cylinder. It's quirky, oddly functional and definitely French, and Europeans will be able to buy a Kangoo Be Bop of their very own this Spring.