Renault Initiale Paris stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

It may seem like a strange idea for Renault to launch its Initiale Paris premium sub-brand at a German motor show, but it could turn out to be quite an astute move. The French brand is hoping to take on the Germans with Initiale Paris, so showcasing this rather wonderful concept in Frankfurt is a clear signal of intent.

Renault says this Initiale Paris concept previews the next generation Espace, but we can't help but see a massive dollop of Renault Avantime when we take a wander around the car. Not that this is a bad thing, the Avantime is an underrated and misunderstood gem from Renault's back-catalogue.

By Gavin Braithwaite-Smith, contributor, MSN Cars