[shankar.balan]

not bad at all. my speculations on 11th August seem to be proven now. It is the Modus after all!
Im only hassled that we have to wait atleast till July/Aug 2012 for the Duster. I dont think my patience will hold out that long with my Scorpio.And anyway no news about the specifications or variants that they will be launching.

The MODUS however will hopefully shake up the small car segment once again - small car buyers here have never had it so good!

[Bottom Torque]

Interior photos of the Renault Modus, but couldn't find the rear seats photo though :(

[Bottom Torque]

Got these interior pics in the e-brochure of Modus sold in UK. Notice that the front passenger seat has a provision wherein you can keep a bag and it will not fall down even if apply the brakes suddenly. I don't know how our people will react if this features comes to India-bound Modus

[scopriobharath]

wow !! Excellent scoop pics. The model looks somewhat like the Brio from behind, with a little beetle ish looks. If the pricing is right it would click. So far Renault has not been able to make an impact using thier logan in the private owner segment. Once Renault does thier brand building, this car should click.

[designersf]

That is one hell of a scoop! Finally, the mystery vehicle has been unveiled.

4034mm length will make it one massive hatchback. 34mm should not be a big issue. They can chop down the bumpers

but wiki says length is 3790mm [Edit, this is the normal Modus, Grand Modus is 4034mm]
Renault Modus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Modus' rear seats are mounted on sliding rails with four preset positions. When in the rearmost two positions the seats are configured for two people with increased leg, hip and shoulder room. When in the forward positions they are configured for three people, increasing cargo capacity. This is being referred to in Renault marketing as the "Triptic system". Another seat-based feature of Modus is the "Stay Put" system. The base of the front passenger seat flips up to reveal a compartment in which a handbag or other item can be held.

[swiftnfurious]

Great catch ! The car looks spacious enough as well ! Hope they price it well enough. At least the "assumed" low sales figures of Koleos should bring them back to senses & they better understand they will be getting into the most crowded segment with this car which Maruti has been ruling for years. And launching this car without enough dealerships or A$$ will be the dumbest thing for Renault to do !

[darthcoder]

After seeing and scanning the images on the web, the Chennai mule seems to be the Grand Modus as confirmed in the above posts! I really hope that they have shortened the length to less than 4 Meters to avoid the extra taxes etc.

Just to confirm, the back seems to be the same as that of the Grand Modus .

Test Mule Rear:



Grand Modus Rear:



I am Happy

[ampere]

I still don't understand the strategy. Again if this comes before Duster,
then very much like Koleos, they are entering an already crowded segment.
This one even more so! Who would buy a hatch, if there is no service to back it up?

Looks like Renault is playing "just-in-time" paradigm. They have also announced, service network expansion.
So that it would be in reasonable size and shape, till they roll out the product.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by JRAJE

Could this be the Hyundai H800 or Nissan one planned below Micra? Thanks

Brilliant catch JRAJE. It's because of collective efforts of people like you that Team-BHP is what it is today. Nothing automotive escapes the eyes of BHPians now a days, isn't it?

Personally, I feel that the Modus looks good from the front, but I am not impressed with its profile and rear. Like most Renaults (especially the Megane), the Modus looks bottom-heavy from the rear. But, this shape and the large greenhouse area should give the Modus very spacious interiors. I guess the Modus would share the engines that are currently powering the Nissan Micra. The Modus dCi, if launched, is a potential Ritz-beater.

Though all things seems rosy for the Modus, there are two major stumbling blocks for its success. One is Renault's lack of service outlets currently and the other is Renault's absurd pricing strategy (going by the shock pricing of Koleos and Fluence). Will the Modus be able to break these barriers for Renault?

[kaush666]

I doubt whether the Modus will be priced right. Ford has been making the same mistake time and time again, especially more so with the launch of the new Fiesta and the case is the same for Renault as well. They should have learned when they launched the Fluence and still they continue pricing their products badly with the Koleos well. IF priced well, this could prove to be a success. But till the launch everything is based on speculations. Fingers crossed

Cheers,
Kaushik

[Bottom Torque]

IMHO, Renault aims to make Chennai as its export hub and the launch of cars such as the Modus and Duster is not directly aimed at local market.

Look at the way they choose cars. All of them are based on shared platforms or low cost platforms and which have high demand in markets such as Europe.

Renault's partner, Nissan too, is keen on making cars here and export it in large numbers to European countries.

Hyundai must have been their inspiration, however with one difference, Hyundai has managed to expand its dealerships and service network through its years (though the market was had less car makers during their expansion time than now).

Summing up, essentially not all car makers are looking for volumes or in expanding market share in India. Renault-Nissan want to mostly capitalize on the lower production cost (without compromising quality) by using cheaper Indian labors, accessible infrastructure and very flexible state government policies (Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are examples). - is it just me or anyone else also got this opinion?

[C300]

Excellent scoop! Modus mini MPV looks promising. Some interesting details from Renault UK website:

"Upfront, no-nonsense mini-MPVs with a high driving position and loads of headroom. A back seat that slides forwards for a bigger boot, and backwards to accommodate long legs."

I dont think any other car offers a sliding back seat (Jazz has smart seat but does it slide backwards?). A great feature and can be differentiator in this crowded marketplace.

I think we have a great practical mini MPV from Renault here! The pricing will be in Jazz territory and not Ritz IMO. Anything above that is a bit ambitious with the current a.s.s.

[Mr.Beat]

Superb scoop there, another car in the already competetive market. Where will they position it?

One thing that struck me was that the side profile kind of looks like the Ritz, esp the rear windows. Looks like a better backlift version of the Ritz. If you compare the pics of the two cars, the door look exactly similar

[VeeTee]

A colleague of mine took these pictures of the Modus while parked in Maraimalainagar. The moment they say him taking the pictures they drove away.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by Bottom Torque

Got these interior pics in the e-brochure of Modus sold in UK. Notice that the front passenger seat has a provision wherein you can keep a bag and it will not fall down even if apply the brakes suddenly. I don't know how our people will react if this features comes to India-bound Modus

See the rear leg room. Superb's dethroned. I hope it will be more roomier than Jazz.

Originally Posted by C300

"Upfront, no-nonsense mini-MPVs with a high driving position and loads of headroom. A back seat that slides forwards for a bigger boot, and backwards to accommodate long legs."

I dont think any other car offers a sliding back seat (Jazz has smart seat but does it slide backwards?). A great feature and can be differentiator in this crowded marketplace.

I think we have a great practical mini MPV from Renault here! The pricing will be in Jazz territory and not Ritz IMO. Anything above that is a bit ambitious with the current a.s.s.

100% agreeing, C300. Sliding seat will give some sleepless nights to competition.

Cheers!

Vinu