French carmaker Renault said it would start selling its new Modus and Grand Modus models on Dec.ember 21 in Italy and in the rest of western Europe early next year as it battles to revive the so far disappointing model.
Modus, a mini car first launched in September 2004, failed to meet sales expectations and just 395,000 were sold by the end of October, but Renault has invested 110 million euros ($162 million) in its Valladolid plant in Spain to build the two new types.
The Modus cars are a key part of Renault’s plan to boost the number of vehicle types and increase sales and market share. The new models, the restyled Modus and newly created Grand Modus, were presented at the Bologna auto show today.
New Modus is slightly longer than the original and has a more expressive design with chrome on the grille and between the rear lights. The cars would compete with the Mini and Mini Clubman of BMW AG, the Ford Fiesta and Opel/Vauxhall Corsa in the so-called B-segment that makes up 27 percent of all European sales.