The development of Modus was a natural progression for Renault, the company having already reshaped the European car market with the Scénic and Espace MPVs. Design and engineering experience developed in the course of those projects helped ensure that it could work its magic once again, creating a small car that is big on interior space, flexibility, comfort and character.
The wraps came off the Modus concept at the 2004 Geneva motor show, with the production version – which differed only in small details – presented within six months at the Madrid motor show. 
Modus was the first Renault to be developed on the Renault-Nissan Alliance B platform, an important element in delivering strong dynamics, roadholding and ride comfort, as well as ensuring a robust construction to meet the highest safety standards. Clio III subsequently used the same underpinnings.
The “small car with a big heart” went on sale in the UK in autumn of 2004, its arrival accompanied by outstanding results in Euro NCAP crash testing. Modus made history as the first small car to achieve the top five-star rating for adult passenger protection, maintaining a record of excellence set by six previous Renault models. It also set a new benchmark in child passenger protection, gaining four stars, an accolade then unprecedented in its class.
Since launch, Modus has continued to evolve, most notably with the introduction of more efficient and flexible petrol and diesel engines. The arrival of Euro 4-compliant dCi units yielded improved fuel economy and low emissions, while Modus was among the first to benefit from Renault’s technically sophisticated 1.2 TCE (Turbo Control Efficiency) 100 petrol engine. Launched in 2007, it is a paragon of advanced engine technology, delivering the performance of larger capacity units, while maintaining competitively low fuel consumption and emissions.
2008 saw Modus enter another phase with the introduction of Grand Modus, a vehicle that retains all the warm and lively character of the original but with a greater length to provide even more load space on board, alongside New Modus, a revised and even more user-friendly interpretation of the original.