RENAULT was first on the mini-MPV scene with the Scenic in 1996 and it launched its latest bid to lead the market with an all-new model at Geneva.

Unveiled alongside a coupe-cabriolet version of the Megane, the Scenic, which will launch in the UK later this year, will initially be offered as a five-seater, but a seven-seat version will arrive next year.

With central LCD instruments and a dashboard-mounted gear lever, the new Scenic also offers other features such as a central storage compartment which slides between front and rear seats, ESP including understeer control, tyre pressure monitoring and run-flat tyres.

Despite missing out on the top-spot in the UK sales charts for mini-MPVs for the past couple of years, the current Scenic is still number one across Europe.

Louis Schweitzer, chairman and chief executive of Renault, said: 'Scenic competitors have now come thick and fast. Now, there is hardly a major manufacturer without a compact MPV of its own – either in the showroom or on the drawing board.

'Nonetheless, we intend to increase our sector lead by developing a new Scenic generation, while our competitors are still focused on their first generation vehicles.'

Renault's Megane coupe-cabriolet was also unveiled, offering a folding glass roof. The Megane coupe-cabriolet is due to reach showrooms in the autumn.

Other models shown for the first time at Geneva included a revised version of the Kangoo van-derived car with neater front-end styling. The new Kangoo will eventually become available with satellite navigation and will also be offered with ABS.

Meanwhile the Laguna 2.0T and 2.2 dCi will be offered with five-speed automatic transmission with sequential manual shifting. An minibus version of the Trafic van, with eight seats, and the option of a 2.5dCi engine was also in display at Geneva.