Renault wants Europeans to forget about Tesla and Stellantis. The brand-new Twingo comes with an all-electric drivetrain, a price that will make it instantly attractive to city dwellers, good efficiency, and a redesign that makes the Miata look unfriendly. But don't get too excited. It's just a concept – for now.
The all-new Renault Twingo was officially introduced at the French brand's Ampere event, where the company's CEO announced a renewed strategy for the electric era where it will work with Qualcomm and Google. The little rascal showcases brand-new styling and sports a battery instead of a small gas-powered engine.
The good news is that it consumes approximately 10 kWh per 100 km (62 mi) or 10 km (6.2 mi) per kWh, according to Renault's internal measurements. That is incredibly good efficiency for a vehicle that'll spend most of its time within city limits or the suburbs. Sadly, the battery size has not been confirmed.
The reborn unit will have a price of under €20,000 ($21,711) with the value-added tax included and before incentives. Renault says it will occupy 20% less space than the average European car. Large vehicles have become a problem over the pond, so that's a win for those looking to contribute to urban areas becoming less cluttered.
The French automaker also promises that the Twingo will emit nearly 80% less carbon dioxide over its lifecycle than the average internal combustion engine-powered car currently on European roads.
Renault sells an affordable EV through its Dacia brand. It's called the Spring and is more of a quadricycle than a car. However, that little four-door EV is a rebadged made-in-China Dongfeng. Renault says the new Twingo will be made in Europe.
Renault CEO Luca de Meo says the all-electric Twingo will be a game-changer and have its production version ready by the end of 2025. He also underlined that it's following in the footsteps of Chinese automakers who are not wasting any valuable time in bringing new cars to market. As such, the EV will likely come to market as a 2026 model-year urban car.
Photo: Renault
The executive also announced that some of its OEM partners might help with the costs of manufacturing the Twingo, which might hint that Mitsubishi and Nissan might use that platform to launch some small EVs of their own. The latter already showed us the Concept 20-23. It's not that far off from the Twingo, apart from having two doors instead of four.
The first Renault Twingo reached European markets in 1993. The first generation underwent three major revisions and remained on the market until 2007. The unit was renewed in 2007, and a third generation followed in 2014.
Four years ago, the model went through a mid-cycle refresh. Since then, rumors claimed that the Twingo would be sacked because people like crossovers too much. Now we know that's not going to happen. Renault 5 won't replace the Twingo.
That is not the first all-electric Twingo. Renault presented the Z.E. or the E-Tech Electrique version in 2020. Some units were sold in a couple of European markets, but it didn't have the same success as the more affordable Dacia Spring.
Lastly, Renault's CEO pointed out that the carmaker has a strong and wide network of dealerships that cannot be replaced "by a fancy website." Still, he admitted that prospective customers will be able to order their favorite all-electric Renault online.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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