Launched in 1992, Renault Twingo radically transformed the A segment with its bold new vision of the city car. Today, Renault wants to reinvent the electric A segment, with a bold ‘reinvention’ of its former success story.
“Contrary to popular belief, the current size of the A segment is not a reflection of low demand: motorists across Europe are still looking for compact, affordable vehicles, designed for urban living or for use as a second car,” Renault states.
“The problem lies in the size of the offering. Faced with the difficulty of reconciling competitive edge, compliance with standards, and modern customer expectations, most manufacturers have simply pulled out of this segment.”
Building on its history and expertise in small cars, Renault decided to take up this challenge and to view it as a significant growth opportunity. As a result, it wants the new-generation Twingo to be a true game-changer again.
A real challenge
“Built for silent driving with zero tailpipe emissions and cutting-edge technology, Twingo E-Tech electric ships with driving aids usually found further up the market, as well as with the OpenR Link multimedia system with Google built-in, a first in this segment,” the official press release proudly announces.
“The aim is to make electric cars easier to drive and encourage more people to make the switch. The ideally sized LFP battery (up to 263 km WLTP range) is combined with a lively, lightweight 60 kW electric motor. The Twingo E-Tech electric is perfect for driving in and around cities, where the One-Pedal function makes light work of day-to-day traffic jams. Finally, competitive pricing remains a priority: Twingo E-Tech electric will launch at under €20 000. Even the top-spec versions will sell for an attractive price,” Renault promises.
“To meet the challenge of offering a small electric car under €20,000 without compromising on European production, our decarbonization path, or customer value, we went back to the ‘Twingo spirit’, the spirit that put everyday life, playfulness, and ingenuity at the heart of design,” says Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of the Renault Brand.
“Today, its new 100% electric generation stays true to what matters most for Renault: understanding the real needs of European drivers, their habits, their expectations for accessibility, emotion, and responsibility. Personally, what I love about the Twingo E-Tech electric is that it manages to be both a tribute to its origins and a leap into the future,” he adds.
From 1992, Twingo established itself as an iconic city car. It was a huge success, selling over 4.1 million units in 25 countries and making its mark on several generations with its innovative one-box design, generous, modular interior space, and cheerful character.
Now, Twingo E-Tech electric is beginning a new chapter as a modern reboot, trying to take the fundamentals of the first generation and adapting them to today’s needs. Aiming to consolidate Renault’s lead in e-mobility in the city car segment, it tries to combine innovation, driving pleasure, and environmental responsibility.
Three important goals
The Twingo E-Tech electric was designed to meet three primary objectives. Making e-mobility affordable and more sustainable: with an entry-level price of less than €20,000 (excluding subsidies), Twingo E-Tech electric is an affordable and more sustainable solution for European households.
Secondly, cutting vehicle development times to 2 years, a first in Renault’s history. This achievement was part of a pilot project that provided input for future projects within the company.
Third, maintaining a competitive production base in Europe: the Twingo E-Tech electric, assembled in Novo Mesto (Slovenia), benefits from an optimised industrial organisation and a local supply chain.
Cheerful
Twingo’s impish and appealing character was symbolised by its playful, curvy, expressive lines, cheerful face, and mischievous look. All these features, Renault has tried to carry them over in Twingo E-Tech electric, a car designed to resemble a bubble of energy, with an interior that also reflects the cheerful vibe of this car.
The one-box body, with its playful, expressive look, is still present but with a more contemporary feel, cleaner lines, and advanced design features. It’s easy to recognise nods to the original Twingo’s design, such as the shape of the headlamps and grille, the air vents above the bonnet, and the hazard warning light button.
To anchor the Twingo E-Tech electric in its time, the designers also played with the vehicle’s proportions. While its length is compact at 3.79 m, the wheelbase has been extended to 2.49 m. This allowed the wheels, now enlarged to 640 mm in diameter and suitable for tyres up to 18 inches, to be pushed out to the four corners of the body. All this to give the car a bigger personality and stronger presence on the street.
In a direct nod to the first-generation Twingo, the grille forms a subtle smile while displaying the car’s name at the corner. In profile, the eye is drawn to the two rear doors, unlike its predecessor. The rear end of the Twingo E-Tech electric is being reinvented with a more modern look that remains recognisable, featuring gentle, playful lines and a signature badge that revisits the iconic “Twingo alphabet” in contemporary style.
Practical
The new Twingo wants to offer the interior space of a B-segment vehicle. Passengers gain knee-room up to 160 mm, and the boot grows to 360 liters. The secret to this generous interior space is not hard to find: the sliding rear seats. Inherited from the first-generation Twingo, this function has been optimised to make it even more helpful.
To optimize modularity, the backrests of the two rear seats can be folded individually simply by pulling a tab on the outside of the seat. In this configuration, load capacity exceeds 1,000 litres. Moreover, users can also fold the backrest of the front passenger seat. This configuration significantly increases the load length to 2 metres. In the boot, there’s also a 50-liter underfloor storage space, ideal for storing the charging cables.
AmpR Small platform
The Twingo E-Tech electric is based on the AmpR Small platform. It has been adapted for urban use and also to optimise costs. The front axle is identical to that of the Renault 5 and Renault 4 E-Tech electric, while the multi-link rear axle is replaced by a flexible axle based on the Captur setup.
The car is powered by a compact, lightweight 60 kW (82 hp) electric motor. A lightweight electric city car (1,200 kg in the Evolution version) does not require anything bigger or more powerful: it accelerates from 0-50 km/h in just under 3.9 seconds.
The usable battery capacity is 27.5 kWh, providing a range of up to 263 km under the WLTP standard. This 27.5 kWh battery uses LFP (lithium iron phosphate) technology. LFP offers an ideal cost/range ratio for a city car. Cell-to-pack technology enabled optimising energy density relative to battery size and weight, avoiding efficiency compromises and reducing battery costs by 20%.
All versions of Twingo E-Tech electric ship with a 6.6 kW AC charger as standard. Accompanied by a 5-metre Mode 3 cable, ideal for wallbox outlets, it charges the battery from 10% to 100% in 4 hours and 15 minutes.
People who plan to take their Twingo E-Tech electric outside urban areas, over distances longer than simple everyday commutes, can acquire an optional ‘Advanced Charge’ pack, available with all versions. This increases AC charging power to 11 kW and also includes a 50 kW DC charger. At a DC fast-charging station, the battery charges from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes. The 11 kW bidirectional charger includes V2L (vehicle-to-load) and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) functions.
Connected and safe
All versions of Twingo E-Tech electric are equipped with a connected multimedia system and are compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wired or wireless. The OpenR Link system with Google built in makes its debut on an A-segment vehicle with the top-spec Techno finish.
With 24 driver assistance systems (ADAS) available, the Twingo E-Tech electric also features technologies from segments further up the market, primarily intended for urban use. They are available as part of the optional ‘Parking & Safety’ pack.
Considerable efforts were made to meet the highest standards in passive safety, from structural resistance in the event of an impact to the platform floor’s structural cross-members, which are specially designed to protect the battery.
Twingo E-Tech Electric ships with six airbags as standard on all versions. The two front airbags are adaptive to limit injury. The position sensors on the driver and passenger seat rails adapt the force of airbag deployment to reflect the morphology of the occupants.
Two versions
As standard, the new Twingo E-Tech Electric comes as ‘Evolution’, with 16-inch wheel covers, 7” driver screen, 10” central screen with smartphone replication and a connected multimedia system, cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, advanced driver monitoring system, automatic parking brake, individually sliding rear seats, height-adjustable driver seat, manual climate control, rear parking sensors, and mode 3 charging cable.
The ‘Techno’ version features two-tone 16-inch wheel covers, an OpenR Link multimedia system with Google built-in, the Reno avatar known from other Renaults, adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go function, automatic climate control, one pedal driving, tinted lateral rear windows, power folding door mirrors, folding front passenger seat, hands-free card, digital rear view camera, automatic high beam, automatic windscreen wipers, and six speakers.
