When the Renault Twingo arrived on the scene it was one of many city cars; today that sector of the market in Europe accounts for a mere five percent of sales. The original Twingo was widely welcomed, it had character and was a fun car to have, now comes news of a new model, of course no surprise it is an EV.
The new Twingo E-Tech still retains that fun element and important for many it promises to be affordable and it is the first vehicle from Renault in the Leap 100 programme, designed and built in a mere one hundred days. The newcomer offers a respectable range of just over 258km (160 miles); which would suggest that it will be primarily a car for the city. No surprise to learn that it is built with cutting edge technology and it has a 60kW motor and One Pedal driving.
Renault clearly sees the new Twingo as a growth opportunity and while I may not live in the city; I can clearly see the advantage of such a car, easy to park, a car in the A segment of the market which is thoroughly modern and one that must surely appeal to the younger driver. With the new model Renault has managed to bring to it the spirit of the first Twingo, its design follows on and a major plus it is roomy with five doors and it features two independent sliding rear seats. Okay this will not be the vehicle to take on a family holiday; but for many it will be a vehicle to suit their everyday needs. Worth noting that throughout the European market relating to EVs customers, they want more in terms of equipment and above all a much desired attractive pricing and thanks to a rethink in design and production methods Renault has been able to bring the Twingo E-Tech to market with a price tag that will suit a considerable large number of buyers.
I tend to think that with this new model they may just re-awaken the city car. From the start all at Renault, designers and engineers set out to bring a vehicle to market, one for urban use mainly with a small foot print. Their aim was to bring a car with a carbon footprint some sixty percent smaller than and ICE city car of similar size. The exterior design of the new Twingo E-Tech is certainly attractive and moving to the interior, you are greeted by the cylindrical dashboard which appears to be suspended in space, this delivers a feeling of openness and there is a dual horizontal OpenR screen and all versions feature a seven inch digital instrument panel facing the driver, which I like, and there is a ten inch central multimedia screen. Re charging, being a city car it is more than likely that it will be charged at home overnight or at work. Neither requires excessive charging power, particularly in view of battery capacity and for this reason all versions have as standard a 6.6 kW AC charger accompanied by a five metre Mode 3 cable which is ideal for wall box outlets, it can charge from ten percent to one hundred percent in just over four hours.
The new Twingo E-Tech is an eagerly awaited newcomer and a welcome awaits in cities such as Dublin and Belfast.
Ian Lynas