It was the long-awaited surprise of this “Capital Market Day” from Ampere, Renault’s new subsidiary dedicated to electricity and technology. Luca de Meo, the head of the French group, has presented one of the future models in its range, the replacement for the current Twingo.
Tribute to the first “legendary” Twingo
This prototype clearly pays tribute to the first Twingo, which this year celebrated its 30th anniversary. During the presentation this Wednesday, the head of Renault, Luca de Meo, insisted on this point: “highlight legendary names” of the rhombus brand, such as the R5 and the 4L, with a retro-futuristic design.
We recognize the first Twingo at first sight, especially by its light signature, given by its frog head, and its three gills on the hood, but with a futuristic side, in particular aerodynamic wheels, which indicate its 100% electric orientation.
Low energy consumption
In the morning, Renault had mentioned a small city car, under the code name “Legend”. A nickname that lasted only a few hours, with Luca de Meo confirming in an interview with BFM Business that it would indeed be the future Twingo.
“It is the new Twingo, we are reinventing a new icon of the brand. We did that with the 5, the 4, now we are remaking the Twingo because the electric and all the connectivity technology gives us the possibility of making the perfect urban vehicle” , the Renault boss explained to our microphone.
Renault wants to market it for less than 20,000 euros, without counting state aid, and from 100 euros per month on leasing. It will probably be produced at the Novo Mesto factory in Slovenia, where the third and current generation of the Twingo is assembled, whose discontinuation is scheduled for the coming months.
The brand does not mention autonomy, but it does mention very limited consumption, below 10 kWh per 100 kilometers. Enough to carry a low capacity battery while guaranteeing sufficient autonomy on a single charge.
A response to the Citroën C3, but not before 2025
Renault thus responds to the Citroën C3, which will be launched at the beginning of 2024 from 25,000 euros. But the Chevron brand has already announced a version with a smaller battery, even more affordable, below 20,000 euros, starting in 2025.
A date that we can also consider for the future Twingo. Renault presented the R5 concept in 2021 and the production version is expected in the summer of 2024. Thus, the Twingo would be launched the same year as the 4L, or the following year, in 2026.
Source: BFM TV
