Renault Group signed an agreement with the Slovenian government on Wednesday to build its new electric Twingo from 2026 at the Novo Mesto factory, where the previous model of the small city car was already manufactured.
“Today we are committed to the production of this vehicle,” said Prime Minister Robert Golob during a ceremony on site, welcoming the fact that Slovenia had been selected after “a merciless competition with other European sites.” According to Herbert Steiner, Renault’s industrial director for passenger vehicles, assembly will begin in 2026.
Slovenian media report an annual target of 150,000 vehicles and the possible creation of 300 additional jobs. The amount of investments and subsidies has not been disclosed.
Renault announced in November the launch of this new electric Twingo for less than 20,000 euros, excluding subsidies, in collaboration with a Chinese partner. According to a first prototype, with its round headlights and rounded rear, it takes up the lines of the Frog launched in 1993 and sold more than 4 million units since then.
Reduction of CO2 emissions by 75%
Equipped with a small battery, it promises very low consumption, 10 kWh/100 km, almost half that of most electric cars. And it expects a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions over its life cycle compared to the average for current thermal vehicles.
The announcement marks an acceleration of Renault’s vehicle design, in the style of American carmaker Tesla and Chinese groups. Its boss, Luca de Meo, said earlier this year that he wanted to halve the length of the product development process, from four to two years.
Slovenian subsidiary Revoz has been making vehicles for Renault at its Novo Mesto plant, some 70 kilometres from the capital Ljubljana, since the 1970s, including the Twingo and Clio models, and employs more than 1,400 people. The new deal helps secure the site’s future, while its output has fallen in recent years: the factory is expected to sell some 60,000 vehicles in 2023, down from a peak of 210,000 in 2018, leading to a sharp drop in profits.
Source: BFM TV
