Renault Twingo

Designed under the direction of Patrick Le Quément, Renault's chief designer,[3] the car derived a concept developed through the W60 project when Gaston Juchet was Renault's chief designer. The project was aimed at replacing the Renault 4 with a minivan model.[3]

Le Quément chose a Jean-Pierre Ploué design to develop the production version. Le Quément stretched the original prototype and added an unconventional front-end layout resembling a "smile".[4] The interior equipment was mounted on a central console to free space.[5] Renault had participated in the 1981 to 1984 'Mono-Box' ECO 2000 car project, along with PSA Peugeot Citroën and the French Government.[6]

The Twingo I's electronic, centrally mounted instrument panel had a speedometer, fuel gauge, clock, odometer, and trip recorder controlled via a stalk-located button. A strip of warning lights was located behind the steering wheel. The rear seat featured a sliding mechanism to enable either increased boot space or more rear-seat legroom. The boot parcel shelf was attached to the inside of the tailgate, and lifted with the tailgate – or could clip back against the rear window when not required.

All engines were replaced with an eight-valve 1.15-litre 60 hp (45 kW) unit. A 16-valve 75 hp (56 kW) version was added in 2000.

Manufactured at the Flins Renault Factory from the time of its launch until 28 June 2007, the Twingo I was also manufactured in Taiwan, Spain, Colombia, and Uruguay from 1999 to 2002,[7] remaining in production until 8 June 2012 in Colombia, by the Sofasa conglomerate, strictly for the domestic market.

Twingo I Safety

Euro NCAP results:

• Adult occupant: , score 23
• Pedestrian: , score 11

In April 1993, the Twingo launched with only one trim level, and four exterior colors: coral red, Indian yellow, coriander green, and ultramarine blue. The car retailed at a price of 55,000FF (approximately €8,400). In June 1994, new exterior colors were introduced along with minor interior changes, as well as optional electric windows and mirrors, and locks with remote keyless entry. Four months later, the Twingo Easy model was launched, with an automated manual gearbox.

In September 1995, the first of many special Twingo editions launched, while inbuilt airbags become optional. In July 1996, a new 1149 cc engine (from the Clio) was fitted to replace the previous engine from the Renault 5. Alongside the new engine came the Twingo Matic model, equipped with a three-speed automatic gearbox. Also, various improvements were made, including the addition of a third brake light.

Two years later, the Twingo underwent its first major restyling of the interior and dashboard. The front and rear lights were revised, and front orange indicator lights were merged into the headlamp housings. The front of the car is reinforced for added safety in a frontal impact.[8] Two months later, the top-of-the-range Twingo Initiale model launched.

In September 2000, the Twingo underwent its second major restyling. Additions included larger 14 in (360 mm) wheels, revised door trims with larger door pockets, a black trunk opener lever (instead of shiny metal), and cup holders in front of the gearstick.

December 2000, a new 1.2-litre 16v engine launched, with 75 hp (56 kW). In April 2001, a new automated manual gearbox launched, called Quickshift. Additional revisions followed in September 2002, including new interior trims and wheel covers.

In Japan, Renault was formerly licensed by Yanase Co., Ltd., but in 1999, Renault purchased a stake in Japanese automaker Nissan after Nissan had faced financial troubles following the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble in 1991 and subsequent lost decade. As a result of Renault's purchase of interest, Yanase cancelled its licensing contract with Renault in the spring of 2000, and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd took over as the sole licensee, hence sales of the Twingo I in Japan were transferred from Yanase Store locations to Nissan Red Stage Store locations. Despite Japan being a right-hand drive market, the first generation was sold exclusively as left-hand drive, with the only change being the headlights.[9]

September 2004 marked the third major Twingo revision. The Renault logo was fitted to the boot lid, side rubbing strips were added, and a new range of exterior colours launched. On 28 June 2007, Twingo I production ended in France, being replaced by the Twingo II. By 30 June 2007, 2,478,648 units from the Twingo I were produced. The Renault Twingo I production went on into Colombia until 8 June 2012. In total, 2.6 million units of the first-generation Twingo were produced.

• 
  1993–1998 Twingo, front
• 
  1993–1998 Twingo, rear
• 
  1993–1998 Twingo, interior
• 
  1998–2000 Twingo, front
• 
  1998–2000 Twingo, rear
• 
  2000–2004 Twingo, front
• 
  2000–2004 Twingo, rear
• 
  2004–2012 Twingo, front (non-standard wheels)
• 
  2004–2012 Twingo, rear (non-standard wheels)

The first generation Twingo knew an important number of limited editions, including co-brandings with premium brands such as Perrier, Benetton, L'Oréal, Kenzo, Elite and artistic references including Metropolis, Grease and Tintin.[10][11][12][13]

The Renault Twingo Lecoq was a special edition produced in less than 50 units. It was an independent initiative of Carrosserie Lecoq.[14]

A French company, Lormauto, presented at the 2022 Paris Motor Show a kit to transform the Renault Twingo 1 into a fully electric car.[15]

In March 2010, Renault and Daimler, as part of their existing partnership, announced "Project Edison", a collaboration aimed at conceiving a shared platform for small city cars to be used by both companies.[41][42] The Edison platform was designed from the start for mounting either an internal combustion engine or an electric motor as the main power source.[43]

The first cars using the platform were the third-generation Twingo and the second-generation Smart Forfour. Renault and Daimler AG invested equally during the research and development phase, with Renault subsequently specializing in the engines and Daimler in transmissions.[44]

Both companies tried to ensure a distinctive design. Renault designers took inspiration from the Renault 5[30] and the first generation Twingo.[45] This can be seen by the "smile" at the front which was a design feature of the Twingo I. The engine was moved to the rear to allow them to expand the passenger cabin forwards, and allowed the car to have a 45° steering angle which means it was capable of making tight turns in a city environment. The car was originally launched with four colour options, as with the original Twingo.[46]

In January 2019, an updated Twingo was introduced with a new front fascia, cosmetic changes inside and out, and a new base 1.0 L engine;[47] at the same time, declining sales in the UK (just 877 were sold in 2018) led Renault UK to discontinue marketing the right-hand drive model in 2022.[48]

Renault Twingo GT Energy TCe 110, a sportier version

The Twingo III is about 10 mm shorter than the Twingo II.[49] The rear-engine layout improves the manoeuvrability and the cabin space, but reduced the boot capacity.[40] The suspension is composed by MacPherson struts on the front axle and a De Dion tube on the rear.[40] The car uses a five-door architecture, which differs it from its three-door predecessors.

Brakes are ventilated disks on the front and drums on the rear, except in the base model (SCe 70), which uses drum brakes all round.[49] The bonnet features a special opening mechanism and allows only partial opening to give access to the windscreen washer fluid, brake fluid and coolant reservoirs, and to the battery.[50]

The car originally offered four trim levels: Expression, Play, Dynamique, and Dynamique S, with various customization packs. One option connects a smartphone with an instrument panel cradle (R&Go) and has an infotainment system (R-Link).[40] Other levels such as the "Energy" trim have since been added. The GT model arrived in November 2016.

As standard, the car incorporates tyre pressure sensors, seatbelt reminders, four airbags, and four head and chest side airbags.[49] It achieved a four star Euro NCAP test rating in 2014.

Euro NCAP test results
Renault Twingo (2014)[51]

Test	Points	%
Overall:
Adult occupant:	30	78%
Child occupant:	40	81%
Pedestrian:	25	68%
Safety assist:	7	56%

The car originally came with a three-cylinder petrol engine, either a 0.9-litre turbocharged unit or a 1-litre atmospheric. Both are fitted low and in a 49° angle to increase boot's capacity.[49][52][53] In November 2016 a more powerful version of the petrol engine, the TCe 110, arrived for the sporting Twingo GT model.

In February 2014, Renault organised a "strip tweet" online event to promote the Twingo III. The manufacturer commissioned to Publicis the conception of the car's European advertising. Publicis hired French artists duo Kuntzel+Deygas for the design of the visual campaign[54] with the theme "Go Anywhere, Go Everywhere."[55]

In 2015, Renault released a short music video, "All new Twingo : Show me a car !", in which a twee styled woman is searching a nifty car. It ends with a reference to "Papa & Nicole" adverts for the Renault Clio : "Papa! – Nicole? – Your seatbelt!". The brief video got a viral success in the United Kingdom, with approximately 300,000 views in four weeks. A Pop Up Store was opened at the Crémerie de Paris.[56]

Bēhance produced Life Designed software as part of Twingo launch.[57]

In the United Kingdom, the new Twingo won the "City Car of the Year" 2014, TopGear Magazine Awards, "City Car of the Year" in the UK Car of the Year Awards and "Best City Car" in the Daily Express 2014 Motoring Oscars, "Best City Car" at the 2015 British GQ Car Awards.

Paul Horrell of Top Gear gave the car a score of seven out of 10, calling it: "a genuinely different approach to design and engineering that has brought real dividends, not just in being different for its own sake. Most important, it's much more fun than a base model supermini for the same cash."[58] Auto Express and its sister publication CarBuyer scored it four out of five stars, praising its manoeuvrability, design, and rear passenger space but criticizing its wind noise and high price compared to its rivals.[59][60] What Car? gave the car three out of five stars, saying: "The Renault Twingo mixes cheeky retro styling with genuine practicality. It’s neither as refined nor as comfortable as the best city cars, though."[61]

The third-generation Twingo was previewed through two concepts, the Twin'Z and the Twin'Run.[46]

Renault Twin'Z
Overview
Manufacturer	Renault
Production	2013 (Concept car)
Body and chassis
Class	City car (A)
Body style	5-door hatchback
Layout	Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine	Electric motor
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,490 mm (98.0 in)
Length	3,590 mm (141.3 in)
Width	1,640 mm (64.6 in)
Height	1,550 mm (61.0 in)

The Twin'Z is a city car concept unveiled in April 2013. Its styling was created in partnership with British designer Ross Lovegrove. According to Renault's chief designer Laurens van den Acker, the purpose of its introduction was to "break down the boundaries between the world of an object whose calling is to be in movement, the automobile, and that of furniture." The concept has a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and is powered by an electric motor with a 49 kW (67 PS) power output and torque of 226 N⋅m (167 lb⋅ft). It has no B-pillar or dashboard and its doors open in conventional doors up front and suicide doors in the rear.[62]

The Twin'Run concept

The Twin'Run is a rear wheel drive hot hatch concept developed by Renault with assistance of Tork Engineering and Poclain Véhicules, unveiled in May 2013. It is powered by a mid-mounted V6 engine with 320 hp (235 kW), coupled to a twin clutch six speed sequential gearbox and limited slip differential. It has double-wishbone independent suspension on both axles. The chassis is a tubular steel frame inspired by the Mégane Trophy and Renault 5 Turbo Maxi from WRC.[63][64]

Twingo Z.E. (Vibes limited edition)

front

rear

After plans to roll out new electric vehicles, including an electric Twingo, were confirmed in September 2019,[65] Renault announced the Twingo Electric, marketed as the Twingo Z.E. (Zero Emissions) and in France as the Twingo E-Tech Électrique,[66] the first-ever electric version of its city car, in February 2020 at the Geneva Motor Show.[67][68] It is the second electric car from Renault, following the Zoe.[69] The Twingo Z.E. drive train is based on that of the Smart EQ Forfour, with a larger battery.[70] Renault CEO Luca de Meo confirmed in 2021 the entire Twingo range would be discontinued after the third generation, driven in part by the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions standards which will be implemented in 2025.[71] It is expected the A-segment Twingo will be replaced by the larger B-segment Renault 5 EV.[72]

The starting price, announced the following September, was €21350.[73] It was not marketed in the United Kingdom, following Renault's withdrawal of the Twingo range from the UK market after the car model's facelift in 2019.[68] A limited edition "Vibes" model, based on the regular "Intens" trim, was announced in July 2020; the special Valencia Orange color was only available for the Vibes limited edition, but the Vibes could also be specified for any regular production color, and was later made available for the conventional petrol-engines Twingo.[74] Trim levels in 2022 included the Life (€21550), Zen (€24350), Intens (€25550), and Urban Night (€26650).[75] Although the suggested retail price was high compared to a petrol-powered Twingo, the French government electric car subsidy of up to €7000 or 27% of the price made the cost of the electric version comparable.[69]

The car has a rated driving range of 180 or 250 km (110 or 160 mi) on the WLTP driving cycle (Full or City, respectively). The on-board charger, branded Caméléon, can accept AC electric supply at up to 22 kW;[67] the lithium-ion battery, with 22 kW-hr capacity, incorporates lessons learned from the Renault Zoe.[43] The battery itself weighs 165 kg (364 lb) and is positioned beneath the front seats.[69][76] The vehicle is limited to AC charging sources only, as the vehicle supply interface port does not accept a DC fast charge plug.[76] The rear-mounted R80 traction motor has an output of 60 kW (80 hp) and 160 N⋅m (118 lb⋅ft), and the car has a kerb weight of 1,112 kg (2,452 lb).[68] The top speed is 135 km/h (84 mph), and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 12.6 seconds.[77] The default driving mode "D" emulates the behaviour of a petrol-powered car with moderate "engine braking" when the driver's foot is lifted from the throttle; a more aggressive and adjustable "B" regeneration mode is selectable, but does not allow one-pedal driving at the highest regeneration level.[76]

The base trim ("Life") was criticized for lacking expected basic features like a radio and air conditioning; however, the lack of vibrations and abundant low-end torque from the electric traction motor were appreciated for city traffic.[69] The Twingo Electric was marketed against other low-cost city cars, such as the base model of the Fiat New 500,[76] as well as Volkswagen E-up! and the VW's rebadged versions, the SEAT Mii electric and Škoda Citigo-e iV; internally, the Twingo also competed with the Dacia Spring;[69] compared to the VW and Dacia, the Twingo Electric offered a smaller driving range.[76]