While the firm has offered no details on the powertrain, it’s understood to be closely related to that used in the larger Renault 5, which sits on the Ampr Small platform.
In the 5’s base spec, which costs £22,995, it offers 118bhp from a single motor and draws electricity from a 40kWh battery pack that enables a range of 190 miles. But in the interests of cutting costs, it could be fitted with an even smaller battery. For example, the Renault-made Dacia Spring uses a 25kWh pack to give a 140-mile range. Originally, Renault claimed the Twingo would offer impressive efficiency of 6.2mpkWh.
While a sub-£17,000 electric city car is important to Renault’s growing EV ambitions, the way it has been developed is also highly significant for the French firm. From green light to showroom, the Twingo will have taken just 21 months. For context, the current Clio took 48 months.
That drastic reduction in development time is being championed by new Renault Group CEO François Provost, who took over the post vacated by Luca de Meo at the end of July. Provost has vowed to continue cutting development times as part of “an obsession with competitiveness”.
The Twingo is vital to this plan, he said, because the processes used to get it to the cusp of production will be the blueprint from now on. The firm sees this approach as essential to keep pace with an increasingly competitive market, especially with car makers from China.
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