The Twingo is still an iconic car. Launched in 1992, it has spanned several eras in its 3 generations that Renault has made available over 22 years. For many, it was the adventure car, and the French brand is now relaunching this vehicle in a 100% electric version. The target seems ambitious: production of 150,000 units per year.
Renault has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Slovenian government to produce the fourth generation Twingo at the Novo Mesto plant from 2026. Most interesting of all, according to employees, is that the company's goal is to produce approximately 150,000 units of the affordable electric city car per year.
This figure is surprisingly ambitious, especially considering that the Twingo will share the spotlight with the R5 and R4, whose sales projections are equally high. According to the report, this allocation of the new model will allow the 1,400 employees at the Slovenian factory, which currently produces the Clio, to be retained.
Renault wants to produce a Twingo in less than 10 hours
Presented as a prototype last year, the new Twingo will be developed in a record 24 months. It is expected to be launched at the end of next year, with a commercial launch in early 2026. As previously mentioned, these tight deadlines will be made possible thanks to a collaboration with a Chinese partner.
Still on ambitious goals, Renault wants reduce Twingo build time to less than 10 hourswhich will be achieved through more optimized manufacturing and the use of fewer components. As a result, it is expected that the new electric Twingo will reach some markets below 20 thousand euros. Eventually, it will even achieve another equally ambitious goal: to make its compact one of the most affordable electric cars in Europe.
“We have studies that show that, from cradle to cradle, the new Twingo will have an environmental impact 75% lower than that of an average current European car. If all cars in Paris were as small and fuel-efficient as the Twingo, it would free up road space equivalent to 60 football pitches,” said Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo recently.
The new Twingo will be produced in Europe
The images that were shown of the prototype model suggest that its design will be inspired by the iconic first-generation Twingo (1993-2007), where it takes its characteristic silhouette from a multi-purpose vehicle without losing the characteristic that many pointed out as being its striking headlights. However, it will not have a three-door body like the original model, opting instead for a practical five-door configuration like the third generation.
Initially, it will be based on the AmpR Small platform of the R5 and R4, and expected to be equipped with the new LFP (lithium-ferrophosphate) batterieswhich will also be available for its siblings later in the range. The carmaker is targeting a record fuel consumption of 10 kWh/100 km, which will give it a competitive range without the need for a large battery pack.
Source: pplware.sapo.pt
