We’ve already had the reinvention of the Renault 5, a reborn Renault 4 is on the way, a reboot of the Renault 4 van is being evaluated and now Renault has confirmed that another retro revival is on its way to the UK in the shape of the new Renault Twingo.
The original Twingo was designed an affordable city car and launched in 1992, the name being a combination of dance styles twist, swing and tango. It wasn’t until the second generation arrived in 2007 that the Twingo came to the UK, but by then it had lost some its charm and had grown in size. The third generation was something different again, being rear-engined and rear-wheel drive, sharing its platform and layout with the Smart ForTwo and ForFour.
The new Twingo was previewed by the Twingo E-Tech electric prototype show car shown at last year’s Paris Motor Show with the production car expected to look very similar.
As with the latest Renault 5 and Renault 4 models, the new Twingo’s design harks back to the original, with round shapes and lines including a new LED take on the first Twingo’s semi-circular headlights. The rear lights follow a similar theme, with the new Twingo getting an update to the original’s iconic upright rear window.
However, with the market moving away from small three-door cars, the new Twingo will be a five door, although the design of the rear doors makes them difficult to spot in the side profile. What you can see is another nod to the original with a circular recess for the front door handles, while the three plastic strakes on the bonnet pay homage to the air intakes on the old car.
The inside is similarly retro with the dash in a cylindrical shape with a digital driver display embedded in it and an infotainment touchscreen sitting prouder.
Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive has been in the UK visiting dealers and talking about the new Twingo at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit.
"I'm pleased to confirm Renault Twingo will launch in the UK,” said Cambolive. “I put all my attention on the challenge to launch Twingo in right-hand drive, because I believe a car under €20,000 (£16.800) equivalent has huge potential in the UK as well as Europe, both for opening up the segment because of its design, technology and dynamics as with R5 and R4, but also because it brings a new level of versatility for the class that I believe customers will respond to. Accessibility to EVs is critical for the future, and Twingo offers something new for Renault, and for all car buyers."
Renault is expected to make use of its AMPR Small platform for the new Twingo, as it has for the new 5 and 4 models – and alliance partner Nissan will for the new Micra. That could mean batteries of 40 & 52kWh with ranges of between 200 and 250 miles.
Cambolive didn’t mention when the new Twingo would go on sale, but we’d hope right-hand drive production would follow left-hand drive production pretty quickly sometime in 2026.
