RENAULT has released the first pictures of its new Twingo city car.
The latest car represents a radical break from the rather orthodox out-going version and tries to tap some of the spirit of originality of the original 1993 Twingo that was never officially sold in the UK.
The biggest change is the adoption of a space-saving rear-engined layout.
Renault last sold a car with an engine in the back in the 1960s. One reason for the switch – the latest Twingo will also form the basis of new two and four door cars from Smart, which already favours a rear-engined layout.
Developing a new platform of this type is a costly business – Volkswagen originally considered but rejected a rear-engined layout for the up as well – so the co-operation with Daimler on the Smart models makes sense. It takes two to Twingo in today’s motor industry.
So far, Renault is only showing us the exterior of the new Twingo, which is said to draw inspiration from last year’s Twin’Z and Twin’Run concept cars, as well as the old Renault 5. The interior is being kept under wraps until next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Colourful, cheerful and user-friendly are the watchwords here, apparently.
