After referring to its upcoming tiny city EV as the “Legend,” French automaker Renault has officially unveiled what is now the all-electric Twingo and released some photos. And from the looks of it, this sweet little teal number, set to be released in 2026, takes a heap of inspiration from its original ’90s hatchback.
For Americans not quite familiar with this humble European city car, the Twingo has established a cult status of sorts as a quirky, cheap runabout, driven by any European on a budget in need of some wheels. Not the kind of car that will turn any heads, of course, and certainly not worth importing over to the states.
Still, this new electric version takes a ton of inspiration from it first-gen hatchback, including the teal color. Renault hasn’t yet released any specifications on the car, but promises an efficiency of up to 6.2 miles per kWh, which surpasses the rear-wheel drive Ioniq 6. Price is set for under €20,000, or around $22,000, putting it firmly in the range of one of the cheapest EVs out there. And since it’ll be made in Europe rather than China, subsidies can shave off even more. Of course Renault doesn’t sell in the US, so this EV won’t be available stateside, but Europeans in most countries could likely lease it for as low as €100 a month.
The “Twingo is the European kei car,” Ampere CEO Luca de Meo told Automotive News Europe. “It’s a very intelligent concept. It doesn’t make sense to use a 2.5-ton car to move a single person in the city.”
“We have to go back to smaller cars,” de Meo added. “Instead of talking about it, I’m presenting a solution that is feasible, and that is the Twingo.” As former head of the Fiat brand in the 2000s, he added that the car reminds him of the 500 – adding that the upcoming Twingo, an “iconic” Renault car, is “a project that comes out of the guts of the organization. You don’t really need to plan it –people want to build it.”
Ampere will offer a total of seven models by 2031: the electric Mégane E-Tech, Scenic, R5 and R4 (shown above), the new Twingo, and two other models to be announced. Of course, Ampere is hoping to gain some equal ground to Telsa and China’s BYD, but this is definitely a tall order. The company, with its three factories in northern France, targets a production capacity of 400,000 EVs to start, ramping up to 600,000 in 2026 and ultimately 1 million in 2031.
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