The Renault Twingo Z.E. has a range of 190 km in mixed driving conditions and 225 km in an urban cycle.
Renault wants to lure urban buyers with the Twingo Z.E., a full-electric version of the brand’s rear-engine minicar that it hopes will make up as much as 30 percent of all Twingo sales.
The Twingo Z.E. -- Renault's second full-electric car after the Zoe -- was originally developed as the Smart ForFour EQ, which first went on sale in 2018 as part of Renault and Daimler's partnership. The Twingo Z.E. has more range than the Smart version, and generally has a lower price.
"This is the logical evolution of the Twingo," Frederic Clermont, Renault's global marketing manager for minicars and small cars, said at a test-drive event in October.
Studies have shown that minicar owners across Europe drive an average of 30 km (19 miles) a day, Renault said, so the Twingo Z.E.’s WLTP range of 190 km on a mixed cycle is enough for almost a week’s driving. The Twingo can travel 270 km in an urban cycle, Renault says.
Clermont said that Renault is confident there is a market for a Twingo that starts at 21,350 euros ($25,729), almost 10,000 euros more than the least-expensive gasoline-engine variant, which starts at 11,700 euros in France.
That is because EV incentives in France, Italy and several other European countries bring the price of the Twingo Z.E. to about 15,000 euros, and even less with government trade-in bonuses.
Renault says that 40 percent of gasoline-engine Twingo buyers opt for the two highest trim levels -- which start at about 15,000 euros and 16,000 euros, respectively, roughly the same as the electric version of the car including incentives.
Launch date: October (France)
Base price: 21,350 euros (France)
Where built: Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Main competitors: Smart ForFour EQ, VW e-Up, Skoda Citigo-e iV, Seat Mii Electric, Fiat New 500
The Twingo Z.E. is available in four trim levels, up to a launch edition that starts at 26,450 euros in France before incentives.
Renault is promoting a 37-month lease at 99 euros a month that gives buyers the chance to use a larger, longer-range Renault model such as the Espace minivan for a small fee for up to 30 days a year for vacations or for hauling bigger loads.
The Twingo Z.E. has five drive modes. In addition to a standard mode, which automatically selects the best ratio of freewheeling and regenerative braking, there are three "B" modes, with the highest level maximizing regenerative braking allowing for virtually single-pedal driving, Renault says. There is also an Eco mode, which limits acceleration and top speed to increase range by about 20 percent.
Battery: A 22 kilowatt-hour battery sits under the rear seats. Charging times range from 15 hours on a 2.3 kilowatt home socket to 90 minutes on a 22 kW fast charging station.
Power: A 60 kW electric motor, built by Renault in Cleon, France, produces 82 hp. The Twingo Z.E. has a top speed of 135 kph and can go from 0 to 50 kph in 4.2 seconds; 0 to 100 kph takes 12.9 seconds.
Maneuverability: Renault says the Twingo’s rear-engine layout gives it the smallest turning radius in the segment, at 4.3 meters.
The internal-combustion Twingo ranked fourth in the minicar segment in the first half of 2020, with 33,968 sales, a decline of 24 percent, although the segment as a whole fell by 49 percent.
The Fiat Panda and Fiat 500 are the longtime segment leaders, with 59,344 Pandas and 56,917 sold in the first half.
Renault officials say the segment is shifting toward electrification, as the cost of emissions compliance for small, low-margin cars becomes unsustainable.
The Twingo Z.E.’s competition includes the Smart ForFour, although Smart is reducing its European presence after the brand was transferred to China’s Geely from Daimler; the similarly priced VW e-Up, Skoda Citigo-e iV and Seat Mii Electric -- as well as the just-announced base version of the Fiat New 500 EV, at a price of 26,150 euros in Italy before incentives.
It could also face competition at the lower end of the price scale from the Dacia Spring, a vehicle imported from China with an expected European price of about 15,000 euros.
