Nohe United States, at the beginning of the twentieth century, land electric cars represented 38% of the market. With the arrival of cheaper, mass-produced petrol cars, electric manufacturers changed their strategy: they proposed them as “women’s cars”, focusing on reliability, small dimensions and ease of use. A choice that partly worked.
Over a century later, when the electric has now become a protagonist of the automotive market, Renault takes up that idea by presenting the new Twingo E-Tech Electricwith a design led not by chance by women, more attentive to sustainability, to everyday life, to an idea of mobility that must not flaunt power but respond to concrete needs. This is precisely the approach you feel when you look at the new Twingo: there is something that seems to say “Breathe, go slow, enjoy the city”.
A female car
The secret of her femininity lies not in a pink aesthetic or romantic clichés, but in one intuitive, concrete, beautiful and slightly ironic presence. A discreet companion for busy days, capable of transforming even the most banal journey into a small moment of pleasure.
Thanks to the rounded design, with headlights that look like large, bright eyes, the bright colors designed to convey energy and personality, the compact dimensions, only 3.79 meters in length and a turning diameter of just 9.87 metres, which give perfect handling in urban traffic (almost the ease of a bicycle). Several women worked on its design, focusing on the more concrete things, daily commutes, tight parking spaces, quick errands, busy days that require an agile vehicle. Paula Fabregat-Andreu, Director of Design Projects at Renault, describes the new model as follows: new Twingo is a breath of fresh air, a bubble of optimism and positive energy. And then there is Marion Joly, who as Product Manager has taken care of many aspects of electric: Twingo E-Tech electric is Renault’s way of mainstreaming electric vehicles and bringing the switch within reach for the many, the Twingo E-Tech electric is Renault’s way of making electric accessible to many.
Twingo E-Tech Electric, beautiful outside and inside too
Even inside the atmosphere is welcoming, just like a small mobile home. The dashboard, the part of the dashboard that houses instruments, controls and displays, has a cylindrical shape and is suspended, not resting directly on the lower part of the passenger compartment, giving it lightness and modernity. The double horizontal 7″ and 10″ display accompanies the driver with dedicated animations. The compartment starts at 360 liters and, by folding down the backrest of the front passenger seat, it is possible to load objects up to two meters long, such as a bookcase shelf. There is no shortage of intelligent storage compartments and YouClip attachment points to keep everything in order even when travelling. And then there are two design elements that refer to the history of this car, released in 1992. The famous red button, once used to start the engine, now enclosed in a transparent capsule like a small jewellery, and the cult phrase À vous d’inventer la vie qui va avec, shown on the straps of the rear seats, an invitation to imagine the life you want, more relevant today than ever.
Electric, sustainable, without charging anxiety
The Twingo E-Tech Electric is designed to make going electric simple. The LFP battery, a technology that avoids critical metals such as cobalt and nickel, guarantees up to 263 km of WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) autonomy, more than enough for a week of urban travel.
Full home charging takes approximately 4 and a quarter hours with the 6.6 kW charger, or 2 and a half hours with the 11 kW one. For a quick charge on the fly, you can go from 10 to 80% in half an hour. The 60 kW engine is brilliant: quick at city traffic lights and more fluid on fast sections, to enter traffic without difficulty and get out of the city at the weekend. One Pedal mode simplifies driving: you almost always accelerate and slow down with the same pedal, and traffic weighs a little less. On the technological front, the equipment is that of a higher segment car with 24 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), i.e. driver assistance technologies for greater safety and comfort, including sign recognition, lane keeping, blind spot warning, automatic emergency braking and hands-free parking. On the multimedia front, the car offers the OpenR Link system with integrated Google, to use apps, navigate with Google Maps and be guided by a voice assistant. Then there is Reno, a digital avatar that helps discover the car’s functions, and an app to control the charge, plan trips and interact with the car even remotely.
A life companion, more than a city car
The new Twingo E-Tech Electric wants to convey a clear message. Urban mobility can be light, intuitive, sustainable and fun. A car doesn’t need to be big or muscular to be useful. It doesn’t need to be complicated to be modern. It doesn’t need to be austere to be ecological. Because a city car must above all be the friend of busy days, capable of transforming even the most banal journey into a moment of pleasure. A declaration of urban optimism, a gentle presence that invites you to slow down and enjoy every fragment of everyday life, lightly.