Yahoo Autos Renault Twingo to return in 2026 as sub-£17,000 EV
The new Twingo EV will sit underneath the forthcoming Renault 5 and Renault 4
Renault will revive the Twingo as a new sub-£17,000 EV that it claims will offer “best-in-class” efficiency and serve as a key part of an expanded European line-up of seven EVs.
The new city car, which will sit underneath the forthcoming Renault 5 and Renault 4, was revealed as part of a Capital Markets Day event for Renault Group’s new Ampere EV spin-off firm.
Renault Group boss Luca de Meo described the new Twingo as a "silver bullet for sustainability mobility" and a key in the firm's quest for an affordable EV.
It's due to arrive in 2026 and will be designed and engineered in Europe, with de Meo promising that it will match Chinese rivals in terms of price. He added that the brand could use an outside partner to develop it.
De Meo claimed the hatchback will cost 50% less to produce than a new C-segment SUV, due to reduction in materials and an increased focus on a software-driven platform that will require fewer parts and materials.
He said that the new Twingo was a "car from the guts" of the Renault brand, like the original was when it launched 30 years ago.
It follows the Renault Mégane E-Tech, Renault Scenic E-Tech, 5 and 4 in using a retro name and styling elements.
So far, the Renault Group has given only a few outline details on the new Twingo, describing it as a “fit-for-purpose urban vehicle with no compromise”.
It claims the car will offer impressive efficiency of 6.2mpkWh and 75%-lower CO2 emissions over its lifecycle than the “average European ICE car sold in 2023”.
A previous report in Automotive News Europe suggests that the model could be built at Renault's factory in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
It would neatly fill the gap left by the ICE Twingo, which is still available in some left-hand-drive markets, but is nearing 10 years old.
The Twingo will be priced at less than €20,000 (£17,000), which Renault Group claims will cost less than €100 (£87) per month.
The Capital Market Day financial event also serves as a launch for the Ampere firm, a new standalone company within Renault Group. Officially launched on 1 November, it will design, engineer, manufacture and market EVs in Europe – although models will be sold under the Renault brand. It will have around 35,000 employees.
A key focus for Ampere will be on achieving price parity between EVs and ICE vehicles. It will focus on B- and C-segment models using two existing Renault Group EV platforms. B-segment cars such as the 5, 4 and Twingo will be built on the Ampr Small (previously CMF-BEV) architecture, with C-segment cars including the Mégane and Scenic using Ampr Medium (previously CMF-EV).
Ampere claims that it has a plan to reduce variable costs for the second generation of bespoke C-segment EVs, which it describes as "Megane and Scenic successors". These will arrive by 2027/28 with a focus on a 50% reduction in battery cost per vehicle, a 25% reduction in powertrain and platform costs and a 15% reduction in upper-body vehicle costs. It also claims it will refine its operations to reduce manufacturing and logistic costs by half.
