350km for 20,000: new Renault Twingo details given

The Renault Twingo interior has been revealed as Renault says the concept is '90% ready'.

Despite a low target price of just 20,000 euros (less than £17,000) the new Twingo gets luxuries including a large infotainment screen and digital dashboard.

The Twingo has edged closer to production with the unveiling of a '90% ready' prototype at the Brussels motor show - complete with running gear and a full showroom-spec interior as Autocar has reported.

Due in dealers in the first half of next year at a start price south of €20,000 (£16,600), the 3750mm-long Twingo E-Tech will be the entry point into Renault's expanding electric car line-up, sitting beneath the similarly retro-flavoured 4 and 5 hatchbacks with which it shares the firm's AMPR Small platform.

Renault aims to take the car from conception to the road in less than two years, and has partnered with a Chinese consultancy in a bid to make the engineering and production processes as efficient as possible.

In spite of its low projected list price – which puts it in the realm of the petrol-powered Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10 – the four-seat Twingo features a host of 'upper segment technology' inside and is described by its maker as a 'joyful, trendy' proposition.

The freshly revealed interior is clearly related to that of Renault's larger EVs – dominated as it is by a 7.0in digital gauge cluster and 10.1in central touchscreen – but makes obvious nods to the cabin of the original Twingo.

Renault describes the cockpit as "airy, cylindrical and suspended", with ovoid air vents and surfaces an obvious homage to the era-defining 1990s supermini. Notably, the seats of this new Twingo prototype are coloured to match the exterior paint, taking inspiration from the lurid upholstery options that were available on the old car.

A more subtle nostalgic design cue is the prototype's prominent red hazard light button, a reference to the similarly conspicuous dome-shaped button on top of the old Twingo's dash. In another urban-flavoured 1990s throwback, the front seatbacks are adjusted using skateboard wheels.

Beyond its retro-modern design, Renault says every aspect of the Twingo's interior is "designed to make life easier", highlighting a range of features that boost storage capacity and utility. There are bag storage cubbies under the dashboard, for example, plus a flat, full-width shelf for books or sunglasses.

There's also a split-folding rear bench to increase boot space, plus magnetic phone-mounts on the back of the front headrests and an elasticated bottle holder.

The floor of the Twingo show car is finished in cork, chosen for its durability and resistance, but Renault notes that "show cars are an opportunity to explore and test new ideas", and this is unlikely to make it to customer cars.

Externally, this near-production show car is little changed from the concept that Renault revealed in 2023, but there's now a concealed air intake in the front bumper, the rear arches have shrunk slightly and the protective corner cladding at each end now has a honeycomb design.

In a concession to production viability, the door handles no longer light up and the semi-circular brake lights are now joined at the bottom by another LED strip.

The latest evolution of the Twingo is described as drivable, and while Renault has offered no further details on the powertrain it is understood to be closely related to that used in the 5.

The has also yet to confirm plans to produce the Twingo for right-hand drive markets, after CEO Luca de Meo told Autocar last month that building a right-hand drive variant would be "a challenge".

He said the firm "needed to find a business case", but acknowledged that could be helped by Renault's tie-up with Nissan, which will sell the electric next-gen Micra – also based on AMPR Small – with RHD in its Japanese home market.

"When they want the wheel on the other side too, it becomes less complicated," he said.

When the Twingo does arrive in production form, expect it to roughly 350km (200 miles) of range, more than rivals like the Dacia Spring and Citroen e-C3.