Ampere, Renault’s electric division, has started development of the future electric Twingo. The design has been finalized, and mass production will begin in Slovenia in 2026. The manufacturer is giving itself 3 years to market the model.
Renault has announced its intention to launch a new electric Twingo model and plans to set its price below the 20,000 euro threshold. This announcement, made during a reveal last November, clarified the orientation of the electric city car, previously nicknamed “Legend”, towards an identity clearly attached to the lineage of the Twingo, with a design strongly inspired by the first generation from the 1990s.
This new version will move considerably away from the current generation of Twingo, which shares its platform with the Smart Forfour, which is now withdrawn from the market, except for its compact size.
An express development
According to information relayed by Reuters and from internal sources, Ampere, Renault’s electrical branch, has completed the design of the model and is preparing to begin the supplier selection phase, prototype manufacturing and production preparations.
The start of series production is planned for 2026 at the Slovenian plant in Novo Mesto, marking a surprisingly short development period of three years.
This approach follows the acceleration observed in the development of Renault’s electric vehicles, notably the Megane E-Tech and the R5 E-Tech, developed in 4 and 3 years respectively.
To optimize the process and guarantee rapid marketing, Renault plans to reduce the number of parts used by 20% by favoring the use of standard components easily available from suppliers. This paradigm was mentioned by Gilles Le Borgne, head of technology at Renault, who, in a statement to the newspaper The echoesdemonstrated the company’s desire to “ simplify production while maintaining quality and accessibility “.
This new Twingo continues the same logic as the R5 E-Tech and R4 E-Tech by being part of the stylistic heritage of the brand. The design of the new electric Twingo draws heavily on the aesthetics of its 90s predecessor, from its compact front to the rounded door handles, but it will be distinguished by its new 5-door configuration.
Towards a partnership with Volkswagen
The architecture on which this electric Twingo will be based remains a mystery for the moment, although the R5 E-Tech uses the AmpR Small platform (formerly CMF-BEV), specifically designed for B-segment electric vehicles. A collaboration with Volkswagen is envisaged to allow Renault to offer this model at a competitive price, while the German manufacturer is aiming for a similar objective with its own small electric model, the ID.1, planned for 2027. The discussions between the two automobile giants , although not confirmed, could come to fruition in the coming months.
But Renault’s ambition does not stop there. With a plan for 7 electric models by 2031 and an annual production of around 1 million units, Renault, through its subsidiary Ampere, hopes to achieve price parity with thermal vehicles by 2027-2028 for the second generation of the electric Megane E-Tech and the electric Scenic E-Tech, while preserving its margins.
Source : Reuters
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