The familiar overall shape is made possible by the firm’s AmpR Small platform, which the Twingo will share with the Renault 4 and 5. “We moved away from the mono-volume shape for the second and third-generation [Twingo],” Bhambra told us. “But now that we have the AmpR platform – a native EV platform – it allows us to make it mono-volume again.
“All the key components are in the floor, between the wheels; it’s a long wheelbase – around 2.5 metres. At the front we have electronics, but all of it is very low. With this we can still meet crash and pedestrian impact [regulations], but with a mono-volume shape,” he said.
Given how close the concept is to reality, we expect only a mild dilution of key features when the covers come off. The animated logo will be the first part binned, however: “The Twingo is going to be sold for 20,000 Euros,” Bhambra told us. “That is quite low for an EV, so probably that logo will not make it in production”.
We’ll likely see a simplification of the sharp LED lights front and rear, too. The bell shape will remain, but possibly with halogen elements to reduce complexity and cut the cost of replacement. Plenty of scuff-resistant black cladding will feature around the base of the car, and we may even see Renault carry over the bump stops on each corner of the concept – this is a car designed to cope with Paris parking, after all.
Other details, like the three-slot air vent on the bonnet, will reach production almost unchanged. This, Bhambra explained, feeds the air-conditioning system and is a necessary nod to the original nineties design.
