New £17k Renault Twingo EV being developed with help from China
Renault’s “silver bullet for sustainable mobility” is meant to arrive in just two years’ time
The new all-electric Renault Twingo, slated to arrive in 2026 with a price tag of around £17,000, is being developed with the help of a Chinese engineering partner, Auto Express has learned.
Renault collaborating with its unnamed partner is meant to reduce the costs and time needed to develop the reborn Twingo, which was unveiled in concept form last year and is billed as a “silver bullet for sustainable mobility” by Renault CEO Luca de Meo.
He was also the person that announced the Twingo will go from concept to production in just two years, matching the rapid pace of Chinese automakers.
A spokesperson for Renault made it clear that development of the new Twingo is being led by Ampere – a separate company within the Renault Group dedicated to designing, engineering and producing electric vehicles for the B and C-segments.
As such, the design process and advanced engineering for the new Twingo are being carried out in France, and production will take place in Europe, as originally planned.
Development of the new Twingo has been going on for some time now, with Renault’s Chinese partner embedded throughout the process. This was not, as some have speculated, Renault’s ‘plan B’ after talks with Volkswagen to join the project proved unsuccessful.
Indeed, Volkswagen is on its own mission to deliver affordable electric cars to the masses, with an entry-level EV now scheduled to be unveiled in 2027 – also set to cost around £17,000. VW’s efforts will also produce similarly affordable models from Skoda and SEAT in due course.
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