Renault Twingo

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Renault Twingo
Manufacturer	Renault
Production	1993-present
Class	City car
Engine	1.1 L I4 1.2 L I4
Length	3.43 m
Width	1.63 m
Height	1.42 m
Similar	Citroën C1 Fiat Panda Ford Ka Peugeot 107 Smart Fortwo Toyota Aygo
Designer	Patrick le Quément

The Renault Twingo is a city car built by the French automaker Renault, launched at the 1992 Mondial de l'Automobile and going on sale in early 1993. The Twingo quickly became popular in Europe due to its unusual looks and its ease of use. It has undergone three restylings in 1998, 2000 & 2004, and is still in production.

The "Twingo" name comes from "Twist", "Swing" and "Tango" and it denotes the "fun and active" "personality" of this little car.

[edit] 1993

[edit] The project

It was designed under Patrick Le Quément, Renault's chief designer. Le Quément's belief was that it was a greater risk for Renault to take no risks at all, having seen its market share suffer from cars such as the Renault 9 and 11. The design of the Twingo resembles that of the 1982 Polish prototype Beskid-106.

The Twingo featured revolutionary features (at the time of launch) of a centrally mounted instrument panel, consisting of a speedometer, fuel gauge and clock, with the odometer and trip recorder selected by pushing a button on the end of the steering column stalk. This left just a strip of warning lights in the area behind the steering wheel. It also had a sliding rear seat, which could be moved to either increase boot space or rear seat legroom. The boot parcel shelf was also unusual in that it was attached to the inside of the tailgate, and lifted up with the tailgate. It could also be clipped back against the rear window when not required.

[edit] British market

The interior of the Twingo after the 1998 facelift featured body-coloured instruments and was equipped with four airbags.

When the car was launched, Renault's senior bosses said that the British market would not want a city car, so Renault did not produce a right-hand drive version. They were also concerned that it would take away sales from the recently launched Clio. Later entrants to this market and their incredible popularity in the United Kingdom, like the Fiat Cinquecento, Ford Ka, Vauxhall Corsa and Smart Fortwo, proved that this decision was a mistake. However, many LHD Twingos have been imported from Europe by customers, and all Renault dealers are able to provide servicing and parts for the vehicle.

Many parts (e.g. the JB1 gearbox, brakes, 1.2 8v diat engine) are shared with other vehicles across the Renault range, so many parts can be delivered to dealers very quickly indeed. All other parts can be imported by Renault dealers.

Despite the car's sales success, it still lags behind the Ford Ka in the A-class segment.

[edit] Electric version

A battery electric vehicle version was presented at the international Geneva Motor Show in 2006, that fits Zebra batteries.

[edit] 2007

This article contains information about a scheduled or anticipated future automobile. It may contain preliminary or speculative information, and may not reflect the final version of the vehicle.

The 2008 Renault Twingo 16V, photographed in Renault's flagship showroom on the Champs Elysées, Paris, in March 2007.

A concept was presented at the 2006 Mondial de l'Automobile. The production version was presented at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show after a last minute redesign was ordered, partly due to the successful launch of the TPCA Peugeot 107/Citroën C1/Toyota Aygo, which became the new benchmark for city cars. It will go on sale in France in June 2007 and in the UK in September 2007.

It will come with a 1.2L 60hp and 1.2L 75hp petrol engines, a 1.2L 100hp turbocharged petrol engine and a detuned 1.5L 65hp dCi diesel engine. Trim levels will be Access/Authentique, Expression, Privilege, Initiale, Dynamique and GT. Building and material quality is expected to improve vastly compared to the first generation Twingo and the low cost supermini Dacia Logan.

Unlike the original however, it will be available in the UK in right hand drive, with the 75hp and 100hp engines, in Dynamique & GT trim levels. Cheaper trim levels may be introduced if there is sufficent demand.

[edit] Beskid Link

Beskid 106

The Beskid was a Polish vehicle designed in early 1980s at the Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Samochodów Małolitrażowych factory. The monospace body was at the time a novel idea. In 1981, the design team led by Wiesław Wiatrak started work on the Beskid 106. In 1982 their construction plans were complete and they started working on the first prototype that was presented in the spring of 1983. The body characterized itself with a Cd value of 0.29 - this led the Beskid to use only 3.9 L of gasoline per 100 km at a speed of 90 km/h.

Political and economic reasons prevented mass production; seven prototypes were created in the meantime. The Communist government officials of Poland ordered all of the prototypes to be destroyed. The engineers disobeyed them, which is why the original prototype is still around at the Museum of Technology in Warsaw. The novel monospace body was also patented. However, the funds to renew the patents ran out; Renault used took advantage of the situation to develop the Twingo. However, Renault waited until the patents ran out definitively.

One must also note the similarities of the Twingo to the 1985 Honda Today.

[edit] See also

• City car

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Renault Twingo

• Beskid History (en)
• Renault Twingo
• Renault Twingo in Colombia
• Twingonet
• Twingo Lovers Club - multi language discussion forum for the Renault Twingo
• The New Twingo
• The new Twingo in production form
• Renault press release about the new Twingo