2007 Geneva Auto Show: Renault Twingo
The new Renault Twingo is positioned just below the Clio. It's a tiny car (141.1 inches long, which is 4 inches shorter than a Mini Cooper), and is sure to heat up the A-car segment wars in Europe.
The top model GT gets a 1200c turbo engine putting out 100 horsepower. A 75 horsepower 1200cc non-turbo is also available, along with a diesel called the 1.5 dCi which is good for 65 hp, and a base 1.2 liter engine with 60 hp, which Renault says is a carryover from the old Twingo...
In addition to a manual gearbox, Renault is offering something called the "Quickshift robotized gearbox" with that base 1.2-liter engine, and damn if it doesn't sound like a sequential manual. From the press kit: "Based on a manual gearbox and equipped with an electrohydraulic shift system, it can be used in either automatic (with no driver intervention) or manual flick-shift mode."
While small on the outside, it's big on the inside. Contributing to that room are four seats that slide fore and aft. As might be expected from a car aimed at the young and/or young at heart, it can be equipped to handle iPods and other musical devices. Finally, the Twingo is
also 80% recyclableFull story here.
- Permalink | Comments (2)
- Posted by: Bob Holland March 7, 2007, 7:26 PM
- Categories: All Auto Shows, Geneva Motor Show, Renault
It's better than the outgoing model, but that's not saying much. What's with the silly center-mounted gauges? Hey, the driver's over here, Renault.
Center-mounting the secondary instrumentation saves some R&D engineering costs, especially when a manufacturer needs to make left and right hand drive vehicles.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Twingo arrives on North American shores as a Nissan badged vehicle, assuming there continues to be demand for "city-car" (i.e. A-Car Segment) products like the new Smart FourTwo or BMW Mini.