Renault Twingo

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Renault Twingo<tr><td colspan=2></tr>
Manufacturer:	Renault<tr><th>Production:<td>1993-present</tr><tr><th>Class:<td>City car</tr><tr><th>Engine:<td>1.1 L I4 1.2 L I4</tr><tr><th>Length:<td>3.43 m</tr><tr><th>Width:<td>1.63 m</tr><tr><th>Height:<td>1.42 m</tr><tr><th>Similar:<td>Citroën C1 Fiat Panda Ford Ka Peugeot 107 Smart Fortwo Toyota Aygo</tr><tr><th>Designer:<td>Patrick le Quément</tr>

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.

1 1993
2 2007
3 Beskid Link
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[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. It has been rumoured that the design of the Twingo was partially inspired by the ships from the Konami videogame Twinbee^{[citation needed]}; however, Renault has made no statement regarding this. Another, a better documented design link is that to the Polish prototype Beskid.

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

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 or section contains information about a scheduled or anticipated future automobile.

It may contain information of a tentative nature which may change significantly as the vehicle nears production and more information becomes available.

The Renault Modus was originally planned to replace the Twingo, but it has been confirmed that a new Twingo will be produced. It will be launched in September 2007, 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. A concept was presented at the 2006 Mondial de l'Automobile.

Unlike the original however, it will also be offered in right-hand drive. Besides 1.2L and 1.4L petrol engines, a detuned 1.5 dCi diesel engine may be added to the range. Building and material quality is expected to improve vastly compared to the first generation Twingo and the low cost supermini Dacia Logan.

In November 2006, it was reported that the UK will only get the higher spec models in RHD, with a 1.2L 100bhp engine and a starting price of £8000 <ref>Autocar Magazine 15 November 2006</ref>

[edit] Beskid Link

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.

[edit] See also

City car

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg	Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Renault Twingo

<- Previous	Renault car timeline, 1980s-present - [edit]
Type	1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
City car														Twingo														Twingo II
Supermini						Super 5					Clio I								Clio II							Clio III
Small family car			9 / 11						19							Mégane I								Mégane II
Large family car	18						21								Laguna I						Laguna II								Laguna III
Executive car				25									Safrane									Vel Satis

Leisure activity vehicle															Kangoo
Mini MPV																									Modus
Compact MPV																	Scénic I						Scénic II
Large MPV					Espace I							Espace II						Espace III					Espace IV
																						Avantime
Coupé	Fuego
Roadster																Spider