Renault Twingo to be reborn as an affordable EV: Electric city car is due in 2026 and will cost less than £17,000 to rival Chinese newcomers

The Renault Twingo will be reborn as an affordable electric city car with a starting price under £17,000, the French manufacturer has announced. Renault Twingo to be reborn as an affordable EV for 2026: Prices will start from under under €20,000 without grants and incentives The Twingo concept was unveiled by Renault's chief exectuive Luca de Meo in Paris on Wednesday Price is certainly the biggest talking point of the new Twingo, with Renault execs guaranteeing it will start from under €20,000 without grants and incentives. Bosses said it should be available on finance for less than €100 per month, making it an affordable option The EV version will be the fourth-generation Twingo available and will hark back to the original's quirky look The Twingo will sit below the new all-electric Renault 5 hatchback and Renault 4 compact SUV - both due around 2025 - in the brand's new-look battery-powered line-up Renault's design team will fast-track its development from the current concept form to a full-production car that will be built in Europe in just two years to match Chinese rivals Twingo EV concept is a tribute to the 1992 original In terms of looks, the concept harks back to the original Twingo launched in 1992 - a car that was sold in mainland Europe but not introduced to the UK market with its steering wheel on the right-hand-side. One big problem is, this setup can only go up to '99%' The diminutive Renault Twingo 1 was launched in France and mainland Europe in 1992 but was never offered in the UK market The mk1 Twingo was fondly remembered by French owners for its Tardis-like packaging, with a relatively spacious interior for such compact dimensions, as showcased here in the 'Sumo edition' Two generations of the Twingo have previously been sold in the UK. The third-gen Twingo came in 2014, though its USP of having the engine under the boot floor wasn't popular and it was pulled from showrooms in 2019 During a presentation in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, de Meo said Twingo will 'be a game changer once again like it was 30 years ago' Twingo will be a 'fit for purpose urban vehicle, state-of-the-art EV with no compromise' that will be around 20% smaller than current models in the segment Other elements of the design that go back to the original are the door handles, which have a circular indent like the 1992 car.