Renault confirms Twingo ZE to be launched later this year

Electric city car will use Smart Forfour EQ’s platform, but it won't be sold in the UK

Renault has confirmed it will launch its all-electric Twingo ZE city car this year, but the model will not be sold in the UK.

First reported by Autocar in September last year, the electric Twingo will be one of two new EVs launched by Renault in the next 12 months. Alongside the Twingo ZE. and existing Zoe, the French maker will unveil a Kadjar-sized zero-emissions crossover.

The announcement comes as Groupe Renault reported a 23.5% increase in sales of its electric vehicles between 2018 and 2019, led by demand for the Zoe.

The Twingo continues to use the same platform as the Smart Forfour EQ. There are no performance figures yet for the Twingo ZE, but they're likely to be similar to those of its Smart sibling.

That car has a 17.6kWh battery and generates a peak output of 80bhp and 118lb ft of torque from a rear-mounted motor. It offers a claimed range of around 70 miles, and its battery can be charged from 10-80% capacity in 40 minutes. Last year, future product planning boss Ali Kassaï told Autocar: “We need to add an A-segment [electric] car to address customer needs.”

It’s a relatively easy project, because the Twingo was always engineered to be electric, thanks to Renault's partnership with Smart. Kassai explained that the plan had been to launch it much sooner, but there was “no infrastructure” to make it tenable.

Renault removed the internal combustion-engined Twingo from sale in the UK last year, although it continued to be sold in other countries.

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