Renault does not build many cars like the Renault Twingo: a 3-door hatchback (Twingo I and II) / 5-door hatchback (Twingo III) with ubl, built from 1992 to 2024 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Its designer of record is Jean-Pierre Ploué / Patrick Le Quément.
The background
The Renault Twingo is a city car made by the French company Renault from 1992 to 2024 across three generations. The name is said to be a blend of twist, swing, and tango in some official Renault sources, but an official Renault press release has explicitly denied this derivation.
The first-generation Twingo (two door, front engine) debuted at the Paris Motor Show on 5 October 1992, receiving its formal market launch in continental European markets beginning in April 1993. Renault launched the second-generation Twingo (two door, front engine) in the summer of 2007; and the third-generation Twingo (four doors, rear engine) debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, receiving its formal market launch in September 2014. Production of the Twingo ended in the summer of 2024, when the car was replaced by the all-electric Renault Twingo E-Tech.
The engineering
Under the skin sits ubl. Kerb weight is from 790 kg. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual / 5-speed automated manual / 3-speed automatic. The wheelbase is 2345 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Renault's history is not in doubt: the Renault 4 / Renault 5 came before it; the Renault Twingo E-Tech followed it; it was built at Flins-sur-Seine. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the GM (General Motors) Hummer H1, the Subaru Impreza. Its Renault stablemates include the Renault 10 and the Renault 10CV.