Slim profit margins on electric city car could prevent costly conversion to right-hand drive
The reborn Renault Twingo – due in two years at the equivalent of £17,000 – may not be sold in the UK when it launches in 2026.
The electric city car has been conceived as a retro-styled rival to the likes of the Mini Cooper and Hyundai Inster, plus the future Volkswagen ID 2 and Kia EV2.
Designed with heavy influence from its 1992 namesake and being developed in collaboration with a Chinese engineering firm, the Twingo is well placed to become one of the most affordable and most popular EVs on the European market.
But when asked about the likelihood of a UK launch, Renault product performance boss Bruno Vanel told Autocar: "I cannot assure you today it will be the case, but we will try.
"It isn't about margins;Â it's more about the volume opportunity, which is what we are right now evaluating."
He did not give a precise reason but said there are always "economic equations" to consider when launching a car in various global markets.
It's likely that the Twingo's slim margins make the cost of adapting it for right-hand drive less viable than it is for Renault's larger models.
Vittorio d'Arienzo, who is the global product leader for cars based on Renault's new Ampr Small EV platform (the Twingo, Renault 4 and Renault 5) said that while the architecture has been engineered for RHD, there are other considerations that need to be made.
"The car is right-hand-drive-ready, because it's the daughter of the R5, which is going to be offered as right-hand drive in the UK.
"The UK market has a special place in my heart, because it's a ride-and-handling country, with people that love to drive cars. So for me, we need to bring as many good driving cars as possible in the UK.
"So for sure, it's in my targets, let's say. But I can't disclose the plans now for the UK, because we are still developing the car at a rhythm you can't imagine. But for sure it's one of the things we are taking into account.
"The cost for right-hand drive could be quite high in terms of investment unless you have already foreseen early in the development stage and it requires a few platform adaptations. Then it becomes mostly a cost for trims and homologation."
