A few French media outlets are toying with the possibility that Renault could build a microcar to compete with the smart fortwo, the Toyota IQ or even the upcoming Volkwagen Up! The idea would be to use a shortened version of the current Twingo, currently being produced in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, to keep costs down. Renault did hint not that long ago that it might also make a spider version of the Twingo. We suggest also that they throw in one of their upcoming electric powertrains as well. Making the car in Slovenia could rub the French government the wrong way, thoug. The government was thinking of giving €3 billion to the automaker, but only as long as they keep jobs in France.


[Source: Automotive News (subs. req'd)]

German car sales shot up after that country started a plan that paid owners of old cars to scrap their rides and buy new ones. It worked so well that the UK and the U.S. quickly started thinking about putting similar plans in place. Automotive News Europe (subs req'd) gives us another reason (four, actually) to think that these plans work, and work well, in getting people to buy a new car.

There are scrapping incentives in four of the biggest markets in Europe (Germany, France, Italy and Spain), ANE writes, and these are leading to increased demand for small cars, especially French minicars like the Renault Twingo (up 8.9 percent) and the Citroën C1 (up 9.4 percent). Sure, overall sales are still down, but the scrappage incentives are meant to get newer, more efficient cars on the road to replace older, dirtier vehicles, and they're working. Slowly but surely.


[Source: ANE]

If you think that the current generation of the Renault Twingo - a fairly low-polluting car and quite useful on crowded European cities - isn't that much of a looker, take a look at this first image of the Twingup. I happen to like to first-gen Twingo, but can appreciate that Renault has taken some inspiration from the converted Honda CRX convertibles for its new Twingo-based roadster.

The Twingup's manually-adjusted roof can be stored in the trunk, and Renault expects that this solution will lower the price of the car so as it will compete against similar cars such as the Micra C+C, the Peugeot 207 CC and the Opel Tigra, which have electrically-operated foldable roofs. The Twingup should appear during the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2010.

[Source: Autointernationaal]

For those who hate diesel but still want to have low CO₂ emitting cars, Renault is offering a solution: A new variant of the Twingo has been introduced that emits 120 g/km and burns 5.1 l of unleaded for each 100 km (46mpg U. S.). This qualifies for France's 700€ bonus for low-polluting cars. The engine, named LEV, is derived from the standard 1.2-liter 75hp gas version which has the engine tuned specifically, as well as a gerbox with higher speed ratios.

Fiat has followed Renault and has launched the Fiat Panda Eco as well.. With lower consumption and less CO₂ emissions, the Fiat Panda Eco is made starting from the base 1.1-liter 56hp gasoline engine and reduces consumption from 5.6 to 5.0 l/100 km (42 and 47mpg U. S. respectively and puts the CO₂ figure under the magic 120 g/km figure.


[Source: Le Blog Auto]

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Continuing their effort to be sure that all advertisements in the U.K. are "legal, decent, honest and truthful", the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has asked Renault to withdraw an ad for their Twingo which apparently showed leaves being emitted from its tail-pipe, on one of which was written the words 'eco-nomical eco-logical.' The ASA suggested that this advertisement "exaggerated the environmental benefits of the Twingo and was therefore likely to mislead". Renault is complying with this suggestion and is changing the ad so that it would instead direct consumers to their website, where they could then read about what Renault is doing to lower the environmental impact of its vehicles.

You may remember that the ASA has had other run-ins with automakers, such as Lexus and Toyota. As much as we appreciate what various automakers are trying to do in order to clean up their cars, perhaps suggesting that a car is so green that it emits leaves is a bit much. On the other hand, what are the chances that anybody who saw the commercial really took it this literally? Our response? Meh.

[Source: Just-Auto (subs. req'd)]

The new Renault Twingo is set to hit dealer floors in Europe on June 15, says Automotive News Europe (subs req'd). The compact and low-emissions Twingo (the beefiest petrol model emits 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer) will also come with a 1.5 dCi diesel engine option. Renault has sold over 2.4 million Twingos since introducing the vehicle in 1993. The company makes the Twingo at the Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia

Renault's announcement of the Twingo back in March at the Geneva Motor Show came with a chapter-laden press release. I like the look of the production version more than the Twingo concept shown last year.



Related:

• Renault opens a new chapter with the New Twingo

[Source: Automotive News Europe]

We get a lot of PR material from automakers here at AutoblogGreen, but it's a rare day when the press release describing a new car comes with chapter breaks. Yet that's exactly how Renault is presenting their New Twingo, a small vehicle with a big heart. Apparently, if you like to read, you're going to love the New Twingo.

There are indeed good things to love about the New Twingo, in part because the most powerful version emits 140g/km of CO2 and the numbers drop from there. This New Twingo fits in the Renault Commitment 2009, the company's pledge to sell one million vehicles that produce less than 140g/km of CO2. The New Twingo reduces emissions through better aerodynamics, lower friction and less weight. The car is also 85 percent recyclable by weight and each is made with 15kg of recycled materials and 13kg of renewable materials (like latex, cotton, leather, card, wood).

Renault is pushing the customization of the New Twingo, with a whole host of audio, cell phone and exterior stickers as options. You can read the entire "book" after the jump.



[Source: Renault]

On yesterday's On Point, the NPR radio show, the topic was small. Tiny, actually. Tiny cars. These vehicles - cars like the SMART, the Renault Twingo, or the Ford Ka - are gaining interest here as gas prices rise. On Point featured five voices of those in the know, including Rick Woodbury, the inventor of the Tango, an ultra-slim electric commuter car and Ryan Chin, MIT Media Lab's Smart Cities Project, who contributed to the design of the stackable concept car (pictured). While the quotes NPR has up on their website seem to make the guests pro-small car, AutoblogGreen reader Mark Sumner say he heard it differently. "As so often seems to happen, callers were enthusiastic about the vehicles and asking when they could get them, while industry 'insiders' in the studio kept saying they wouldn't sell in the US," he wrote us. I haven't taken the time to listen to the show (but anyone can do so here), so I can't say how the panel leaned, but c'mon, a stackable car? How can you be against that?

[Source: NPR, thanks to Mark Sumner]