Renault recently announced that it will be phasing out the funky city electric car Twizy in September. He stayed in the ranks for 12 years, but never became popular. The Twizy is about to be replaced by a family of slightly larger and more comfortable electric vehicles under the Mobilize brand.
The Renault Twizy is a two-seat, tandem-seat electric quad that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept, showed production in 2011, and went on sale in 2012: the Twizy was then considered a pioneer of the so-called new mobility – agile, eco-friendly and fun. The press greeted Renault Twizy warmly, test drives went with a bang, but the rather high price and not the most successful layout did not allow Twizy to become a popular favorite. As of the end of June 2023, Renault has produced only 33,340 Twizys, with a large proportion of this volume coming from municipal services (including the police) and rental companies.
Twizy's main markets were France, Germany, South Korea and Italy. Twizy production was initially launched at the Renault plant in the Spanish city of Valladolid, and in 2019 it was transferred to the South Korean Renault-Samsung plant in Busan, where the last copies will be made in September.
Renault Twizy is still available for order, in Germany it costs from 11,450 euros for the basic version of the Twizy 45 with a 7.5 kW electric motor ( 10 hp) and a power reserve of 100 km on one charge. The top speed of the Twizy 45 is limited to 45 km/h so that teenagers can drive it.
The «Adult» Twizy costs in Germany from 12,150 euros, it has an electric motor power increased to 12.6 kW (17 hp), a maximum speed of up to 80 km/h, a range on a single charge of 90 km .
The overall length of the Twizy is 2335 mm, the width is 1237 mm, the height is 1686 mm, the wheelbase is 1686 mm. In fact, Twizy in terms of maneuverability is not inferior to a large motorcycle. The passenger seat is removable, it can be used for luggage, and there are two glove compartments in the front panel for small items.
Despite the fact that Twizy was not very successful, Renault did not begin to tie up with the topic of electric quadricycles: already this year The Mobilize Duo should enter the European market with a wider and more spacious body, in which the passenger sits to the side of the driver, and not behind him. For luggage, Mobilize Duo will have more space than Twizy, even a separate cargo version of the new electric car — Mobilize Bento with a 700-liter plastic cargo box.
Mobilize Duo and Mobilize Bento
As a reminder, Mobilize is a young Renault Group brand launched in 2021 and aims at alternative forms of car ownership – subscription, carsharing, taxis and leasing . The first Mobilize model was a Chinese-built Limo mid-size electric sedan, while the Duo and Bento quads are completely original designs.