Renault Twingo History

Debuting at the Paris Motor Show in October 1992 and reaching customers in April 1993, the first-generation Twingo was a genuinely novel city car: a compact monospace ('one-box') design by Jean-Pierre Ploué with a remarkably flexible interior for its size. It launched in a single trim level at a single price, an unusual marketing strategy that emphasized its 'take it or leave it' character.

The original Twingo ran with only minor updates for 14 years — a remarkable production run — accumulating 2.6 million sales. Its third generation (2014–2024) moved to a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout developed in partnership with Smart (the Smart Forfour shares its platform), making it the first mass-market Renault with a rear-mounted engine since the Dauphine. Production of the Twingo ended in 2024.