Renault Twizy

If you were looking for something even more ridiculous than the G-Wiz to drive around London in, this Renault Twizy is just the thing for you.

Twizy will be manufactured at Valladolid in Spain and goes on sale in the UK at the start of next year priced from £6,690. It is basically a scooter with four wheels and a roof, powered by a 17 hp electric motor which gives it a top speed of 50 mph. So if you accidentally take it out of town and 

onto a B road, you are going to cause a big traffic jam because of the

people stuck behind you! Not to worry though, because it will be out of puff after 62 miles, so you wouldn’t dare to take it out of the town anyway.

In higher specification Technic trim it will cost £7,400. The monthly battery lease cost for both versions will be £40 including VAT for a 36 month/4,800 miles per year agreement. Last time we checked 7 and a half grand could buy you a very decent second-hand car in Britain. Granted, with a normal car you have to pay for fuel and congestion, but at least your dignity remains intact.

Some more facts about the Twizy: Twizy’s battery fully charges in just three and a half hours using a domestic electrical supply via a spiral cable stowed behind a flap at the front. Twizy’s low weight (450kg, including the 100kg battery) directly helps its operational range of 62 miles (NEDC standard cycle). In everyday use, this figure can vary depending on driving conditions. It comes with a couple of accessories including all-purpose bag with a capacity of 50 litres, additional protection against the weather, Parrot audio kit including Bluetooth connectivity, plus a USB connector, a jack socket and an Apple connector, Rear parking sensors, range of customisation accessories (coloured alloy wheels, decals) enabling owners to personalise their Twizy.

The Renault Captur is answer to the Range Rover Evoque.

The Renault Captur is answer to the Range Rover Evoque. The Captur was unveiled at last month’s Geneva Motor Show, and follows on from the all-electric DeZir sports car. It previews a future small crossover that will be based on Nissan’s Juke.

Just the Facts:
Renault’s Captur, a small crossover concept unveiled last month at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, will be developed into not one but two showroom models, say company insiders.
The R-Space concept provides some hints as to the next-generation Renault Espace and Scenic people movers.
Renault’s next showcar, a small yet sexy passenger van, is expected to debut at this fall’s Frankfurt auto show.

The Renault Captur is the second model in a series of six ‘life’ concepts, with the DeZir representing love, the Captur exploration and the R-Space (driven on Page 36) family. We reckon the design is as striking as the Juke’s. Curvy lines and a face borrowed from the DeZir will both find their way on to the production car, but the scissor doors, matt-finish wings, rear-facing cameras and huge 22-inch wheels will be left behind.
Axel Breun, head of concept car design, says the two-door layout is likely to be offered when the car makes showrooms, in an effort to bolster the Captur’s sporting credentials. Inside is a typically futuristic layout, with the seats made of stretchy bungees. The rear chairs fold out from the sides of the car, and when not in use allow for a flat load area or hammock.

Renault’s designers apparently envisaged a sprinter on the starting blocks when drawing the Renault Captur, with the final design referencing ‘protective gear used in radical sports’. Like helmets.
It gets the DeZir’s face and adds the now ubiquitous coupe-SUV body, ushering in some practicality. 22in rims, ‘butterfly’ doors and a removable hard-top make it an interesting design, if a little terrifying.
Little of what makes up the interior will ever follow through to a production model, but the spacious feel and high driving position reveal why Renault is so keen to introduce a car into this segment. The Captur features a futuristic sat-nav, called VisioDrive. This projects navigation information on to real-life pictures of the road ahead, transmitted to the cabin by forward-facing cameras.

In addition, the newcomer boasts a hi-tech powertrain. Renault envisages the Captur will eventually feature a twin-turbocharged 158bhp 1.6-litre dCi engine. We have tried the 128bhp single-turbo version of this motor, and with a broad range of torque and smooth running, it will be perfect for cars of this size.
Officially, the firm claims the Captur will be able to cover 0-62mph in eight seconds while emitting only 99g/km of CO2. And although the car is front-wheel drive only, Renault’s innovative RX2 system – which can apportion power to either of the driven wheels if one loses grip – should help with off-roading.
From behind the wheel, the Renault Captur feels like a one-off concept. A lack of sound deadening means a huge amount of engine noise, while the suspension is very firm. But none of this matters, as it has no bearing on how the final car will handle. And with the production model’s chassis borrowed from the Juke, we can expect an agile supermini-SUV complete with head-turning looks – and a cut-price Evoque experience.

Renault DeZir first look

Text With a Spin:
The brand new DeZir idea headlines a newfangled front close compose that reviews the brand new front close identity of the next Renault models. The headlights take the shape of illuminated prisms and the perforated ’eyelids' put in this heightened tech feel and donate to DeZir's particular lighting mark. Rear lighting is given by an illuminated, seemingly coasting strip and the Renault logo is highlighted by backdrop illumination through the blades of the grille and resultingly seems to drift in the midst of this space.
Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir


Renault DeZir




DeZir is powered by an electric engine mounted in a mid rear position to improve weight dissemination over the front and rear wheels. The vertically mounted 24kW/h lithium ion electric storage device is located old fashioned and furnishes the auto with a range of 160km. The newfangled thought can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in five seconds, and from 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) in simply several seconds.