What's the news?

Renault has chosen the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milan (the design equivalent of the Frankfurt Motor Show seemingly) to unveil its new Twin'Z concept city car. The electrically powered, carbon fibre bodied green machine features all the fripperies you would expect of a concept model, but peel that all away and the show car looks and sounds a lot like the next generation Twingo.

Exterior

The Twin'Z is the fifth 'petal in Renault's six leaf design flower' (you couldn't make this stuff up if you tried) that started with 2010's DeZir. The design of the Twin'Z sees Renault enter its 'Play' stage of design (seriously can we have a job there?) and also marks the first collaboration with British designer Ross Lovegrove. Lovegrove's brief was to 'break down the boundaries between the world of an object whose calling is to be in movement - the automobile - and that of furniture.'

Best we can tell, exterior wise at least, is that in attempting to turn the Twin'Z into furniture Lovegrove fitted it with LED lights that run from the front grille, up over the roof before finishing in the rear bumper. The rear spoiler is also solid crystal, but neither that nor the hugely intricate alloy wheels will ever make it to production.

One thing that may is the paint - apparently designed to pay homage to 20th century painter Yves Klein - which has an anodised rather than painted look to it, as if the colour was part of the car rather than applied to it.

Interior

If the exterior is crazy the interior is even more so. It is here that designer Ross Lovegrove went most mad by completely eradicating the dashboard from the car. We have seen some concepts that aim to do away with the huge lump of plastic in front of the occupants but the Twin'Z is the first we can remember that does it while replacing the whole thing with a Samsung developed touchscreen. Add in four minimalist seats straight from the Ikea catalogue, enough black lights to embarrass a stoner from the seventies and you have the Twin'Z.

Mechanicals

This is where things get surprisingly normal; the Twin'Z, like all good concepts nowadays, is powered by an electric motor - with four lithium-ion battery packs mounted under the floor. They are said to give the Twin'Z a range of 100 miles with a top speed of 81mph - the latter thanks to a 68hp maximum output.

Doesn't sound too fanciful for a car that has a solid crystal spoiler and no dashboard - and that's because it isn't. Underneath all the 'furniture inspired' design the Twin'Z is closely related to the Smart Electric Drive, for both it and the next generation Twingo will be built alongside one another. This may also mean that the more conventional petrol powered cars will be rear-engined and rear wheel drive. Just imagine the Renaultsport version...

Anything else?

The third generation Renault Twingo, complete with Twin'Z inspired looks, is likely to arrive here early in 2015. The new car is expected to follow the Clio in being a five-door only model.

Paul Healy - 8 Apr 2013