What's the news?
The Renault Twizy Cargo. Yes, you read right; one of the smallest vehicles on sale today can now be had as a van. We laughed too; but the more you think about it, the more it seems to make sense...
Exterior
From the outside it looks like a regular Twizy; all apart from a small, lockable door around the rear light cluster. Its compact and extremely slim design makes parking one of the easiest tasks going, and allows the driver to exit from either side, minimising the time needed to find a parking spot for traditional van drivers. As well as practicality, the uniquely styled Twizy makes for a great way for businesses to advertise.
Interior
Behind the aforementioned lockable rear door is a 180-litre, 75kg load bay in place of where you'd usually find the rear seat. Whilst we know that you'll never see a Twizy Cargo with "Jim's Removals" up the side; its compact load bay is ideal for businesses such as pizza delivery companies and city-based IT engineers.
Mechanicals
Its lightweight construction means that the 17hp electric motor is plenty powerful enough to make headway in town and in the city while returning a real-world range of 50 miles according to Renault. The Twizy also benefits from being exempt from London's Congestion Charge, and road tax, resulting in potentially big savings, as well as not having to buy fuel of course. A full charge takes around three and a half hours and can be done so from a standard three-pin plug socket.
Anything else?
Order books for the Twizy Cargo open next month with prices starting from £6,241 - £650 less than the passenger version. Furthermore, Twizy Cargo owners can reclaim the VAT spent on both buying the van and on leasing its batteries.
To coincide with the launch of the Twizy Cargo, Renault has begun a "Design Your Own Twizy" scheme that Twizy buyers can use online. Made up of over 40 colours and 30 pre-designed wraps, a team of vinyl specialists at the Renault factory will apply a custom finish to a Twizy from as little as £250.
James Giddings - 26 Jun 2013
