Renault will axe the Twingo city car from its UK line-up, citing a desire to simplify its model range.
A facelifted Twingo will go on sale in the next few months, but Renault has confirmed that a right-hand-drive version for the UK won't be introduced.
A spokesman said: “Renault UK has decided to not commercialise the Twingo Phase II in the UK right-hand-drive market when this vehicle launches across Europe in the first half of 2019.
He continued: “The decision is due to commercial reasons that align with Renault UK’s policy of having a simpler choice of versions for customers – as demonstrated with the recently introduced Easy Life specifications on Clio, Captur, Mégane, Scénic and Koleos models – and allowing a greater commercial focus to be placed on the range of all-new models and powertrains coming in 2019 and beyond as outlined in Groupe Renault’s Drive The Future mid-term business plan.”
Sales of the current Twingo peaked in 2015, with 5555 units sold in the UK. Since then, sales have declined dramatically. In 2018, just 877 Twingos were sold here.
The Twingo is part of the declining city car segment, with rivals including the Citroën C1 and Volkswagen Up also having lost ground over the last couple of years. In Europe last year, the Twingo sold 77,326 units, while the C1 sold 53,292 and the Up 100,715.
These entry-level cars are also notoriously hard to make profitable, and Renault is likely to perceive that making a right-hand-drive version isn't worth the return.
The Smart Forfour, which shares its underpinnings with the Twingo, is unaffected, according to a Smart UK spokesman.
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scrap
Oh dear. Interesting car but
Oh dear. Interesting car but perhaps too flawed to compete with the ubiquitous Up.
xxxx
If you can't beat em
Give up. Seems to be a reoccurring theme with the weaker manufacturers
typos1 - Just can’t respect opinion
Mikey C
Shame, but then their small
Shame, but then their small car range seems quite crowded, the electric Zoe is probably a more popular choice for people just wanting a city runaround.
macaroni
Twingo Phase II?
I thought this was the 3rd phase of Twingos!
typos1
No, its the Twingo Mk2 phase
No, its the Twingo Mk2 phase 2.
XXXX just went POP.
Mini2
typos1 wrote:
It isn’t - this is the third generation Twingo. It sits on a totally different platform to the Mk2 Twingo which came out in 2007. It’s the Mk3 Phase 2 which they aren’t bringing to the UK.
I have to say I’m not surprised but it’s a shame. Car industry is in a weird place at the moment and I think Renault’s range is quite poor at the moment. They need to seriously sort out their interiors.
"Work hard and be nice to people"
WallMeerkat
Mini2 wrote:
There have been a couple of times where I've spotted an unusual but sleek looking saloon on the streets - first of which was a French registered Talisman, and then an Irish reg Megane coupe (saloon). Neither of which we can buy here :)
MrJ
The original Twingo of 1992
The original Twingo of 1992 was a great little car. Succeeding generations have watered down the mini-MPV style to the point of boredom. I won't miss this one.
WallMeerkat
Bit of a shame, I actually
Bit of a shame, I actually thought it was technically interesting in being the first small rear engined car in years.
I wonder though how many people walk into a Renault showroom and get taken in by the cheap Sandero or upsold to the larger Clio?
(Renault never sold the mk1 Twingo as they thought there was no market for small cars in the UK, then they sold the mk2 which was very watered down.)
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