Buzz rocket

So what is the Twizy? Renault calls it a quadricycle. But considering its conventional driving position, it seems more car than bike. And its definition is important as it will determine its fate here. If put into the motorcycle category as proposed by Renault, the company expects its retail price to be around $25,000. But if classified under Cat A COE and tagged with a $70,000 premium, the Twizy will be doomed to be sold in extremely limited numbers as a rich man’s toy. An extravagant one at that!

While the future looks uncertain for the Twizy, we do look forward to seeing it on our roads as congestion becomes a bigger issue. Perhaps a co-sharing personal mobility concept around the Central Business District will help cut down congestion and CO2 emissions in the city.

Contrary to popular conventions, it is possible to be quiet yet still make a lot of noise! The New Renault Twizy with a tandem-style architecture for two, provides city dwellers with an incredible new urban mobility solution. Thanks to its ultra-compact footprint (length = 2.34m / width = 1.24m) and a very low centre of gravity, the New Renault Twizy can slip into the smallest of gaps and park on a dime.

Taking a mere 6.1 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 45 km/h (the same performance as a 125cc scooter over a distance of 50 metres), the New Renault Twizy is an incredibly effective four-wheeler! Weaving in and out of traffic on a typical urban journey, it permits a time saving of 25% – including parking – without consuming a drop of fuel. Furthermore, with the excellent visibility it offers, thin windscreen pillars, open architecture and impressively small turning circle of 6.8m, agility in the urban jungle becomes a way of life.

Credits: Story by Benjamin G. Kline & Renault, Photos by Renault