Renault design boss: “there are lots of EVs you can respect, but very few you can love”

So, you’ve pored over the details of the new Renault Twingo. You’ve read all about its 2.49m wheelbase, its 27.5kWh battery and its 163 miles of range. But now it’s time to step back slightly and peruse the design.

What do we think – is it a successful reimagining of the 90s Euro icon?

“We know that whenever we show the Twingo internally, it brightens people up,” said Renault Group’s design head honcho Laurens van den Acker when asked whether the Twingo hits the right retro notes.

Although, much like Renault’s new 4 and 5, the reborn Twingo isn’t supposed to be all-out old-fashioned.

“We tested the R5 in clinics and people actually thought it was futuristic, so it’s too easy to say that these are just retro cars. They’re more than that because the details, the proportions, the headlights, the technology inside, the maps – everything makes them contemporary. And I think this is kind of a magic mix.

“I think what you find in Renault – that is maybe different from a Korean company or a German company – is that we have a little bit of irony and self-deprecation, and a little bit of humour.

“Arguably, I think the world needs a little bit more of that. There are lots of EVs that you can respect, but there's very few that you can love. And it's our job to give people a reason to love the cars. And I think with the R5, the R4 and hopefully also with the Twingo, we give people a reason to buy it just because they love it.”

So, will Renault continue to bring back classic designs from its back catalogue? Well, yes, but not every new car will be a throwback.

“People often ask if we're doing these icons, does it mean that we're not working on the future? My argument is that we have a strategy on two legs,” he said.

“Those legs are future icons and legendary icons. The future icons include Clio, Megane and Scenic, while the legendary icons are Renault 4, Renault 5, Twingo et cetera.

“What this does is it allows us to keep a link with the people that know us from the past. There's a reservoir of sympathy for the brand. People have all these good memories of when they were stuck along the highway with their old Renault 4 and they ran out of baguettes on the way to their camping holiday. We can connect with those people with the legendary icons, and with the future icons we can connect with the future.

“To a certain degree, from a design perspective, this liberates us. The fact that we do an R4 and R5 for the people that love those cars, that gets them off our back, and it actually frees us up to do really futuristic cars. So, it's not a one-way street. Actually, it's a very rich palette that we can offer.”