Next Renault Twingo ready for its Swiss debut

Thu, 13 Feb 2014

Renault's diminutive city car, the Twingo, is set for a debut in a few weeks at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. So naturally, the little hatchback has leaked out early. Carscoops came up with the original batch of images before Renault posted the official family photo you see above.

We'll need to wait until we get to Geneva to get all the details on the Twingo, but here's what we know so far. It's a relative of the upcoming Smart ForFour, but where that car uses a conventional front-engine, front-drive layout, the Twingo is backwards. That's right, this is a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive city car. That concept on its own sounds spectacular.

Rumors, according to Carscoops, point to a three-cylinder engine for the Twingo. Owners should get to choose from both a do-it-yourself manual transmission and a dual-clutch gearbox. The little five-door should include a sportier trim, too, hopefully along the lines of the well-regarded Renaultsport Twingo 133. Whether that car is shown in the family portrait or if it will arrive at a later date remains unclear.

Would a small, rear-engine, rear-drive hatch make sense in America? Would you rather drive a Twingo than the other micro-cars on sale? Have your say in Comments.

By Brandon Turkus