Renault’s Updated Twingo Got Lost En Route To Paris, But We Found It

When we last saw Renault working on a mid-cycle refresh for the Twingo, we figured it would be unveiled at the international auto show this week. But the show came and went, with not a Twingo in sight. (At least, not a new one.) Apparently the French automaker’s still working on it, though, as we can see from these latest spy shots.

Renault’s version of the Smart Forfour is a fun little city car, with four doors, four seats, and the engine in the back. It’s not quite a working-man’s 911, but it can be a hoot to drive, what with its rearward bias, rear-wheel drive, and one of the tightest turning circles in the industry.

Now in its third iteration, the current Twingo has been around since 2014. So an update’s in order to keep it at the top of its game. Just what that update will entail, we can’t say at this point.

But it’ll evidently get some revised bodywork at both ends. And we could expect some revisions to the quirky cabin space, along with some new tech, and hopefully a more potent engine.

Renault currently offers the Twingo with a tiny 1.0-liter inline-three. Canted to the side to fit under the minuscule cargo shelf, it dispatches all of 71 horsepower (52 kW) and 67 lb-ft (91 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels through either a five-speed manual or a six-speed DCT.

There’s a turbocharged version as well, displacing slightly less but boosting output to 90 hp (66 kW) and 100 lb-ft (135 Nm). And the Twingo GT takes it even further (if not quite into Renault Sport territory) with 108 hp (80 kW) and 125 lb-ft (169 Nm). But maybe, just maybe the manufacturer will roll out something even more potent for the revised version.

Not much more, mind you – the car’s tiny and probably couldn’t handle much more than that – but on a vehicle this light on its feet, a little bit can go a very long way.