I was a big fan of the Renault Twingo when I first saw it at my very first global auto show (Geneva in 1993); I even brought home a (now non-functional) Twingo watch and a plush Twingo for my sofa. Curiously, when Renault first talked about rebooting the Twingo, they talked about teaming with a then-unnamed Chinese engineering company. This update from Autocar doesn't mention any partner but offers some insight as to how Renault cut their development in (roughly) half. Their Leap100 program targeted reducing upfront planning time 16%, design and development time 41%, and industrialization time 26%. 🔸 Using an in-house proprietary AI system to allow designers to define their own individual style and then leverage AI to turn sketches into 3D models (and predict aerodynamic performance) 🔸 Extended reality (XR) tools for interior design instead of relying on physical models 🔸 Reducing complexity, noting that some Chinese manufacturers have about 15 build combinations, while the Megane E-Tech has 220 🔸 A new $30M Immersive Simulation Center that leverages digital twins to reduce the reliance on physical testing (cutting the number of required test models by over half) It sounds pretty impressive, but of course we'll have to see how the final product turns out. The new Renault 4 and 5 seem to be winning over both the media and customer, so we'll see if the Twingo follows suit. https://lnkd.in/gHVuFtsy
Ken Friis Hansen
1mo
Bet you anything it will be overcomplicated and too expensive. As a former Twingo owner I'm sad Renault didn't follow the no-nonsense approach of the original
It is impressive that this was developed in 2 years, but in reality, this is a variant of an existing platform, with the chassis/skateboard, electrical bus and probably many hard points, like A pillar, dashboard/center stack display, etc, already defined. As such, especially on an EV, the development delta shouldn't be much more than an MCA with significant sheet metal changes. Limiting the build combinations also speeds the effort. We'll see how the customer feels about it compared to its 4/5 stablemates and whether Renault gains new customers or shifts the existing ones.
Retired(rewired). Currently residing in San Diego. Actively engaged in consulting with focus on Japan and Asia.
1moTwingo brings me back another memory: establishment of a new sub-S segment that made other European OEMs to scramble to come up with their own. Opel for one ended up collaborating with Suzuki to come out with Opel Agila, one of the most profitable Opel models in its history.