Wednesday 11 April 2012

French Renault introduces a new electric "car"

Would you like to pay 10,000 USD for this doorless "car" without heating ?  And, yes,  the battery  is not included, either. The Twizy is supposed to be a 2-seater - Where the second seat is located, is a mystery. 


French Renault thinks that this new new electric "car" - without doors,ventilation and heating - is going to be a great success. Based on a calculated 10 year life span, the car will cost more than an ordinary compact car.

Good luck, Renault!

Hopefully there will be drivers, who enjoy the door- and heatless Twizy when the winter temperature is -20 °C, with driving conditions like this:


Der Spiegel has some more information on the new French beauty:

This vehicle, called the Twizy, is also a two-seater, although its seats are positioned one behind the other. Its wheels are mounted outside the body of the car, making it look a bit like the "Kabinenroller" cars produced by German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt after World War II. On the whole, the Twizy looks as if it could have sprung from the imagination of a comic book artist.


The Twizy comes with a roof and, if desired, doors as well, although without windows. Full weather protection with heating and ventilation would have been prohibitively expensive, the vehicle's designers explain.


Now, Renault needs to succeed in making its pared-down vehicle the latest elite trend -- the Twizy is not a cheap, when measured by its capacity. The base price of €7,690 for the 80-kph version includes neither the half-high doors nor the battery. As with its other models, Renault plans to rent out the Twizy's rechargeable batteries for a monthly fee ranging between €50 and €72, depending on the contract.
Calculated across an assumed lifespan of 10 years, that means the Twizy actually costs more than some full-fledged compact cars.

1 comment:

A K Haart said...

They must be hoping for subsidized purchases I suppose. Even so, it's difficult to see significant sales.