Twizy Gets Jiggy

It seems that the Renault Twizy is making waves far beyond the automotive world. This two-seater all-electric vehicle which is already available in a few counties in Europe is an instant superstar in the United States, literally. With two-time Grammy Award winner David Guetta as the ambassador for the Twizy – along with his wife Cathy, the lady behind the famous Ibiza parties – the Frenchman decided to shoot one of his videos in Los Angeles.

Recently, the car spent some time in the upmarket area of Manhattan, and more precisely at The Standard Hotel in the hip and trendy Meatpacking District. A morning jog in Central Park, arty shopping in Soho, a nighttime stroll under the lights of Times Square… Twizy is also starring alongside the world’s greatest chefs at a special dinner organized by Relais & Chateaux.

The Twizy is a true city car that has an agility capability useful in the urban environment. It may have four wheels but mobility is more to a two-wheeler; although the battery can power the rear mounted engine for 100km, a more realistic performance is 80km and that lowers to 50km in severe conditions with repeated hard acceleration. Complete charge of the lithium-ion battery is less than 3 hours and a half. An interesting fact about the Twizy in France is that it comes with two choice of powerplants – a 13kW motor that produces 17hp and 57Nm with a top speed of 80kmh; and a 4kW motor that generates just 5hp and 33Nm, top speed capped to 45kmh. And the latter engine requires no driving license to operate! (in other countries it would depend on local legislation).