Renault Expands Its EV Arsenal With Twizy, Zoe

GENEVA – Renault continues its electric-vehicle charge into the European auto market with the production version of the Zoe launching at the end of the year, and is sending the Twizy 2-seater into the market with musical accompaniment.

David Guetta, a French DJ and musician whose work is the most-downloaded in Europe, will be the Twizy’s ambassador for the next year with his wife Cathy, an artistic director and organizer of nightlife parties.

Guetta and his wife will participate in a marketing campaign called “Plug into the positive energy” that launches this spring when the Twizy finally reaches the market, about three months later than first planned.

Guetta will tune up a song, “Alphabeat,” from the album “Nothing But the Beat,” and cut a video that debuts March 27 at a party in Renault’s store on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Stephen Norman, Renault vice president-marketing and communication, calls the Twizy “a full-electric urban tandem featuring one-of-a-kind styling and targeting the rising generation.”

To market that idea, “we wanted a strong and indisputable icon whose positive energy, French roots and international success embody this shift into a new world.”

The Twizy will be offered with a wide range of looks. It comes with two powertrains, one that will let it drive like a car and a softer option that will limit its use to urban speed limits.

Prices on the Zoe, a 4-seat purpose-built EV, start at E15,000 ($20,600) after the E5,000 ($6,500) government incentive. The battery is rented separately for E79 ($103) a month.

Meanwhile, Renault’s Dacia brand launches its own new cars here, the Lodgy people-mover and the facelifted Sandero Stepway 2.

The Lodgy will offer 5- and 7-seat versions, with a base price at less than E10,000 ($13,000). It shares the M0 entry-level platform with the other Dacias and, like them, is sold as a Renault in emerging global markets.

The Lodgy also introduces a E430 ($570) infotainment package called Media.nav which includes radio, sockets for MP3 players, Bluetooth and satellite navigation with a 7-in. (18-cm) touch-screen. Higher trim levels have speed limiters and rear parking sensors as options.

The EV project has driven Renault’s marketing efforts for several years, but at the Paris auto show this fall it will introduce the Clio IV, an important car for the auto maker’s short-term health. The Clio will compete in the B-segment against Peugeot’s new 208.