Renault launches 2 microcars in Europe

The French automaker will be replacing its retired Twizy EV with two tiny city cars at once, the Duo and the Bento. Both have been designed by the company’s Mobilize division and are already available for ordering in Europe starting today.

The Duo is only 2,430 mm (95 inches) long and around 1.3 meters (51 inches) wide. The Bento is slightly longer at 2,540 mm (99 inches), but has about the same width. As a result, neither takes up too much parking space, and both can make a U-turn on a circle just 6.8 meters (22.3 feet) in diameter.

Despite looking much like their predecessor, the Twizy, the new cars feature much more practical pop-up doors that swing forward when opened, Lamborghini-style. The Bento comes with a cargo box 649 liters (22.9 cubic feet) large and is best suited for delivery services. The Duo is a passenger two-seater. Both keep physical buttons to a minimum with a fully digital dashboard and a smartphone holder/charger instead of an infotainment screen.

The Mobilize Duo will be available in two versions. One of them will be capped at 45 km/h (28 mph) and will therefore be legal to drive without a license in some countries. For example, France allows quadricycles from age 14. The other one will reach 80 km/h (50 mph) and will require a driver’s license. Both will utilize the same 10.3-kWh battery pack rated up to 160 km (99 miles) of range.

The Bento will get the stronger out of the two powertrains mentioned above, but won’t go farther than 149 km (92.6 miles) on a charge. Renault claims that even in harsh winter conditions, both EVs will have at least 100 km (62 miles) of guaranteed range.

Prices range from €9,090 to €11,600.