Renault mulls over bringing the all-electric Twizy to Canada

By Alexander Kalogianni March 3, 2015

Renault Twizy — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Our attention to all things automotive are intently focused on Geneva this week, but our neighbors to the north have their own auto show, the Québec City International Auto Show. Here, The Renault Twizy will be on display, indicating that the French automaker might find its way across the pond once again, after leaving the North American Market in 1987.

According to Green Car Reports, Renault’s general manager for the development of electric vehicles Emmanuelle Desbrosse said to publication Le Soleil that Renault it is exploring the possibility of bringing the all-electric Twizy to this side of the globe, submitting the diminutive runabout for approval with the Canadian transport bureau after having received many requests.

Renault Twizy — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If approved, two versions of the low speed electric vehicle would be offered: the two seater version and the Twizy Cargo, a single seater designed for quick local deliveries.

The electric city car can only go 50 miles per hour and has a range of 62 miles. Neither may sound like much, but it’s proven itself as the ideal low cost urban vehicle to navigate throughout a major European city, and could very well see the same success in places like Quebec.

This is purely speculation on our part, but if Renault sees bringing the Twizy to Canada as a profitable endeavor, they may also eye major U.S. cities for the Twizy shortly thereafter. Renault also piloted a car sharing program for the EV in 2012, and we could see something similar to that carrying over to places like New York, specifically analogous to the Citi Bike bicycle sharing program throughout Manhattan.

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Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

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