Renault killed the Twizy off in September 2023 but it hasn’t given up on its quirky tandem two-seater. The microcar has been reborn as the Mobilize Duo, this time with a much greater emphasis on refinement, as well as the addition of a Bento cargo van spinoff. Mobilize is a new Renault company that focuses on mobility services like car sharing and subscriptions, and the Duo/Bento models, debuting at this month’s Paris Motor show, are production versions of a pair of Mobilize concepts launched at the same event two years ago.
Looking like a more macho Twizy, the Duo
features Lamborghini-style scissor doors with built-in flip-up windows for
better weather protection, and there’s a greater emphasis on car-like gadgets
this time around. A heated seat, air conditioning, and Bluetooth are part of
the package, as is an airbag, something missing from the Duo’s Citroen Ami
rival because cars like this are homologated as quadricycles in Europe and
exempt from some safety demands.
But all quadricycles are not created
equal. Some (L6e) can be driven in certain European countries by 14-year-olds
and those not holding a car license but must be limited to 8 hp and 45 km/h. Others (L7e) are designed for licensed motorcycle riders
and car drivers and allowed to pump out 21 hp and run to 80 km/h, so Mobilize is building two different Duos to suit each set of regs.
How much power the motor pinched from the Renault Austral hybrid makes in the
punchier Duo hasn’t been confirmed, but Renault says the 10.3 kWh NMC battery
is rated at 161 km of range and should still be good for 100 km in cold weather. Topping it up from 20-80 percent takes 3 hr 50 mins
via an AC charger and 25 mins less when hooked up to a DC outlet.
The Duo’s tiny 2,430 mm-long chassis measures just 1,300 mm across and has a turning circle of
only 6.8 m, making it perfect for carving through and parking in
cities. Mobilize says it consists of one-fifth the number of parts that go into
a regular car, and that 40 percent of the Duo’s components are recycled. French
prices start at € 9,090 (US$ 9,950) for the slowest version, the Duo 45 Neo, or you
can drop € 2,090 (US$ 2,290) and pay just € 29 (US$ 32) per month for 37 months. The
speedier Duo 80 Pro is € 10,700 (US$ 11,700) and the more luxurious Duo 80 Evo is
€ 11,600 (US$ 12,690).
But sure to be piquing the interest of
delivery drivers and small businesses around Europe is the Bento van, which
swaps the back seat for a cargo box and costs € 10,000 (US$ 10,940), excluding tax.
The 649-liter box adds 110 mm to the length and cuts
the range to 149 km, but the 60 percent bigger load area and its
more conventional placement give it a major advantage over Citroen’s Ami Cargo.
