Renault prepares Smart competitor

In a recent interview with Automotive News Europe, Renault’s CEO, Patrick Pelata announced that the French automaker is preparing a new compact city car to compete head to head with vehicles like the Smart ForTwo, Toyota iQ, Fiat Topolino and future Volkswagen Up!

There is no concrete information about the future petite Renault, but rumors say that it will be built on the same platform as the company’s current Twingo model. There is also a possibility that Renault will produce an electric version inspired by the Kangoo BeBop Z.E. An electrified city car would be all the more feasible due to the European automaker’s ties to the Nissan-NEC next generation lithium ion battery pack. You can expect to see something along the lines of a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. A production version should follow shortly after.