French giant Peugeot...
French giant Peugeot is set to axe its trademark hard-top on a new cabriolet. An insider has revealed that a convertible version of the stunning RC Z is on the way ò€“ but it will shun a removable metal lid in favour of a lighter fabric roof.
CONFIRMED HERE
CONFIRMED HERE
It"s not only MINI thatò€™s set to join the speedster set, as these latest pictures prove! Poised to hit the road in 12 monthsò€™ time, the two-seat Renault Twingo CC is described as a spiritual successor to Fordò€™s much loved Puma, and is the French firmò€™s answer to the successful Peugeot 207 CC.
Our spy shots also offer the first glimpse of the new modelò€™s clever single piece hard-top, plus its dramatic face. The car ò€“ which is codenamed X33 ò€“ measures 3.70 metres in length and will offer drivers a choice of two engines. Prices are set to begin at around Ò£14,000.
At present, the plan sees entry-level models fitted with the 100bhp, 1.2-litre TCE unit used in the Twingo GT. A flagship version is also under development, which would use the 131bhp 1.6-litre engine from the Twingo RS. But there is still some uncertainty over the engine range, due to Renaultò€™s intention to cut the emissions of its entire vehicle line-up.
Top brass have already announced a vision to create a new range of cars with average CO2 emissionsof only 40g/km by 2012. To do this, the firm says it will supplement a new generation of electric cars with a range of ultra-efficient petrol and diesel models.
Itò€™s not yet clear if there will be an all-electric Twingo, but options being discussed at the moment include a 900cc three-cylinder petrol and an upmarket 1.6-litre 140bhp diesel. Regardless of the engines Renault chooses to fit, anti-lock brakes, equipped with front discs and rear drums, will be included as standard and should provide fade-free stopping power.
In keeping with Renaultò€™s aim to be crowned Europeò€™s ò€˜safestò€™ car company, ESP will be offered on all models. The Twingo CC will be built at the firmò€™s factory in Dieppe, alongside other models in the Renaultsport range.
But there is still no word on whether all versions of the car will wear the firmò€™s performance badge ò€“ or if bosses intend to reservethe Renaultsport logo fortop-spec variants only.