Renault Twingo concept car goes tech crazy

If you can manage to squeeze yourself and three of your nerdiest buddies into this tiny car, y'all are going to have the one of the most gadget-laden rides ever perpetrated by man. From the pics you can tell the Renault Twingo concept is bristling with iPod docks, and a dashboard mixer puts them all to good use, but there's plenty of other stuff going on here. The car sports USB and Bluetooth connectivity, and each seat gets an audio jack for listening to an independent source, in case the front seat DJ isn't mixing it up well enough. There's also a 15-inch LCD, which is backed by an in-car PC with internet access of some sort. When you open up the hatch, there's some chilled beverages awaiting, and the speaker system points backwards to blast sound into the quickly assembling crowd of Very Cool People that suddenly will want to be your friend. Check out plenty more pics after the break.

[quazi @ Oct 4th 2006 9:55AM]

The padals are Circle, Square, and Triangle?! Where's "X"? It should be the horn.. or low punch, either one.

[Mugsy @ Oct 4th 2006 10:32AM]

Shouldn't the clutch be a pause button? "||"

[Bart @ Oct 5th 2006 9:34PM]

the X is the driver... when they are X-treme! haha so lame...

[Chris @ Oct 4th 2006 9:55AM]

I would roll in it, word son.

[ImCowman @ Oct 4th 2006 9:58AM]

Umm, does anyone else see the play and stop (and record) buttons on the pedals?? Isnt that a TAD unsafe?

"O, crap. This is my favorite song, but theres a stop sign up ahead!"

"Ooh, I'll play This song!" *crashes into garage wall*

[Deluxe @ Oct 4th 2006 10:31AM]

Only if you're a moron.

[Wonderboy @ Oct 4th 2006 10:17AM]

I think people forget that these aren't complete morons designing these cars. My assumption would be that the pedals do nothing more than the normal gas/brake/clutch functions of all car pedals. But given the media-centric concept of this design, it's a style thing... kind of like using the gas is "pushing play" and using the brake is "pushing stop" on the engine.

[Matt @ Oct 4th 2006 10:20AM]

Like the pedal detailing - I really really really dont think they are real functional play/record/stop controls though! (Anyway why would you want to record when its all off of ipod already?)

Odd though because the Twingo used to be a really crappy run around thing. Odd that they chose this to chav up and not something else. Like to body kit anyway.

[vince @ Oct 4th 2006 10:21AM]

Hmmm...It looks like at least some of the French aren't too concerned with iPod dominance. Too bad it a Renault, I might have considered it if it were a Peugeot.

[Mike @ Oct 4th 2006 10:29AM]

Four people, Four sources of music, no headphones.

Am I the only one who thinks this is one of the most ill-conceived ideas ever?

I realize it is a concept vehicle and will never see market, but why not stick to something which could actually be useful.

[Craig @ Oct 4th 2006 11:03AM]

If you read the post it does say "and each seat gets an audio jack for listening to an independent source"

[engadgeter @ Oct 4th 2006 2:49PM]

there are headphones, one for each passanger, there's an article on autoblog.com

[Jacob Kennedy @ Oct 4th 2006 10:29AM]

The drink holders in the trunk are hilarious! Let's eat up what little room for storage there is with something that can't be used unless we're parked with the hatch open. A better idea would have been to integrate a cooler... and a V8... and a 6' bed... and 22" rims... and call it a Ridgeline.

But don't mind me. I've just got my panties in a twist because my latte only had 'extra' foam this morning instead of 'double' foam.

[damo007 @ Oct 4th 2006 10:33AM]

I drove a rented twingo in the canaries once. Whilst going downhill the brakes overheated and went all soft. Thought they were going to fail completely but I managed to stop the car. I then urinated on the front wheels to cool the disks and pads down.

[adf32 @ Oct 4th 2006 10:35AM]

If you can manage to squeeze yourself and three of your nerdiest buddies into this tiny car...

Sure, americans can't imagine that you can have plenty of space in to a little car if the room concept is great, like the Twingo. In Cities, there's nothing better then a little Car.

[S11D336B @ Oct 4th 2006 1:25PM]

I expect we'll be seeing many more of these type cars in the not so far off future. I already have a custom built computer in my car along with many many other people. http://www.mp3car.com

[Ssco @ Oct 4th 2006 10:54AM]

Surely Americans would be too large to use this small car in the first place?!

[hackaroxp @ Oct 4th 2006 10:56AM]

Who call's this a tiny car has never been inside a Twingo, Twingo looks tiny from the exterior but inside it has an HUGE amount of space.

[eggsackley @ Oct 4th 2006 11:08AM]

It's got all that space inside because it uses TARDIS technology.

[john @ Oct 4th 2006 11:02AM]

Um... iPod docks and headphone jacks in each seat? Why doesn't each passenger just plug headphones directly into their iPod (or other media player of their choosing)? My car is more flexible in this regard. Each passenger can listen to his/her own choice of iPods, Zunes, Zens, PDAs, or even an old Sony cassette walkman if they want.

[tiuk @ Oct 4th 2006 11:30AM]

It would be neat if each seat had a control panel that would let them listen to the inputs from the other seats if they choose to. ie. I'm in the passenger seat and want to listen to what is playing on the guy in the back's iPod.

[dreampc @ Oct 4th 2006 11:37AM]

...and probably the roughest riding vehicle on the market. I'm guessing the iPod will probably bounce out of the dock, after a while of use...

...and those drink holders will of course be useless in a car that magnifies every bump.... guess you can only keep un-opened Redbull in those.

[Iskra @ Oct 4th 2006 11:37AM]

My girlfriend had a Twingo - she sold it just three months ago. To tell you the truth: best small car for the price. And I'm 203cm tall. Sure it had some trouble getting across the hills with four passenger aboard but it made it.

Oh and the brake thing damo007 mentioned: totally true if fully loaded :)

[PEZ @ Oct 4th 2006 2:07PM]

Damnm, my pancreas aches for this car. Now, stick it into a mustang, preez.

[Grant @ Oct 4th 2006 2:25PM]

Remember when you used to be able to talk to your buddies during a long road-trip?

Not only is the art of conversation is dead, it's also deaf.

[Edicus_Rex @ Oct 4th 2006 4:37PM]

I really like the looks of this car.... I am in outside sales and spend a good portion of the day in my car. I have always wished I had a car with Internet access and a PC dock (or car PC). I like the bluetooth access, as I am in Chicago and there are no end of free Wi-Fi spots I could access.

But...... I really think mini-coopers are cool too, and my girlfriend thinks they are clown cars and thinks all such cars aren't very manly.


I'll miss her as I'm rollin in my new, (small) pimp sled.

[Jash @ Oct 4th 2006 7:28PM]

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM

[Roofus @ Oct 4th 2006 10:43PM]

Yeah, the first time you put that baby in gear you snap your ipod(s) off the dock. And can anyone see what's on the dead pedal? Does it go with record, stop, play?