Renault's 30th Anniversary Twingo under the design direction of Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis steers toward a candy-like aesthetic.

The Renault Twingo is a model that may not ring a bell amongst drivers in the United States, but the triple-portmanteau compact with its named derived from “Twist,” “Swing,” and “Tango” is a European classic of sorts. With millions sold since its launch at the 1992 Mondial de l?Automobile in Paris, the French automaker is celebrating the city car’s mileage across three decades with the 2023 Elle Deco International Designer of the Year Award winning Sabine Marcelis giving the frog-eyed compact a transparently modern redesign.
The sculpted bonnet draws sharply downward toward a pair of arched-eyed headlamps complemented further down by twin lips of LED illuminated lights, retaining the Twingo’s characteristically friendly visage. Originally born from French automotive designer Patrick Le Quément’s aspiration to bring to market a car representing “instinctive design against extinctive marketing” back in the late 1980s, the compact aerodynamic wedge would prove popular enough to go onto see three redesigns in 1998, 2000, and 2004 before being put to rest in 2021. But none are so wildly distinctive as the treatment bestowed by Marcelis in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the original Twingo.

The Twingo as reimagined by the Dutch designer and artist is an all-electr...