Renault has begun assembling the electric Twingo at its Revoz factory in Novo Mesto, Slovenia—marking the automaker’s first 100% electric plant outside France.
The move is both an industrial milestone and a strategic bet. By assigning production of the electric Twingo to its Slovenian subsidiary, Revoz, Renault is extending its zero-emissions manufacturing footprint beyond its home country for the first time. The shift puts Novo Mesto—an automotive hub in southeastern Slovenia—at the center of Renault’s next phase of electrification.
Assembly started in 2026, in line with the timeline confirmed by Herbert Steiner, Renault’s industrial director for passenger vehicles. Slovenian media had anticipated the launch as Renault ramps up its electric-vehicle output.
From Clio to an all-electric Twingo at Revoz
Novo Mesto isn’t new territory for Renault. The Revoz plant has built Renault vehicles for decades, including multiple generations of the Clio and gasoline-powered Twingo. The switch to an all-electric model is a major production change—but not a break in know-how [1].
The decision also reflects Renault’s broader approach: don’t concentrate the entire EV production chain in France, but expand it across long-established, reliable sites. Slovenia, a member of the European Union, offers a stable regulatory environment and an experienced industrial workforce.
The electric Twingo is positioned as an entry-level model aimed at making zero-emissions driving more accessible. Building it outside France at a cost-competitive plant matters—because it directly affects Renault’s ability to keep pricing attractive in a fiercely contested segment.
Slovenia’s growing role in Europe’s EV manufacturing map
Renault’s choice fits into a wider reshaping of Europe’s auto production geography. Automakers are spreading EV assembly across multiple countries to avoid overreliance on any single location and to manage logistics costs as competition from Asia intensifies.
For Slovenia, landing a 100% electric Renault production line ties the country more closely to Europe’s clean-vehicle supply chain at a moment when sourcing networks are being rebuilt. The local ecosystem includes TI Automotive Proizvodnja Avtomobilskih Delov, an auto supplier that has operated in Novo Mesto since 2018.
That concentration of subcontractors helps shorten supply distances and strengthens the logic of Novo Mesto as an EV manufacturing base.
Ce que la Twingo électrique en Slovénie change pour Renault
An affordable EV facing intense price pressure
The electric Twingo is entering a tough battlefield. Chinese offerings—driven by aggressive pricing—have reset expectations in Europe for low-cost EVs. Renault is trying to balance affordability, industrial margins, and European “local content” rules that can determine whether buyers qualify for purchase incentives in several EU countries.
Producing in Slovenia rather than France changes the local-content calculation, a metric watched closely in Brussels as part of policies supporting electric mobility. Renault will need to show that its value chain remains sufficiently anchored in Europe for its vehicles to stay eligible for national bonus programs.
For Revoz, the 2026 shift is both symbolic and industrial: as Renault’s first all-electric plant outside France, it could preview a more distributed European footprint in which different Renault sites specialize in distinct EV models based on their comparative advantages.
Revoz Novo Mesto : les faits sur la première usine Renault électrique hors France
- L'usine Revoz de Novo Mesto est la première usine Renault 100 % électrique hors de France.
- L'assemblage de la Twingo électrique à Novo Mesto a démarré en 2026.
- Herbert Steiner, directeur industriel véhicules particuliers chez Renault, avait confirmé ce calendrier.
- Revoz produit des véhicules Renault depuis plusieurs décennies, notamment des générations de Clio et Twingo thermique.
- TI Automotive Proizvodnja, équipementier automobile, est implanté à Novo Mesto depuis 2018.
Sources
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