Renault has given the smallest model in its range, the Twingo, a mid-life facelift to keep it alive and fresh until its replacement.

Styled by ex-Mazda design boss Laurens van den Acker, the Twingo is the first production model to get Renault’s new face, previewed over the past year by the Frendzy, Zoe, Captur, R-Space and DeZir concepts. We only get a three-quarter view of the car for the moment, but it seems that most, if not all, of the styling changes have taken place in the front.

Describing the update as a “quick and dirty” overhaul, van den Acker said, “We’ve tried to give the car more personality, so that you feel you’re connected with it.” The exterior styling updates are limited to the face and rear (yet to be revealed), “because the investments are otherwise too high,” van den Acker said.

The next Renault Twingo will be based on a brand-new rear-wheel drive platform shared with Smart’s future four-seater model and should arrive between 2013 and 2014.

Renault is offering us a glimpse of its next generation Scenic with the new R-Space concept model unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The R-Space is the third concept model after the DeZir and the Captur crossover, which is also on display in Geneva, to showcase the French brand’s new design language conceived by Renault’s chief designer, Laurens van den Acker.

At 4 250 mm meters long, the R-Space is slightly shorter than the current Scenic (4 344 mm) and features a much more expressive exterior design. The interior styling is quite futuristic with the floating dashboard and the form of the seats echoing those of the DeZir concept car. “We provided a strong visual and functional contrast between the driver environment, where the focus is on driving pleasure, and a surprising and highly-original rear section conceived as a play space for children,” said interior designer Alexandre Gommier.

One of the highlights of the R-Space is found at the back, where twenty-seven miniature motors power height-adjustable cubes that can take different shapes: an all-flat surface for load carrying, a bench for three passengers, a table or a random configuration that children could create themselves – the last one only when the vehicle is parked.

The MPV concept also previews a new range of fuel-efficient turbocharged petrol engines as the R-Space is powered by a 900cc three-cylinder petrol engine, which uses turbocharging and direct-injection and is linked to a double-clutch EDC transmission. This engine, which produces 82 kW and 160 Nm of torque, previews the new range of modular TCe engines, called Energy TCe, that Renault will launch in 2012. The R-Space has an average fuel consumption of just 3.7 L/100km and CO2 emissions of 95 g/km, thanks to the fitting of an intelligent DRIVINGECO² system, which automatically adapts engine response in relation to the various parameters influencing energy consumption. The Renault MPV can reach a top speed of 200 km/h and sprints from 0 – 100 km/h in 11 seconds.

Adapted from CarScoop