When we stumbled across a Nissan S-Cargo for sale in California, we thought we’d found the worst excuse for a van available in the United States. We were wrong. Somebody in Los Angeles has an even less-utilitarian utility vehicle—one that was never sold in this country, has no discernible reason for being here, and is hopelessly out of its depth on American roads. Somehow, somebody brought a Renault Twizy Cargo to California, and after going through all that trouble, they’re now selling it for a stupefying $16,000.
Let’s back up for a moment here to explain exactly what a Renault Twizy is. Less an electric car than an enclosed quad bike (think an ATV sans the all-terrain part), the Twizy is a low-speed, short-range form of transport designed for use in dense urban areas. Its minuscule 6.1-kilowatt-hour battery gives it a range of about 50 miles if driven responsibly, and a top speed of 28 or 50 miles per hour depending on specification. Most Twizys feature one-plus-one seating, but Cargo variants trade the back seat for a parcel shelf, which might hold a single person’s groceries for the week.
Twizys aren’t sold in the United States for two obvious reasons: Renault hasn’t sold cars here since 1987, and the Twizy doesn’t make any sense on American roads (our cities are too spread-out, our roads too fast, and our drivers too easily distracted.) That’s what makes this one such a mystery—how did it get here? Twizys are sold in Mexico and Canada, but driving one to L.A. from either region is a little tricky given its short range and low top speed. Even the 50-mph Twizys probably aren’t highway-legal, so either someone took the scenic route or shipped their Twizy to the Golden State for reasons unfathomable.
Renault Twizy Review: Are Electric Cars Any Good? – /CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS
Our guess is that this Twizy could be a former Lime rental vehicle, as the mobility service reportedly added a few of them to its car rental service a year back before discontinuing the program in September of this year. We’ve reached out to the seller to determine how they got their hands on a Twizy, but until we hear their story, the origins of this seemingly America-legal Twizy will remain a mystery.
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