GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: 2014 Renault Twingo

Renault showed off its city-chic Twingo micro car in Geneva this week, the tiny runabout zooming around the Renault exhibit to the gasps of onlookers standing only centimetres away.

Gifted with a hard-to-believe 8.65 metre turning-circle it's one of the most manoeuvrable cars available today, and shares its underpinnings with thenext generation Mercedes-Benz smart Fortwo.

The Twingo features a rear-mounted turbo-petrol engine hidden underneath the boot. It's also a rear-wheel drive vehicle, a key factor in the car's snug turning-circle.

The Twingo looks like a sporty little number and the new layout appears to lend itself to high performance applications, but the reality is that a Renault Sport or 'RS' version is unlikely, says the car's designer, Laurens van den Acker.

As Renault's senior vice president of corporate design, van den Acker is deeply involved with new vehicle development at the French car company, and though he says a Twingo RS is "high on my Christmas list," he concedes "it's not sure at all" due to the car's tiny rear engine compartment.

"If I had a wish, it would be to make a proper RS version. But it's too early to say," he said at the Geneva motor show.

Van den Acker agreed that the car's rear-engine, rear-drive layout results in an engaging, sporty driving experience, and hopes that aftermarket car tuners will deliver something akin to the 250km/h Twingo-based Twin'Run concept (second image), which was powered by a 285kW/380Nm V6 engine.

"I think this cocktail of a small car, rear engine, rear-wheel drive begs the question, you know. I think all the enthusiasts are wishing for that. I hope there will be a couple of tuners that grab the opportunity to do something with it."

A more likely scenario is that Renault would offer a better handling Twingo with tweaks to the suspension and tyres. "That should be possible," says van den Acker.

"But the guys told me let's first launch the cars and let's see if they go, and then we'll figure out if we can do a sporty version. It's always easier afterwards to do a sportier version."

Standard Renault Twingo models are powered by a 66kW/135Nm 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, that hides underneath the boot floor. There's also a less powerful 1.0-litre non-turbo petrol engine.

The Twingo has 219 litres of boot space, and poking around in the back of the car it was surprising how much room there was, considering there's an engine tucked underneath the floor. The tiny 3590mm long French car also has 50/50 split folder rear seats, meaning you can squeeze decent sized objects into it, up to 2.2 metres long, claims the company.

The new five-door, five-seat Renault Twingo is available in right-hand drive (RHD), the configuration required in Australia.

It goes on sale in the UK, another major RHD market, in September 2014 but Renault Australia is currently focused on promoting its Clio light car. That the Twingo is only offered with a five-speed manual gearbox is also another hurdle to overcome, and Renault Australia says there are no immediate plans to bring the Twingo here.