The Prince of Asturias expressed his enthusiasm for Renault's Twizy, the first electric car to be built wholly in Spain, during a visit to the French multinational's factory in Valladolid today.

Felipe of Borbón inaugurated Renault's new Z.E. industrial workshop Valladolid, where productio of the Twizy will begin in November, ready for a market launch in France by the end of the year and in Spain probably in March 2012.

The prince got to drive one of the Twizy that have already been manufactured at the plant and "liked it very much" according to the Minister for Industry, Miguel Sebastián, who joined the prince in Valladolid this morning.

Speaking to the press after the event, the minister said that "from outside il looked as if "the prince "was going to be uncomfortable and squashed", because of the Twizy's tiny proportions. "But not at all.  The design makes it very roomy inside, no matter how tall you are", he added.
 
 The Minister also pledged his support for the car, saying its success would not be limited solely to "towns and cities", but also "for tourists", through initiatives such as "hourly rental packages".

For his part, Renault's Director of Comunication, Jesús Presa, reiterated that Felipe de Borbón "was confident about the success" of the Twizy, and that "he liked the innovation,

the design and the whole global concept of the electric car".  He added that the prince had been "frankly impressed" by the Twizy and went away with a "great impression" of it.

130 people will work on the Valladolid production line manufacturing the Twizy exclusively for the whole world.  The new 9,000 sqaure metre factory will produce 12 vehicles an

hour, equating to 20,000 units a year, although production could be increased to as much as 60,000 if there were sufficient worldwide demand.