How much aluminium, PVC and other problem substances does the Twingo SmILE contain ?
No harmful substances such as CFCs or PVC were introduced into the original Twingo in the course of the conversion. Nevertheless, to reduce the weight of the Twingo, the original material in the front and rear axle, wheel suspension and seat structure was replaced by aluminium. In 1995, the average passenger car in Europe contained 6% of aluminium (65 kg), with a rising trend. Seven percent of the Twingo SmILE is aluminium (45 kg). The use of aluminium is not unproblematic especially because of the high consumption of energy in the manufacture of virgin aluminium. Up to now there exist no product life-cycle analyses comparing the raw material extraction, life span, energy requirements, proportion of pollutants in production, recycling process and disposal of aluminium with conceivable substitute materials such as glass or carbon fibres. Recycled aluminium as used in the Twingo SmILE is, nevertheless, when it is processed without composite materials for example in the engine block, an a
