Renault’s diminutive, electrically powered, zero emission quadricycle, the Renault Twizy, is already pretty green. But a new makeover by Dutch artist Jacques Tange playfully underscores the point, with an illustration of blue birds on a tree branch adorning the doors, a cartoonish orange cat stretched across the roof, and a green checkerboard body with leaves on the wheel guards.
Tange’s head-turning design was unveiled at the Masters of LXRY 2013 exhibition in Amsterdam in mid-December and will be auctioned off on March 30th in support of the Dutch Foundation KiKa, which fights against childhood cancers. He follows in the footsteps of Italian artist Paolo Gonzato, who in 2012 was invited to customize the revolutionary UFO-like car, which resembles a motorcycle-car hybrid. The urban vehicle was introduced onto the market in April 2012 after three years of development. It can carry a maximum of two passengers, takes three and a half hours to fully charge, and is priced at £6,895, or $11,300 at current exchange rates.
Tange, meanwhile, is known for his use of vivid colors, humor, repetitive motifs and ornamentation inspired by the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. He has been exhibited internationally and in 2005 scooped the Netherlands Artist of the Year award.
