Citroen Ami....

They look fantastic and an amazing bit of design (only one door design etc).

Anyone else really want one?

Yes. Are you paying?

We need a link! There are a few 4k€ ones here on Marktplaats, but I suspect that's not what you meant...

I'd be very happy with one of those on the drive. I wonder if I'd get my bike in the boot...

Anyone else really want one?

Non

It's not quite there for me, I'm just not urban enough.

At the moment it would work, my daily drive has become 4 miles of slow, traffic filled driving which is would be 'perfect' for, even if I'd miss my heated seats etc, my business travel has become less and less for obvious reasons and I suspect most of it won't return post-Covid, but I will always need the ability to transport myself and a pile of kit 100 miles at little notice.

I think it would be great for local delivery places, the lads who work for the local Dominoes franchise rip about like Rossi on their little scooters, I feel nervous watching them.

Really though, if things like this catch on, I think they'll replace a lot of bikes, scooters and public transport rather than cars, it's a solution, but perhaps not a good one.

I preferred the estate .... very, very French

It’s not quite there for me, I’m just not urban enough.

I'm full on rural (village shop) but we do alot of sub 20mile local trips & a few local deliveries. Branded up I think it would work well as a relatively small business advert.

We need a link!

Not available in the UK (yet), and post brexit it'll be at least 10% more but even at £40 a month it wouldn't put me off to be fare.

I don’t see it as an urban car anyway… despite the reviews. You need a garage… it’s a suburban commuter car.

i would love one for my daughter's first car, and her trip to school

only downside is the bleeding big hill between us and it. Both ways there's a 15% hill for at least a mile. It would never do it

Anyone else really want one?

Errr - nope!

https://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/concept-cars/citroen-ami-one-concept

What a great looking little car! Not a massive amount of luggage space and I'm generally against the "what we need is more cars" solution, but if one of those replaced each single-occupant medium-sized hatchback in standard traffic, queues would be a fair bit smaller.

I think it is brilliant.
So does Johnny. See at 18mins for the verdict.

I'm a little fuzzy on the operating model, can you basically rent it by the hour, Lease one long or short term, buy one or all of the above?

Anyway It seems like it could suit a chunk of our household's motoring needs.
My missus doesn't drive more than a handful of miles from our house, very seldom outside of town (30 limits).

The range might work for me commuting, but I'd need a higher top speed as my commute takes in 50/NSL limit A and B roads with tailgaters aplenty...

But just as a "Mobility tool" for the missus to run errands, shuttle the MIL about and me to take the kids to their various clubs and appointments on the weekends/evenings it would be a reasonable option IMO...

I’m a little fuzzy on the operating model, can you basically rent it by the hour, Lease one long or short term, buy one or all of the above?

In France euro6000 or so, lease for euro50(ish) and many car clubs use for a few euro's an hour.
I can see a dozen of these type of things emerging over the next few years - some quadracycle, some full cars but weeny (like the Twizzy, but more weatherproof.)

Is this just a modern version of those tiny cars you see convicted french drunk drivers in?

Really though, if things like this catch on, I think they’ll replace a lot of bikes, scooters and public transport rather than cars, it’s a solution, but perhaps not a good one.

I’m generally against the “what we need is more cars” solution

The thing with the other solutions is they're great on paper but rubbish in practice. If bikes, scooters, buses etc were a reasonable solution there wouldn't be a problem anymore. All those things have been round for plenty long enough (longer in some cases than the mass market car) yet they've solved very little and given up ground to the car.

Brilliant as bikes etc are, the problem is what people want, and they want personal space that's warm and dry in the winter etc. what they want is cars and the solution will be more cars that are better/good because that's where you'll get uptake and unlike human nature cars are fixable in our life time.

I do enjoy Jonny Smiths reviews, it's a good show he has.

Smaller EV vehicles are what most people should have rather than the path we are currently on. My neighbour's daughter has just got a Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 for driving 1 mile to work. Her previous car (for some reason still parked outside my house) a focus 1l. Why?

The Ami might not be the car that we all need, but if Citroens model is for short distance needs and hourly rental then there are people it will suit especially in cities.

It’s like a g wizz, but it actually works.
I agree, ‘we don’t need more cars’
But this type of vehicle is actually replacing cars. Even better, it’s replacing cars at their least efficient point of use.
Would be no use for me, but i virtually never do any town driving.
Light weight should be the future imo.

Love it.

Both ways there’s a 15% hill for at least a mile. It would never do it

Of course it will. Electric vehicles have max torque at zero revs and go up steep hills fine, just slowly. About 30kmh at 8% and 20kmh at 14% for the Ami apparently.

Want of the day.....

Both ways there’s a 15% hill for at least a mile. It would never do it

Of course it will. Full torque from the outset and weighs naff all.

As Johnny puts it, this is the ethos of the 2CV reborn.

It's not for everyone. But neither is cycling and walking. And some will still need a generic German 2.0d saloon. But for every one who walks, cycles, scooters, bus, train or Ami's, there's one less car.

If the UK price is correct, it's the same price as many cargo e-bikes - I was looking at buying one of those, but given I live in Scotland, for doing deliveries / trips to the post office this would be ideal.

(edit) to add, I've had 4 Citroen's over the years including a 2CV and a 1939 Traction Avant..

Was hovering over the buy button a couple of months ago (in Italy). They look great.
Only thing that stopped me was seeing that a second hand VW e-UP is a similar price, but it bigger with more range. In our rural location that might be handy.

Friends have a Twizy as a local (rural) runaround and I think it's excellent.  Bought cheap as needed some electrical work doing but seems perfect for nipping to the shops and running children around.  Apparently great fun too.

My journeys are either very short, or to long for something similar.  Hmmm, need to move the office...

Works for me.

28mph max speed makes it a no for me.
Milton Keynes is my local town, less than 30mph on the roads around here would be suicidal.
A max speed of 40 would make it feel more useful.

the problem is what people want, and they want personal space that’s warm and dry in the winter etc.

Precisely. When I worked locally, I walked or cycled to work, but that was about a mile away. Now, I work nearly sixteen miles away, to cycle that’s about one and a half hours, more likely two, at least, which would mean me having to leave home at 5.00am-ish for an early shift, and get up somewhere around 3-3.30am. On late shifts I’d be getting home at around 9.00-9.30 at night. Bugger that at my age!
Oh, and catching a bus, that takes at least two hours, and would involve changing part way and a twenty minute walk at each end on top.
It’s around twenty to twenty-five minutes by car...

Did he say leasing is €50 a month for 48 months? That's 600 a year. I'm sure by the time the UK catches on its going to be more like £50_60 PCM, but that's still relatively cheap.

That actually sounds like a good deal, assuming the mileage allowance isn't too low. But if you're only going to be trundling locally and happen to have a garage with a plug socket (which we do)...

I don't want a leccy SUV or a tesla, I wouldn't mind a small leccy hatch, but they still cost a shit load and an 'ami' actually seems to be a relatively efficient option for most of the same jobs, both upfront cost and resources wise (granted bikes/walking/busses are a thousand times more efficient).

I've registered my interest like a mug...

Its the most Citroen Citroen for a long time. I love it! Can see it doing really well as a holiday rental. Loved Johnny getting the drop on the Range Rover 😀

estate …. very, very French

Perfect for Mrs RNP who only works a mile away but post long Covid struggles walking it nowadays.
The only problem I see is the local ****s would tip it over/turn it round/move it when it's parked up.

You'd struggle to achieve a murder death kill with one of those badboys.

https://www.citroen.co.uk/about-citroen/concept-cars/citroen-ami-one-concept

What a great looking little car!

Yup that is. But that's not what made production.

This is.

It's like a bad impression made of blutac.

they want personal space that’s warm and dry in the winter etc. what they want is cars

Totally agree, which is why we need stuff like this, perfect for the one person commute that 99% of cars are used for twice a day. Remove the vast majority of the pollution and make them safer for the folk not in them.

Would love to have a go in one and see what it's like. Looks fun.
However, would be no use to us living in a small market town as many journeys are out of town in to NSL roads. 50mph max would be good but then it'd be classed as a car and not a quadricycle so then has to meet a lot more regulations making it heavier and more expensive and then not the same thing as it is now.

I like the concept and if I didn't have a NSL road between me and the village I'd be alot more sold on it. Once at the village it's 30mph the rest of the way into the city.

That would just be a mobile chicane on the NSL road mean while it's the size of a car and looks like a car so people expect a car and to be doing car speeds.

In that respect the safety of it in a.rear impact concerns me.

The twizzy can at least do 50. I'd be ok with that - that's keeping up with traffic.

All that said I won't knock the concept it looks ideal if your in the city /suburbs already it's just that NSL road that kills it for me.

I think it looks great and will be a good thing for urban environments.

Wouldn't work for me as I almost never drive locally (live in a medium sized town but only drive longer distances).

I read a review and it send the door needs to be open to charge it though - and charged from a normal domestic 3 pin plug. How would this work for outdoor charging? Especially in urban environments where people are less likely to have their own garage with socket?

The cheapest Renault Zoe battery rental in the uk is £49 per month.
I'll definitely be in the queue for one.

@paton - merci

I’m a little fuzzy on the operating model, can you basically rent it by the hour, Lease one long or short term, buy one or all of the above?

Citroen are hoping to sell lots of them to operators of shared car schemes, then that operator deals with finding space, charging them, billing, etc. A bit like how Devinci and Pashley make bikes for the London Cycle Hire scheme.

But they'll also apparently sell or lease them to private individuals for their own use. Doubt it'll make sense here - they'd be good as one step up from a mobility scooter (this sort of "car" is used a lot for that across Asia) but if they're legally a car here with insurance, licence, etc needed then it's not so appealing.

I love the detail of one normal, one reverse hinged door so that they can be the same part. Proper cost saving thinking there.

simon_g
Proper cost saving thinking there.

Traditional Citroen thinking. 🙂

Watched the review video and the things struck me:
1) that was a rubbish colour combo
2) it needs more lights front and back - small, slow things need to stand out. You'd have thought that they could do better now LEDs are so commonplace
3) a higher top speed would be betterer for safety - not much faster... 45-50mph would be cool.

Other than those bits I think it's great and I hope we'll see them on the roads here soon.

I think the front & rear bumper panels are the same and maybe the windscreen is the same as the rear window. It's a smashing little thing.