Citroën’s Ami Concept is a crazy vision of future motoring

The 2.5m long, 1.5m tall cube of a car couldn’t be more different from its Ami 6 namesake of the 1960s and ‘70s. Despite being one of the most challenging looking cars, the angularly-rebodied 2CV was at times France’s best seller. Fifty years on Citroën sees a similarly popular future for its funky electric runabout.

Although being shown in Geneva in concept form, Citroën has clearly put a lot of work into making the boxy and battery-powered new Ami a reality. This includes the way the driver interacts with it (via smart phone), the accessories you buy to go with it and most of all how you get hold of one. 

Options here range from renting one for five minutes from a shopping centre to leasing an Ami for five years – the monthly payments would even include parking – plus all options in between.

And you won’t need a driving licence, at least in some countries. In reality the Ami One concept is an update of the electric microcars that the French, especially, have embraced for decades. For their small size and restricted top speed they can be driven in some countries by anyone aged 16 years or older, whether they have a licence or not. In this respect the Ami concept fulfils its brief as an urban mobility alternative to public transport or electric scooters and bikes.

The concept’s electric motor is limited to give a top speed of 28mph with a range of 62 miles. A battery charge takes two hours from a special wallbox, or you can plug it into a standard socket at home using an extension cable. Battery charging, navigation, concierge services and even just opening a door to get inside are all managed via a smartphone app.

The 425kg two-seater comes with a very colourful graphic element to its design as well as something of the cheerful but robust nature of the 2CV. Like that famous old machine, it has a roll-back canvas roof.

With many of the body parts identical and interchangeable back to front, and side to side, the “object” – as Citroën curiously insists on calling it – is symmetrical in the extreme, to the point where you wonder which is its front and back. Using the same doors on each side results in an interesting quirk: one door open forwards, the other backwards.

For Citroën, celebrating its 100 years this year, the Ami One concept is not just about symmetry but is an “assertive, bold and colourful personality… a virtuous design and a hip and protective ‘object’ that offers enjoyment in the city.”

We just wonder whether you could fall in love with it like a 2CV… even the ugly old Ami had its admirers!