Citroen’s most recent unveiling isn’t appropriate for UK roads or weather conditions.
Called the My Ami Buggy, it’s a tiny electric vehicle with off-road tyres, external storage bags and no doors that is a modern-era nod to the brand’s Méhari panel buggy, which is commonly used in coastal regions across Europe.
It is based on the all-electric Ami quadricycle, which goes on sale in Britain next year as a two-seat passenger car with a £6,000 asking price and a single-seat van to be used for urban ‘final mile’ deliveries.
Citroen has a vision of a buggy Ami electric vehicle that will not require doors. Its new Ami model, which is due to arrive in the UK this year, can be seen here.
While the Ami does not qualify for car status, it meets the 46-mile range requirements of an EV. However, this EV is certified ‘quadricycle’, which means it can still be driven in the UK as a teenager, as early as 16.
The model has a 28-mph top speed and is powered by a single, 5.5kW-powered battery.
It’s purely only a concept – and highly unlikely to go into mass production – that shows how it could be converted into a vehicle that helps customers to ‘enjoy leisure time in a new way’ and echoes previous beach buggy versions of the original Mini and Volkswagen Beetle as well as the Citroën Méhari produced in the sixties, seventies and eighties.
And you might see some features on the Ami Buggy that are most commonly added to desert-raid cars, Paris-Dakar entrants and hardened offroaders.
These include the off-road tires wrapped in tiny steel wheels. Because the vehicle is small, it is impossible for the spare to fit anywhere else.
It also gets bull bars, a metal grille to protect the headlights, extended wheelarches and an LED light bar above the windscreen.
The My Ami Buggy is an electric car that’s small and lightweight. It has off-road tyres as well as external storage bags. It’s a modern-era nod to the brand’s Méhari panel buggy (pictured right)
The Méhari is particularly popular in coastal regions and used as a passenger and utility vehicle. The Mehari was constructed in various countries between the 1960s and 1980s.
Ami Buggy, a prototype that shows how the vehicle could be transformed into something that allows customers to “enjoy their leisure time in an entirely new way”, is the Ami Buggy.
Citroen states that the latter can provide extra visibility for night-runs on dirt tracks. Citroen also claims it can provide a campfire atmosphere when stationary.
You will see a small peak at the roof below it. It protects the occupants from sun damage and is essential for vehicles that are intended for warmer climates.
However, the most significant change was the elimination of both doors. It not only boosts buggy looks but likely also offsets extra weight that is piled onto the tiny EV.
The vehicle has several off-road options, including bull bars and a steel grille that protects the headlights. It also features extended wheelarches, an LED light bar, and a metal grille for protecting the headlights.
Just like the Ami Cargo van with single seat and two-seat seats, it takes three hours for the battery to be fully charged using a domestic standard socket.
The most significant difference between the Ami standard and the Ami deluxe is the elimination of two doors. This not only enhances buggy looks but may also offset some extra weight that was added to the EV.
It will fit in my garage. In 2022, the Citroen Ami is available for purchase in Britain
Price: from £6,000
Open Order Books: Now (£250 deposit to register interest)
First deliveries:Spring 2022
Type of Vehicle: “Light Quadricycle” (requires full UK driving license)
Seats: 2
Length: 2,410mm
Width: 1,390mm (excluding mirrors)
Height: 1,520mm
Wheels: 14-inch
Highest speed 28mph
Range:Up to 46 Miles
Battery weight: 485kg
It’s a circle. 7.2 metres
Power:Electric motor
Battery: 5.5kW
Emissions: Zero
Side windowsTilt upwards (in nod towards 2CV).
Time for chargingFrom a standard domestic plug, it takes 3 hours
A tubular frame that provides extra protection for passengers in the cabin adds a few kilograms to the total mass. These storage bags contain a pair and a half of clear covers, which are able to be attached to the doors apertures. This will provide rain protection.
According to the brand, despite Citroen’s unrestrained style expression, designers ensure the concept is realistic and fit-for purpose.
“Fixing some elements of the vehicle was difficult for technicians. In certain cases they had to attach parts directly to the tubular-steel chassis in order to ensure their security. Bull-bars on the roof and spare wheels are examples of this.
Buggy comes with chunky, off-road tires wrapped in tiny steel wheels. The Ami is too small to store anywhere else so a spare wheel is stored on the roof.
The new design features include a variety of storage options, such as dashboard storage bins that are inspired from the camping world. The bumbag clips onto the steering wheel.
These panels are tubular and can replace doors. These tubular protection panels can be used to protect the inside of your vehicle from rain.
Samuel Pericles, the designer, said that the car was inspired by “construction games for fun and functionality, industrial design to ergonomics and aesthetics. It also encompasses everyday objects like furniture, lighting, and so on. Accessories (sneakers and sport equipment) as well as fashion accessories.)’.
He continued, “My Ami Buggy Concept had to be simple and functional in the spirit of contemporary and iconic industrial objects.”
The vehicle’s interior features brand new cushioning. This has been done to improve the ride quality, particularly considering that the Ami can be quite crashy even before it is considered to go off-road.
You’d see the Ami Buggy features added to toughened off-roaders and desert-raid car entrants.
Citroen says the concept is designed for leisure types who might already be using the old Méhari panel buggy (pictured right)
It is intended to shade the driver/passenger from the scorching sun during hot summer days by forming a little peak just above the windscreen
To change or wash the seat, you can take it out of its shell.
There are many storage spaces, including bins for the dashboard, that were inspired by camping.
Oddly, one is a bag that the driver can wear or attach to the steering wheel. Why? However, we aren’t sure.
Citroen gave many details on it but did not provide any information about performance, range, or whether the charging time of a three pin plug, which takes three hours, has changed.
The production plan for the Ami’s buggy version isn’t clear. Not that this will matter to Britons. They won’t be wanting a vehicle with no doors.
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