The Citroen Oli

[GiveMeABreak]

Reminiscent of the Mehari of ages past, but I don't like the upright windscreen. I can't see this being very aerodynamic and being vertical, is less likely to deflect any debris obstacles from the road, so possibly less safe...

[Paul-R]

God. What a plug-ugly vehicle. It should have been stifled at birth and left outside the back door for removal.

I've had #enough of it already!

[myglaren]

They didn't bother with aerodynamics as it doesn't go fast enough to matter.
As far as debris impacts, it is most likely to be cabbages, tomatoes and eggs, in recognition of its ugliness.

It does have a lot of very practical features though, There is a better video describing it.

[CitroJim]

I like it... Something refreshingly different and off the wall in proper Citroen style... I'd have one in a heartbeat...

There's a big article, a Citroen-penned press-release sort of article, about it in the current 'Citroenian', the journal of the Citroen Car Club. The flat and vertical windscreen is defended by saying the vehicle is intended to be used in urban environments at no great speed and therefore aerodynamics don't matter...

According to Citroen in the article, and reading between the lines or how you interpret it, aerodynamics don't play any significant part until you're travelling at over 200Km/h...

I wonder now why they ever bothered to expend such an effort on the aerodynamics of their vehicles of the 70s and 80s if it really doesn't make any difference at normal road speeds...

They must have very short memories...

Aerodynamics come into play at quite low speeds... Ask any racing cyclist

[MattBLancs]

If you slow the video down to 0.25x speed then you actually get chance to have a meaningful chance of a look at it, which I not sure I recommend!

Awful to my eyes, but modern car design generally seems to be aiming for ever increasing ugliness.

I see it has many of the modern car design boxes ticked:
- SUV or general "I'm a dead tough vehicle me" shouted loudly.

- Random flashes of an interesting colour to enliven drab resale-white main body colour.

- oversized and strangely oversimplified badge design (much like VW's strangely crude looking new version of the roundel)

That windscreen is just awful, looks like the curved screen is on long lead back order so just fling it out the door with an offcut of sheet polycarbonate in the meantime.

"Able to be used as a stepladder"

Well, good, now I know what's missing in my life!

Wheels remind me of something / an existing wheel design but can't put my finger on it.

[Dormouse]

I like it... Something refreshingly different and off the wall in proper Citroen style... I'd have one in a heartbeat...

There's a big article, a Citroen-penned press-release sort of article, about it in the current 'Citroenian', the journal of the Citroen Car Club. The flat and vertical windscreen is defended by saying the vehicle is intended to be used in urban environments at no great speed and therefore aerodynamics don't matter...

According to Citroen in the article, and reading between the lines or how you interpret it, aerodynamics don't play any significant part until you're travelling at over 200Km/h...

I wonder now why they ever bothered to expend such an effort on the aerodynamics of their vehicles of the 70s and 80s if it really doesn't make any difference at normal road speeds...

They must have very short memories...

Aerodynamics come into play at quite low speeds... Ask any racing cyclist

Aerodynamics start to come into play as low as 50mph/80kph. Also the centres of pressures shift (usually backwards) causing serious instability as speeds rise significantly. Aerodynamics do count below 200kph. Ask anyone overtaking a HGV in an empty panel van. Or sitting behind one up a long hill and then polling out trying to overtake.
Ask any cyclist why they draft.

[myglaren]

[Michel]

I bloody love it! Where do I sign up to buy one? It's absolutely fantastic!

[Michel]

I like it... Something refreshingly different and off the wall in proper Citroen style... I'd have one in a heartbeat...

I love it Jim, watch the video Steve has posted, it's much better. I'd buy one tomorrow!

[Michel]

Aerodynamics start to come into play as low as 50mph/80kph. Also the centres of pressures shift (usually backwards) causing serious instability as speeds rise significantly. Aerodynamics do count below 200kph. Ask anyone overtaking a HGV in an empty panel van. Or sitting behind one up a long hill and then polling out trying to overtake.
Ask any cyclist why they draft.

They do, but it's limited to 68mph anyway, so really not that big of a deal. It's the first real Citroen I've seen for many, many years. I love it. It's what the 2cv should have become.

[mickthemaverick]

Me too, it looks a cracker although I have to agree a flat but slightly slanting screen would look better even though it wouldn't then perform the sun ray reduction the vertical one is designed for!

[Dormouse]

There are hints of Suzuki styling cues in there that I see. As a "concept to road" vehicle we will just have to see exactly how it all plays out in the mainstream. If it gains polularity I will be surprised though it could find a niche somewhere.

[NewcastleFalcon]

First mentioned on the French concept cars thread by stu. ’(Sloppy sod)

I am very much with the Yeah-sayers as already stated elsewhere

Take the time to give it a watch with an open mind, its a yes from me, not really bothered what it looks like, it undoubtedly turns heads and I like it for that. It's a very different concept and direction altogether, from the type of EV's which have evolved first in the 2010 to 2022 period of transition, and in particular the over expensive, over heavy, over inefficient bricks for the well-heeled only phase.

See how now a 40 kWh battery gets an "only" in front of it. As I mentioned before my classic leaf has a 24kWh battery quite ancient now, but over the last 3 years we have done 30,000 miles in it all over our normal 3-counties range, and it has been a pleasure to own and drive, and once past the green novice phase, charging up becomes just normal and there are plenty of alternatives all now well-known within our usual stomping ground.

Regards Neil

[Dormouse]

This YouTube video gives a better look at the Oli concept and it shows more of the functional aspects of the concept.



The overall idea is one to be applauded. Light weight, multi use vehicle with green credentials.

Standing on the bonnet and roof demonstrates the strength of these lightweight panels but getting up to them is not easy and getting down even trickier with wide spaced stepping points and no hand grabs.

Metal frames are knee knockers and there is not a lot of legroom in what purports to be a roomy cabin.

Such a high, narrow opening is not easy to load or practical.

The tiny shallow front storage needs improved on.

These windows will be a pain on the move or at car park terminals.

Great concept which I do admire but it will have to be made more practical if it is to go mainstream. Excellent first step but I can't see it being a Mehari any time soon.

[MattBLancs]

Just watched the other video.

Seats and interior - great. Clever materials and 1000kg = brilliant. I see now that none of us would believe that the new cellular material referred to as cardboard wouldn't be suitable unless someone wasn't stood on it in every video - so get the need for that now.

Others thing that struck me, seeing it around other traffic, is it's flipping enormous! Had no sense of the scale of it from that first video.