The New Citroen Ami

[DHallworth]

Who has seen the new, all electric, Citroen Ami?

I've been following this with interest and am really keen to be able to buy one as I believe it will cater for the majority of my journeys and will allow me to stop doing short runs in my V6's!

In France it costs €6000 which is £5054, top speed is 26mph, and it has a range of 47 miles from it's 5.5kWh lithium ion battery. It can also be charged in just 3 hours from a standard 13 amp plug!

Citroen launched a website to register your interest on Friday and have already had over 600 people register their interest as of today. Apparently it will only be available in the UK if Citroen UK can convince France that there is enough demand for it!

So... onto my ask! Can all of my fellow Citroen enthusiasts please register their interest so that we can hopefully get this quirky, wacky, typically Citroen into UK city centres?

Please take 2 minutes to fill out the form by clicking on the link below!

https://info.citroen.co.uk/new-cars/car ... r-interest

[NewcastleFalcon]

We had a thread on it a while back David, not sure the FCF faithful were ready for it then

viewtopic.php?p=602426#p602426

This is the official Citroen Video

Regards Neil

[DHallworth]

Thanks Neil, I hadn't seen that thread!

The majority of my journeys these days are 3 miles to my parents and back again to check they're doing ok. The road isn't fit to go much faster then the Ami can go anyway. If I can convince my wife to use it for work, the roads she use are all back roads that make B roads look like motorways and it's 7 miles each way!

If they price them similarly to what they are in France, €6900 with a €900 contribution then I reckon they could appeal in the UK to people living in cities. A lot of cities are adopting a 20mph speed limit so the Ami wouldn't be holding up traffic.

It's not a looker, not by any stretch but I think it's quirky and different. Seeing as Andre Citroen once said "Different is everything" I guess it's very Citroen!

I know they won't be to everyones taste, however, if you think about the purpose they are designed for as a tiny city car, they're pretty good at it.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Can a French resident order and buy one then sell it on to a UK resident maybe? One or two on the forum have homes in France I did suggest it to Old'uns in that thread.

I reckon if you can drive one out of the showroom for 6000 euros, it would be worth it for entertainment and head turning value alone. At one euro per selfie, all you need to do is get 6000 people who want a selfie to share with their internet friends, and you get an ami one for free.

What a stir it would cause in Staffordshire if you got one and ferried it home

Only available in France right now, so you are in position A

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Sorry to say I won't register interest in a vehicle which may be great in cities but will be a complete pain on the country roads I do 80% of my motoring on. Most of the roads are 'yellows' in rallying speak, ie coloured yellow on Ordnance Survey Landranger maps, and therefore national speed limit applies and I generally drive between 35 and 45 on them for my 30 mile route to Elstree. Consequently it certainly is not in my interest having vehicles which will effectively be mobile chicanes like horses and pony traps which cause enough holdups as it is!!

[DHallworth]

On the roads you describe, surely 35 to 45 is just as much as a hold up a national speed limit road?

I doubt you'd see that many of them outside of City Centres as they just don't have the range. I doubt you'd see many on your 30 mile trip as range anxiety would be in overdrive at that point!

David.

[mickthemaverick]

I drive as fast as it is safe to on the roads, I used to do rallying and thoroughly enjoy using the lanes as fast as is possible for the roads concerned. They are mostly narrow and twisty with few opportunities for the 45 end so no chance of me being a holdup.
However the route I drive through is a pretty affluent area with pubs, stables and country houses along most of the route. I could certainly see many of the residents buying such a car for their average 8 mile round trip to their local station for commuting into London. There are already a number of citicars in use in the area but they do zip along so are no problem. I pass within a mile of 4 such stations on the route and also pass 5 lots of local shops so ample opportunities for people to use the car for local trips. Sorry David, I would happily support a car with similar size and range if it was capable of 50mph, but 26 is just too slow!!

[xantia_v6]

In France, the the new Ami is classed as a sans-permis, not as a normal car (hence the speed restriction), and as such it does not require crash testing or various other safety items. Is there still a UK category for such vehicles?

[DHallworth]

I don’t think we have a category for that.

I know there are several in the UK already. A few at Citroen HQ in Coventry and a couple being crash tested.

I’ve been in discussions with the Citroen UK Managing Director and if the interest is there then they will arrive in the UK apparently.

I’ve no doubt it’ll be classed just as any other regular car though.

David.

[CitroJim]

Shame as if it had say, a top speed of 50mph then it would have been ideal for me and I'd have put my name down but its 26mph top speed would make it a lethal liability in Milton Keynes and the busy B road I regularly drive on my way to Salcey Forest...

As they say on the 'Den... 'I'm out...'

[NewcastleFalcon]

In France, the the new Ami is classed as a sans-permis, not as a normal car (hence the speed restriction), and as such it does not require crash testing or various other safety items. Is there still a UK category for such vehicles?

I don’t think we have a category for that.
David.

This was the legal-type stuff I dug out for the other thread. There will be a category for it, and if it mimics the TwiZY the uk version of which was classed as a "heavy quadricycle" and was a 50mph limit vehicle its appeal could widen.

Happy to have some research added, it was I while ago I dug the stuff out.

Is this category of vehicle (quadricycle??) legal in the UK?

Dont know the chapter and verse of the legal side of things but the Renault Twizzy (in the same category) is already on the roads of the UK. Citroen are launching it in France first, and with a big splash, so I reckon the legalities would have been one of the first things nailed down before the launch.

Autocar article
"Crucially, the Ami is classed as a quadricyle, like the Renault Twizy, which means it can be driven across Europe without a driving licence by those aged 16 or older." (In France 14 is the age restriction)

Regards Neil

The "without a licence" bit is

The ‘cars’ that can be legally driven by 16-year-olds

16-year-olds can now legally drive ‘car-like quadricycles’ on UK roads under pan-European legislation that came into force in January 2013 (MSN Cars).

The new rules were introduced following a reclassification of the moped licence category to include the new vehicle types. Any 16-year-old that passes the theory and practical Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) tests will now be eligible to both ride a moped and drive a ‘light quadricycle’.

The vehicles must not weigh more than 350kg ( edit exclusive of Batteries for Electric Vehicles) and have a maximum top speed of 28mph.

Gets a little more complicated there is a difference between a Light Quadricycle which can be driven on a "moped" licence (Category AM)

Category AM
You can drive 2-wheeled or 3-wheeled vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 25km/h (15.5mph) but not more than 45km/h (28mph).

This category also includes light quad bikes with:
unladen mass of not more than 350kg (not including batteries if it’s an electric vehicle)
maximum design speed of over 25km/h (15.5mph) but not more than 45km/h (28mph)

..and a Heavy Quadricyle which is Category B1.....and the Renault Twizy 80 version for the UK Market was in this category as it was the 80kmh/50mph version. The Twizy 45 was available in other european countries.

Category B1
You can drive motor vehicles with 4 wheels up to 400kg unladen or 550kg if they’re designed for carrying goods.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Sorry David, I would happily support a car with similar size and range if it was capable of 50mph, but 26 is just too slow!!

Shame as if it had say, a top speed of 50mph then it would have been ideal for me and I'd have put my name down

Now what's the one of the golden rules of making a sale

Overcome objections.... not that hard Citroen to get a couple of converts, just copy Renault

..and a Heavy Quadricyle which is Category B1.....and the Renault Twizy 80 version for the UK Market was in this category as it was the 80kmh/50mph version. The Twizy 45 was available in other european countries.

Category B1
You can drive motor vehicles with 4 wheels up to 400kg unladen or 550kg if they’re designed for carrying goods.

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Copied from Neil's legalities post above:

"16-year-olds can now legally drive ‘car-like quadricycles’ on UK roads under pan-European legislation that came into force in January 2013 (MSN Cars)."

Will that legislation still apply after Brexit on 31st December?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Copied from Neil's legalities post above:

"16-year-olds can now legally drive ‘car-like quadricycles’ on UK roads under pan-European legislation that came into force in January 2013 (MSN Cars)."

Will that legislation still apply after Brexit on 31st December?

Can't answer that question Mick, but I reckon you and Jim will be in posession of a licence to drive one just like me

Any 16-year-old that passes the theory and practical Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) tests will now be eligible to both ride a moped and drive a ‘light quadricycle’.

I imagine if a 16 year old right now has the AM category on their licence, it will still be valid after 31 December, just like all the categories on my licence I expect to remain unchanged. I wont be taking my bike test again

As the category is embedded in the issue of current driving licences, my guess is they wont have thought about it enough to change it, and the effect of the ability for 16 year olds, to drive car-like light quadricycles over the years since 2013 probably has had a totally minimal impact or application.

I may be wrong the streets may be flooded with 16 year olds driving light quadricycles restricted to 28 mph. I havent seen a single 1.

Anyone ever seen a Twizy on the road? Yes thats a heavy quadricycle in its UK Spec, 50mph restricted, and out of the league of 16 year old "drivers".

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

No I certainly haven't seen one on the streets at all, in fact the nearest thing I've seen was the mobility scooter that SWMBO had while awaiting her hip operation in 2017. I fancied having a go but couldn't handle the performance!!