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This French Electric Sofa-Car Spins Out of Your Bedroom

Half a century ago, Citroen made a bold step launching a two-cylinder car with non-round headlights. It was economical and practical, but the design of the AMI 6 had nothing to do with beauty. Now Citroen has recalled the name, launching a practical and economical car with round headlights. Yep! It's still ugly.
2020 Citroen AMI 71 photos
Photo: Citroen
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If you don't care about the look of a car and just want, or need, an umbrella on wheels, here is the best offer: the AMI. Cheap to run, cheap to buy, small footprint for easy parking and a turning radius smaller than your sofa. These are the main characteristics of the Citroen AMI EV city car.

The vehicle was first previewed as a concept car in 2019 and, a year later, should have been on the main stage at the Geneva Motor Show. The show was cancelled due to COVID-19, but the car remained.

We know some people who will say that the car is ugly and some who will say that it is cute. But, at the end of the day, it is a 20 Euro/month electric vehicle that you can charge at home in 3 hours just like your smartphone. And you don't even need a special fancy charger. Just plug it into your regular 220v or 110v wall outlet and that's it.

The Citroen Ami has room for two, is 8 ft. long, 4.5 ft wide and has a 1.53 ft height. It features a huge greenhouse and the windows can be opened like those from a bus. Or from the 1950s Citroen 2CV: the side windows are opened by manually tilting the glass upwards, on a hinge. The doors also open in a strange manner: the driver's door opens forward, like the suicide doors on a Rolls-Royce Wraith, while the passenger door opens normally.

The dashboard has a simple TFT black and white display, while the infotainment unit is your smartphone, which can be plugged into a cradle on the dashboard. But don't charge it, because your range might be affected. The Li-ion battery has a capacity of 5.5 kWh and is good for a 70 km range under WLTP norms. Being so small it can be fully charged on a 220v outlet in just 3 hours.

The motor is good enough for a 45 kph (28 mph) limited top speed, so in some countries it will be possible to drive one without a driver license. Pricing for the vehicle starts EUR 6900, but in France it can be long-term rented for 48 months with an EUR 2,644 down payment, an ecological bonus of EUR 900 and a monthly rate of EUR19.99 + tax. Another way of using an AMI will be via car-sharing network Free2Move for a EUR 0.26/min fix rate.
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About the author: Tudor Serban
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Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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