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Citroën Ami (electric vehicle)
The Citroën Ami is a two-door, battery-electric quadricycle marketed by the French marque Citroën since 2020. Designed by Pierre Leclercq and named after the model produced between 1961 and 1978, the production model was previewed by the "Ami One" concept car. Both the Ami and Ami One were developed simultaneously by Groupe PSA (now Stellantis) and Altran. The vehicle is manufactured at the facility in Kenitra, Morocco and is equipped with a compact electric motor located at the front, generating 6 kilowatts (8.0 hp; 8.2 PS) to drive the front wheels. The vehicle's diminutive size has been noted by car reviewers, with a journalist from The Telegraph describing being inside the Ami as "being inside a Lego brick".[1] HistoryThe French carmaker Citroën debuted the Ami One, a concept car, at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019.[2][3] It is named after the model produced between 1961 and 1978.[4] The doors are almost identical, with the driver's door being front-hinged and the passenger's door rear-hinged. This design choice was made to reduce costs by minimising the number of unique parts. The vehicle's front and rear bumpers are also made from the same components. A smartphone powers the information screen and provides audio to the car through the cylindrical Bluetooth speaker located to the right of the steering column. According to Jean-Arthur Madeleine, the Ami's interior designer, "the way to make it affordable was to avoid the redundancy of technology [...] everything is based on the idea that instead of having a lot of displays, everything is coming from your smartphone".[5] The production version of the Ami was unveiled in February 2020.[6][7] Pierre Leclercq, the exterior designer of the Ami, revealed that the production vehicle and the concept car were developed simultaneously. He also noted that the Ami's design was not intended to be carried over into Citroën's wider model line.[8] Manufacture of the Ami, which began in June 2020,[9] occurs at the facility in Kenitra, Morocco.[10] OverviewIt is a light motor quadricycle which can be driven in France without a license by people born before 1988 or by those older than 14 who have an AM license (EEA name)–formerly Road Safety Certificate (BSR) (national name). As a quadricycle it is limited to 45 km/h (28 mph). The Ami can be used for carsharing in the Free2Move network of Groupe PSA, rented or purchased, on the internet or in stores Fnac and Darty with which Citroën has concluded a partnership for the exhibition, sale or rental of the vehicle[11] from 30 March 2020. The vehicle can be picked up at a store, a Citroën dealership or delivered at home.[12] In June 2022, Citroën launched the My Ami Buggy, a limited edition (50) inspired by the My Ami Buggy concept.[13][14] In May 2023, 1000 second generation Ami Buggy were produced for sale in Europe, Turkey and Morocco.[15] In November 2023, the Ami Pop trim was released, which includes four alloy-look wheel trims, a black graphic strip under the windshield, black front and rear bumper sections, a rear spoiler and a set of door and quarter panels graphics.[16] In May 2024, the Ami was refreshed with a new color (Night Sepia), as well as other small changes, such as the drive select buttons being moved to the dashboard below the hazards indicator and phone mount.
Opel Rocks-eIn August 2021, Opel presented the Opel Rocks-e, an identical version of the vehicle for Germany only.[17] It went on sale in November 2021.[18] From 2023, it was renamed Opel Rocks Electric, in line with Opel's phasing out of the "-e" suffix on electric models.[19] From 2022, the Opel Rocks Electric is offered on the Dutch market as well, where it is marketed with the Citroën model.[20][21][22]
Fiat TopolinoThe Fiat Topolino is a rebadged version of the Citroën Ami and Opel Rocks.[23] It is the only vehicle of the three that has a different front and back design. On the front it resembles the design of the original Fiat 500, and on the back it features vertical taillights.[24]
Technical characteristicsTo save costs, the body is completely symmetrical; not only left-right symmetrical, but also front-rear symmetrical, except for the doors and the roof. The doors open in opposite directions, with the driver having a suicide door while the passenger door opens conventionally, allowing the same panels to be used. There are no other doors, making the storage spaces accessible only from the two side doors. All versions are left-hand drive, even those intended for use in the otherwise right-hand drive UK. The vehicle measures 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in) in length, 1.39 m (4 ft 7 in) (excluding mirrors) in width and 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in) in height. Its total weight including battery is 485 kg (1,069 lb).[25] The quadricycle is equipped with a 6 kW electric motor operating at 48 V.[26] It accepts a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 5.5 kWh, rechargeable to 80% in three hours on a 230 V household outlet, giving it a maximum range of 75 km (47 mi) WMTC.[27] ControversyDispute with ItalyIn May 2024, Italian customs blocked a batch of 134 Fiat Topolinos at the port of Livorno, Tuscany. The model was reproached for having Italian flag stickers on the doors, even though it was manufactured in Kenitra, Morocco. An investigation was launched against Stellantis, Italy deeming the stickers to be a violation of the 2004 financial law, which defines as illegal "the marketing of products bearing false and misleading indications of provenance or origin". It was this same law that had been invoked 2 months earlier by the Italian government at the presentation of the Alfa Romeo Milano, named after the Italian city of Milan but manufactured in Poland, and which had led Stellantis to rename the model Alfa Romeo Junior.[28] Stellantis justified itself by arguing that the company "operated in full compliance with the rules, transparently communicating the Topolino's country of production, without any intention of misleading consumers" and that "the sticker in question was intended solely to indicate the product's entrepreneurial origin. In fact, the design of the new Topolino, Fiat's historic car since 1936, was conceived and developed in Turin by a team of professionals from the Centro Stile Fiat of Stellantis Europe S.p.A., an Italian company. Moreover, since the presentation of the new model, the company has always made it clear that it is manufactured in Morocco".[28] However, despite this statement, it should be pointed out that the Fiat Topolino is simply a redesigned version of the Citroën Ami, which was designed by subcontractor Altran, and not in Italy.[29] Stellantis has agreed to remove the stickers in order to resolve the situation.[28] ReferencesNotesCitations
Books
External links
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Citroën Ami (2020).
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