Citroën Ami

Is tiny Citroën the future of urban motoring or a G-Wiz reborn in funkier wrapping? As modern motoring diverges from the old norm of big traditional car makers making big traditional cars, we see this now and again: someone branching out here and there with something novel, taking a chance, a rare bet, a delve into ‘mobility’.What do, if we look back sufficiently far, the Sinclair C5, BMW C1 scooter, Reva G-Wiz and Renault Twizy all have in common? That’s right: they’re not offered here any more, and their manufacturers or importers don’t offer anything like them, either.So a prolonged first run and a commissioned second series is not a given as we welcome the latest entrant into an uncrowded field, the Citroën Ami.The idea was first shown as the Ami One concept at the 2019 Geneva motor show, gently rolling around the show stand itself, this cube on (relatively) huge wheels but with an interior straight out of the Transport for London design book, with blocky materials in light grey, highlighted in blue, orange or more grey (as here).Like all concepts from big manufacturers, it was so well finished that even though it was basic, it screamed luxury like a concrete-walled bar.The finished article, should there be one, wouldn’t be like that, they said. See how the doors are the same each side to save cost, and that the panels are the same front and rear for the same reason – though the rakish windscreen made it clear which way it was facing.It was designed to tempt the young into driving, so it’s a quadricycle, not a car – which frees it from various small-car regulations and, in various EU states, lets those as young as 14 drive it (that’s not the case here). And now it has landed in production form, after a short shall-we-shan’t-we from Citroën UK. But, basically, enough of us asked for it, so here it is – British ready and prepped for the Autocar road test.Range at a glanceThere’s no difference in mechanical specification between any of the five-strong Ami range, and only the Ami Cargo has a significantly different interior specification because it includes a cargo separator that sits on the right-hand side of the cabin and stops boxes from sliding into your legs, as well as hiding them from outside view.