Citroën just announced the Citroën AMI, a two-seater vehicle that costs very little. It is specifically designed for urban landscapes and to make individual travel easier and more comfortable. All one needs to do is to pay up an upfront payment of €2,644. The lowest-tier monthly installments are just €19.99. People who don’t want to invest in a Citroën AMI can also rent the vehicle for a measly sum of €0.26 per minute via Free2Move, a car-sharing company.
What is the Citroën AMI all about?
Citroën is a company with more than a hundred years of history, and it is popular for launching innovative and unique automobiles. It’s also famous for its non-conformist design and making urban mobility accessible to everybody. It’s surprising solutions usually impress even the most critical reviewers. In fact, Citroën introduced the AMI One concept at the Geneva Motor Show 2019 to positive acclaim. The vehicle is an alternative to those who don’t want to ride scooters, mopeds, and other two-wheelers that are risky. It is also a more environmentally friendly alternative to cars.
Is this vehicle suitable in car-centric cities?
The vehicle seems to be made for European cities, and towns that have narrow roads. It is probably not the right vehicle for cities that have been designed with a car-centric approach. In other words, it may not be ideal for a city like Los Angeles, but will probably work in a place like Portland. This also brings us to the question of urban design, and how most cities are designed with cars in mind. Car-centric cities spew a lot of fumes and have struggled with noxious air pollution, haze, and micro-climates that are oppressively hot.
Vehicles like the Citroën AMI need better marketing
Nevertheless, this vehicle is a positive sign that there could be alternatives to cars and two-wheelers. It is not clear when this vehicle will be available outside Europe or if it will be available at all. However, it would be great to see more electrical vehicles such as the Citroën AMI.
One needs more practical solutions to reduce the burden on cities, and make private transportation more economically and environmentally friendly. This will help people to move away from gas-guzzling cars, and adopt more environmentally friendly solutions. The trick is to make sure that these cars are available everywhere, and marketed well so that people start buying them earnestly.
