Citroën reveals the My Ami Electric Buggy concept
Citroën My Ami Buggy Concept is a distinctive illustration of how Citroën Ami Electric could be re-purposed to help customers enjoy their leisure time in a new way. Clearly a trail-blazer, with extrovert, colourful and adventurous styling, My Ami Buggy Concept still strives to remain simple and functional in use.
My Ami Buggy Concept is a micro-mobility recreational vehicle for use at the weekend, on holiday by the sea or in the countryside, which wins its users over with its simplicity and practicality. This new emissions-free concept also enhances the pleasure of electric driving through the absence of any regular doors – both occupants are totally immersed in the environment and bathed in light thanks to the panoramic glass roof.
Samuel Pericles, Designer of My Ami Buggy, said: “My Ami Buggy is a proposition in line with the philosophy of Ami Electric, which is not a car. We have therefore looked for inspiration in the world of construction games for the fun and functional side, industrial design for ergonomics and aesthetics, encompassing everyday objects (furniture, lighting, etc.) and fashion accessories (sneakers, sports equipment, glasses, etc.).
The simple, extruded shapes of the camera and smartphone holders, for example, were inspired by the work of designers who created essential and timeless consumer objects in the second half of the last century. My Ami Buggy Concept needed to be functional and simple, in the purest spirit of iconic and contemporary industrial objects.”
Ami Electric for uninhibited adventure
Sitting securely on its wide wheels and chunky tyres, My Ami Buggy Concept has a resolutely adventurous character, highlighted at the front by its bull-bars, black contrasting trim and protective headlight grilles. On the sides, the silhouette is strengthened by wheel arch extensions and tubular protections along the bottom of the door apertures. On the roof, the roof-rack and spare wheel emphasise the concept’s spirit of rugged adventure. Most of the decorative elements come in a striking black contrasting finish.
The LED light bar on the front of the roof adds a purposeful touch, inviting the driver to head out into the night or the fog. Once stationary, everything comes together to provide a ‘camp-fire’ atmosphere, created by light diffused by the light bar and music from the remote speaker.
The regular Ami doors have been removed and replaced by transparent rainproof panels for use in bad weather – a nod to the famous Citroën Méhari. The clear panels are fitted with zips to enclose the passenger compartment, with high-level openings evoking the glazed doors on production Ami models. These practical, protective ‘curtains’ can be removed, rolled up and stored behind the seats in dedicated storage bags.
A vizor has been fitted above the windscreen, running out from the roof and offering protection against severe weather conditions. It provides shade in summer by shielding the occupants from the rays of the midday sun.
The wide ‘mud’ tyres and their matt gold rims provide confidence-inspiring road-holding and stability on all surfaces.
Although an unrestrained expression of Citroën style, the designers have ensured the concept is both realistic and totally fit-for-purpose. Fixing certain elements to the vehicle was a real challenge for the technicians who, in some cases, had to attach components directly to the tubular steel chassis to make sure they were secure. The bull-bars and spare wheel on the roof are a case in point.
Colours and materials
My Ami Buggy Concept is finished in three main colours: black, khaki and yellow. The black, inspired by camping equipment, reinforces the functional and robust nature of the vehicle. The different shades of black – Anodised Black on the wheel arches and roof, and Speckled Black for a hammered effect at the rear – perfectly complement the Anodized Khaki and Citric Yellow shades, combining to convey an adventurous go-anywhere appearance.
My Ami Buggy Concept sports a two-tone exterior colour scheme, giving it an attractive and dynamic design: Anodized Khaki at the front and Speckled Black at the rear, an interplay of symmetry that aims to clearly distinguish the front from the rear of the vehicle.
The Anodized Khaki shade offers an allusion to nature, while the black evokes strength and modernity. The choice of black was also motivated by the desire to use a darker shade that hides dirt.
Many key elements of My Ami Buggy Concept are highlighted by an occasional dash of Citric Yellow, including the seats, the charging cable, on the pods at the bottom of the door apertures, in the luggage area and on a number of accessories. This zingy colour also indicates that the highlighted objects serve a functional purpose.
Eye for detail
Taking customisation even further, some of the technical details really bring the vehicle to life. Themes run throughout, echoing the design of the brand’s chevrons, a strong marker of Citroën style – chevron motifs can be seen on various elements such as the wheel caps, side protection plates, light bar brackets, at the bottom of the bumpers and on the backs of the wing mirrors, as well as inside on the storage bins and dashboard.
The word ‘Pilot’ appears on the driver’s side of the roof and the word ‘Co-pilot’ is on the passenger side, while in the same nod to motor racing, the number 01 features on the driver’s seat and 02 on the passenger seat to indicate their positions.
Yellow arrow-shaped stickers under the spoiler show the direction of the air, in a tribute to aviation. Similar decoration is also found on the wheel arches.
A ‘+’ design appears in the driver-side mirror, referring to the electric motor, positive battery terminals and the markings in parking spaces reserved for electric vehicles.
Functional and ergonomic
Three main areas of My Ami Buggy Concept have been the subject of painstaking interior design work: the seats, storage spaces and the luggage area.
My Ami Buggy Concept features new Advanced Comfort® seat cushions, the foam in which has been increased from 35mm in Ami Electric, to 70mm for Ami Buggy. Adding memory foam has made the seats both supple and soft. The seats themselves can easily be removed, are interchangeable and washable. They are made by assembling two ‘shells’, one on top of the other – a design inspired by the construction marine buoys, creating a link with the world of beach accessories.
The storage areas are all cleverly designed and some are portable. Each has its own function within the passenger cabin and selected compartments can be taken outside for a picnic or when exploring.
The storage bins on the dashboard – accessories already available for Ami Electric – have been re-designed specifically for My Ami Buggy Concept. A matt gold metal storage rack is fixed above the bins to prevent objects from moving.
A unique range of luggage has also been designed for the concept model, each item of which fits perfectly into the vehicle’s interior storage spaces. A ‘bum bag’ attaches to a magnet in the centre of the steering wheel, which is specially recessed to accommodate it – the bag can also be worn by the driver or passenger when needed. A ‘sailor’s bag’ with a flap has its own place under the dashboard (the storage space that holds a cabin suitcase in Ami Electric). The sailor’s bag is held at the bottom by a tubular structure to stop it falling over.
Storage spaces are also built into the door apertures at seat height. These can hold smaller everyday objects or larger detachable bags that have been designed to be stored there, and which can be opened from the inside. A button unlocks the newly-designed ‘doors’, which open in the same directions as Ami Electric.
The charging cable, meanwhile, is fitted into a holder in the passenger door aperture.
Attractive and functional accessories
My Ami Buggy Concept’s accessories are more than just an exercise in style. They all have a usable real-world function. The designers were inspired by a wide variety of leisure activities, to come up with functional objects to make excursions aboard My Ami Buggy Concept both fun and practical.
One example is the holders for attaching a camera – a must to capture and instantly share highlights of your journey or the landscapes you are travelling through. Equipped with a universal mechanism to accommodate all types of devices, the holder can be removed using a built-in release trigger, allowing it to then be placed on one of the four anchoring points situated on the vertical frame of the driver and passenger door openings.
The external mirrors can be adjusted thanks to a ball-joint mechanism incorporated into design. They fit into position on the door uprights. They are also removable.
Cup or bottle holders can be found either on the dashboard, or where the bag holder is normally positioned on Ami Electric.
The smartphone clamp developed for Ami Electric, located to the right of the driving position, becomes a cylindrical holder in My Ami Buggy Concept, featuring an adjustable clamp on the right-hand side to hold the phone in place. The tube section can be engraved with the owner’s name – another new feature that some users would appreciate.
A new conical support has been designed to secure the removable speaker that sits in the dashboard recess behind the steering wheel.
3D printing is a much quicker process than traditional production methods, allowing faster progress from initial idea to reality. The accessories for My Ami Biggy Concept have been designed from scratch, can be 3D-printed and are therefore able to be reproduced on demand.
My Ami Buggy Concept is above all an invitation to have fun, to satisfy your thirst for freedom, quality leisure time and non-conformity. A study in style – which will be on many Christmas lists this December – My Ami Buggy Concept is just one of many variations that could be developed for Ami Electric in the coming months – the original mobility object developed by Citroën is always ready to explore new horizons.
