It’s lightweight, it’s rugged and it’s a cross between a family hatchback and a pick-up.
And now Citroen is showing-off the car it says is the modern answer to cheap, electric family motoring needs by debuting its ‘Oli’ concept at a show in Paris, France.
We first got a glimpse of the Oli - ‘all-e’, is how you should pronounce it, apparently - in September last year and it’s now getting a proper public debut at the Paris Rétromobile Show.
The Oli is built from recycled materials that are so tough you can stand, sit or generally lounge about on the car’s panels.
A pick-up rear end is the car’s ‘party trick’, according to Citroen.
And because the Oli weighs just 1,000kg - about the same as a petrol-powered Fiat 500 - it’ll achieve a range of up to 248 miles between charges thanks to a relatively-compact 40 kWh battery.
While the Oli is unlikely to see full production as you see it in these pics, Citroen says it’ll shape and influence its cars of the future.
And if that results in a full production hatchback-pick-up crossover, then that’s interesting indeed, especially seeing as how Audi has also just teased a coupe-pick-up crossover model with its ‘Activesphere’ concept.
Citroen says the Oli is inspired by a bonkers concept from the 1950s - the Citroen C10 (below).
A spokesperson for the French firm says:
“Oli is an embodiment of Citroen’s new design direction and innovative take on the future of mobility, offering electrically powered family transport that is affordable, light, versatile and tackles society's challenges.
“Incorporating recycled and recyclable materials, Oli is designed to improve longevity, reliability and affordability, whilst demonstrating Citroën’s innovations including “mesh” seat backs, which require 80% fewer parts than traditional seats.
“The bonnet, roof and boot floor panels, all of which are made from extremely strong recycled honeycomb cardboard are also impressive as they can support a person's weight.”
The commitment to lightweight tech with the Oli is also fascinating.
As Vincent Cobée, CEO of Citroen, puts it:
“A typical mid-70s family car weighed around 800kg and was 3.7 m long and 1.6m wide.
“Today’s equivalents have grown to more than 1,200kg, at least 4.3 m long and 1.8m wide. Some even weigh more than 2,500kg. Legal and safety requirements have driven some of this, but if the trend continues and we carry on parking these vehicles 95% of each day and driving 80% of journeys with a single occupant, the conflict between the need to protect our planet and the future promise of sustainable, electrified mobility will not easily be resolved.
“Citroën believes electrification should not mean extortion, and being eco-conscious should not be punitive by restricting our mobility or making vehicles less rewarding to live with. We need to reverse the trends by making them lighter and less expensive and find inventive ways to maximise usage.”
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