Even though it’s only just gone on sale in Ireland - and at €9,990, it is the cheapest electric car you can buy, although of course, it’s not actually a car, technically - Citroen is celebrating the fourth birthday of the adorable Ami and brought along an updated version for the Paris motor show.
65,000 customers
Already, the Ami has found 65,000 customers around the world, and that’s with a top speed of 50km/h and a range of 80km. No, Citroen hasn’t made any dramatic changes to those figures for the fourth anniversary of the Ami, but there are some interesting updates…
First up, there is actually a new Ami, which Citroen is referring to as the second-generation model. There aren’t any massive structural or performance changes, but the Ami does now get new headlights, which have little cowls and are mounted higher up. This gives the front end a different look, which is meant to ever so slightly remind you of a 2CV, especially the little corrugated ridges now built into the front wings.
Lego-like styling
The general style has also been changed, with the new Citroen logo, squarer edges, and sharper lines for the moulded plastic body. Citroen reckons that more than ever, the Ami now looks as if it could be made of Lego - praise comes no higher.
Wait, though, because now there’s an even cooler Ami, the Ami Buggy. Inspired by the classic Myers Manx Beach Buggy, the Ami Buggy sheds its doors, using instead simple bars onto which a surfboard or kite-surfing board can be hooked. There’s a full-length sunroof and an LED light bar above the windscreen.
Off-road tyres
The Ami Buggy also gets chunky off-road-style tyres, which sit further out from the body. There’s also a sticker kit to give the Buggy subtly different styling from that of a standard Ami, and inside, there are comfier cushions for the moulded-in seats.
For the Paris motor show, Citroen actually built an ‘Ami Tower’ in the middle of its stand, showcasing three Ami versions stacked on top of one another - those are a special Ami adapted for disabled drivers called the My Ami For All; a My Ami Rose Festival designed with rap duo Bigflo and Oli for the Rose Festival cultural event; and a My Ami Pep, which features more colourful exterior styling thanks to an enveloping set of stickers and decals. That one also gets the ‘My Ami Play’ interface, which turns your smartphone into a dashboard with quick access to navigation, music, radio or phone calls.