Citroen’s rugged, special edition Ami Buggy will go on sale in Europe next month, with a highly limited number of the French firm’s electric quadricycle heading to the UK.
Already on sale in the UK in both passenger and commercial form, the tiny Ami city car has proven popular in Europe. The Ami Buggy meanwhile will cost £10,495 in the UK, limited to just 40 units. A total of 1000 will go on sale across the continent.
The Buggy edition is based on a one-off concept, initially designed to highlight its versatility. It gains off-road elements such as a Khaki exterior paint with gold wheels, and black protective bodywork including a skid plate, wheel arches and a rear spoiler.
Its roof, meanwhile, is a removable, foldable canopy, while the doors have been replaced with a pair of side gates. The Ami Buggy’s roof also gains an extended overhang which acts as a sun visor.
We drove the one-off Citroen Ami Buggy concept in 2022. So, what do the Buggy’s rugged styling and features add to the small EV? Read on to find out…
Citroen Ami first drive
The Ami Buggy Concept is essentially a modern French reimagining of the Mini Moke and other small beach buggy concepts. With its small-but-chunky tyres, fun styling elements and open-air driving feel thanks to the absence of doors, you can see the appeal of using one for carefree cruising basking in sunshine on the French Riviera.
That appeal is tested somewhat in the cold, windswept car park of Stellantis’s UK headquarters near Coventry. Instead of letting in a cooling sea breeze, the open sides expose me to a stiff, icy wind.
I consider stopping to attach the transparent rainproof panels that can be added in place of doors to offer some protection from the elements (inspired by those on the Citroën Mehari, apparently). But in truth, they’re a bit of a faff, and with limited time I opt to press on, especially since the imminent threat of rain has added some urgency to our test drive.
The Ami Buggy may have rugged styling that hints it can conquer all elements, but as a one-off concept that was built purely for show, there’s a fear that wet weather could damage it. Best hurry to get some running in, then.
Except hurrying isn’t really an option: the concept’s chunky mud tyres, set off nicely against matt gold rims, look fantastic, but they only just fit within the Ami’s wheel arches. Turn the wheels too far, and they’ll start rubbing at the one-off’s customised bodywork. Largely limited to travelling in a straight line and very gentle turns, it’s predictably impossible to actually learn anything about the Ami Buggy’s dynamic potential.
That said, I’m not sure that matters. Taking a regular Ami for a quick dash around the nearby streets of Coventry is a reminder that this machine isn’t really about dynamics or driving thrills: its mission is offering affordable motoring freedom. In its original form as an urban runaround, the Ami is as much a rival to e-bikes and e-scooters as full-size cars.
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Proof that car prices have gone completely nuts if Citroen can get away with charging this sort of money for a glorified mobility scooter.
At least it gives people more than just the ridiculous looks to use as an excuse to poke fun at the owners of these horrible, expensive for what they are, things.
But, if people want such a cheaply made, very compromised, form of electric transport, why do we need to buy it from an overseas manufacturer? Surely we can make something better and cheaper than this in the UK and improve our economy in the process?
More interesting to look at than the standard model, but still an ugly little blob.
Also, too many compomises required where safety is concerened.