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Citroen My Ami Buggy goes into limited production

Back in December, Citroen turned its tiny, low-speed electric Ami into a chunky little beach cruiser called the My Ami Buggy. It had fat tires and a bunch of off-road accessories that were probably more form than function, but it was a fun and funky little thing. Apparently a lot of people agreed and Citroen has made the decision to actually bring the My Ami Buggy to reality, though in extremely limited numbers. Like the concept, the My Ami Buggy features unique khaki-tinted plastic body panels. It also picks up a variety of exterior panels from higher trim Pop and Vibe variants, such as the bumpers, wheel arches, rear spoiler and such. There are also other concept-inspired touches such as the lime-yellow accents and arrows and contrasting black roof. Some things did change in the shift to production. Instead of no doors, the production model gets tube doors, like you'd find on many modded Jeep Wranglers. The extra fat tires and tiny wheels give way to more practical larger wheels and conventional tires. The wheels look great, though, in their khaki gold color and black center caps. There isn't a roof rack or auxiliary lights anymore, but the trade-off is that the My Ami Buggy gets a canvas roll-back roof for even greater open-air enjoyment. The inside of the My Ami Buggy features black fabric upholstery along with lime-yellow stitching and other accents, plus a few interior storage options. The floor mats continue the color scheme. And like all special editions, this car will get special badges and plates, one of which has possibly the best phrasing ever: "My Ami Buggy ULTRA SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION." Only 50 of the buggies will be built, and all of them will be sold in France. Pricing hasn't been set, but this is one ultra-limited edition car that will probably be affordable. After all, the base Ami starts at less than $10,000. If you happen to live in France and want to get one, they go on sale online on July 21 with deliveries starting on August 8. Related video: You Can Drive This 1 Horsepower Car On The Road Without A License | The List

Trump Administration will look 'very carefully' at FCA/Peugeot deal

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will look very closely at the planned merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday. The deal, announced on Thursday, would create the world's fourth-largest automaker. "We will obviously look at it very, very carefully," Kudlow said on Bloomberg. "The president has not commented on the deal ... We're not afraid of doing business with international companies, Lord knows." When asked about the 12.2% equity stake and 19.5% voting stake China's Dongfeng Motors holds in PSA, Kudlow said: "With respect to the Chinese story, we obviously are alert and on guard." The deal, which would be structured as a 50-50 merger, would create the fourth-largest global automaker with annual sales of nearly 9 million vehicles. Fiat Chrysler told employees the deal could generate synergies of 3.7 billion euros but added "these synergies are NOT based on closing plants." Fiat Chrysler declined to comment. There has been speculation Dongfeng might sell its holdings, which could help ease the deal's passage through U.S. regulators, given U.S.-Chinese trade tensions. "We will welcome a good deal. We hope it will get more production in the United States, more factories and workers and employment in the U.S. And with respect to the Chinese angle, we will take a careful look at it," Kudlow said. Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday that "teams at both companies are working to finalize discussions and reach a Memorandum of Understanding in the coming weeks."

PSA reportedly ditching its two tiny gasoline city cars ahead of merger

The Peugeot 108.   PARIS — PSA is ending the production of Peugeot and Citroen small city cars, three sources told Reuters, withdrawing from an increasingly unprofitable market as its starts a strategic review ahead of its planned merger with Fiat Chrysler. While PSA had already agreed to sell its stake in its Czech joint venture with Toyota where the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 models are made, the decision to stop selling the gasoline cars altogether has just been taken, the sources said. Carmakers are reviewing the production of vehicles with combustion engines as they need to fit costly exhaust filtering systems to meet tighter emissions laws. That's pushing up the cost of some so-called entry-level A segment cars to the point where they are hard to justify economically. "PSA is getting out of both the factory and the A segment business, as it is offered today, and on which manufacturers have arguably lost the most money in Europe," one of the sources familiar with the matter said. PSA declined to comment on the future of the two small cars. It said it was reviewing which products would best meet customer expectations in the A segment and cope with European carbon emissions targets. "This means a reflection with fresh and disruptive ideas," a spokesman for the French carmaker said. The European Commission is planning to tighten its emissions limits for cars under new proposals designed to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas output further by 2030. PSA's merger project with FCA has also increased the options available, two of the sources said, as the Italian-U.S. company has no intention of abandoning its small best-selling Panda and 500 models. Both already have hybrid versions and the 500 is also available in full electric mode. "Current projects could be replaced by new ones made possible by the merger with FCA", another source said. "The merger is turning all the cards around, especially when you consider that the A segment, from the very first 500 to the Panda, is inseparable from Fiat history". FCA declined to comment. PSA and FCA aim to finalize their merger in the first quarter next year to create a new company called Stellantis, which will be the fourth-biggest automaker in the world. Market contraction The European market for frugal city cars has been shrinking for several years.