1965 Citroen C/v on 2040-cars

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Citroen's quirky My Ami Buggy is going back into limited production

Surprisingly high demand has convinced Citroen to build additional units of the My Ami Buggy, an outdoorsy evolution of the tiny Ami electric two-seater. Production will again be limited, though there will be significantly more examples available, and the EV will get a few updates. Unveiled as a concept in December 2021, the original My Ami Buggy received an off-roader-like design characterized by features like black plastic exterior trim, a canvas sunroof, a roof-mounted spoiler, and tubular doors. Production was limited to 50 units and the entire batch was spoken for in about 18 minutes. Buyers who missed out are in luck: Citroen announced plans to build 1,000 examples of the second series. The Paris-based company claims the new version of the My Ami Buggy will be very similar to the original model with the exception of "a few surprises" that haven't been detailed. Preview photos suggest the EV will receive a roof-mounted trim piece with an integrated visor. It doesn't sound like Citroen will make changes to the Ami's powertrain. Classified as a quadricycle rather than as a car in France, the Ami is powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a 5.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and zaps the front wheels with 8 horsepower. It offers about 45 miles of driving range and a 0-60-mph time of never; its top speed is limited to approximately 28 mph. The updated My Ami Buggy will go on sale during the first quarter of 2023 and deliveries are scheduled to start the following summer. While the original model was sold exclusively in France, the new version will be available in additional European markets. Pricing information hasn't been announced yet but it's of little interest to us: nothing suggests the My Ami Buggy will make the trip across the Atlantic. What's in a name? Although there's nothing retro about the Ami, its name carries a tremendous amount of heritage. Citroen introduced it in 1961 on a model called Ami 6 and developed to fill the abyss separating the 2CV and the ID/DS. "Ami" means "friend" in French but it's reportedly an acronym that stands for "automobile de milieu de gamme" ("mid-range automobile"), while the 6 represents the flat-twin engine's 602cc displacement. Offered as a sedan with a funky, Z-shaped roof line and as a station wagon, the Ami 6 exceeded even optimistic expectations and became France's best-selling car in 1966. It was briefly offered in the United States but predictably sold poorly.

PSA Peugeot-Citro"en gets EU approval for life-line loan from France

PSA Peugeot-Citroën has been struggling to offer low finance rates to customers since its banking arm, Banque PSA Finance, had its credit score downgraded, which in turn has made it hard for the French carmaker to compete with brands that offer lower finance rates, such as Volkswagen. The French government recognized the catch-22 and, after negotiations with PSA and European Union approval, has guaranteed the banking arm seven billion euro in bonds to secure its debt and lower borrowing costs, Automotive News reports. The infusion of bonds will be spread from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016.
As part of the requirements for EU approval, PSA agreed to refrain from acquisitions in excess of 100 million euro per year and curb its debt levels, Automotive News reports. The EU Comission was required to approve the bond infusion before it could take place in an effort to reduce to a minimum "the damaging effects for competitors who have not received support from public funding," said Joaquin Almunia, EU Competition Commissioner.
In addition to the bonds for Banque PSA, a diesel-hybrid program will also receive 86 million euro from the French government, which was also approved by the EU Commission.

Stellantis wants to outfit cars with AI software to drive revenue

MILAN — Carmaker Stellantis announced a strategy Tuesday to embed AI-enabled software in 34 million vehicles across its 14 brands, hoping the tech upgrade will help it bring in 20 billion euros ($22.6 billion) in annual revenue by 2030. CEO Carlos Tavares heralded the move as part of a strategy that would transform the car company into a “sustainable mobility tech company,” with business growth coming from features and services tied to the internet. That includes using voice commands to activate navigation, make payments and order products online. The company is expanding existing partnerships with BMW on partially automated driving, iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on customized cockpits and Waymo to push their autonomous driving work into light commercial vehicle delivery fleets. StellantisÂ’ embrace of artificial intelligence and expansion of software-enabled vehicles is part of a broad transformation in the auto industry, with a race toward more fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in automobiles. Ford and General Motors also are banking on dramatically increased revenue from similar online subscription services. But the automakers face immense competition for monthly consumer spending from movie and music streaming services, news outlets, Amazon Prime and others. Stellantis, which was formed from the combination of PSA Peugeot and FCA Fiat Chrysler, said the software would seamlessly integrate into customers' lives, with the capability of live updates providing upgraded services over time. New products will include the possibility to subscribe to automated driving features, purchase usage-based car insurance or even increase the power of the vehicle with a tune-up to add horsepower. As a baseline, Stellantis generates 400 million euros in revenue on software-generated services installed in 12 million vehicles. To meet the targets, Stellantis will expand its software engineering team of 1,000 to 4,500 in North America, Asia and Europe. More than 1,000 of the expanded team will be retrained in house. Stellantis also announced a new partnership with Foxconn to develop semiconductors to cover 80% of the companyÂ’s needs and simplify the supply chain. The first microchips from the partnership are targeted to be installed in vehicles in 2024.