Auto Express 1749

NORMALLY you’d look at a concept car like the Citroen Oli (above) and regard it as pie-in-the-sky thinking. After all, we see enough concepts that bear no relation to anything we might actually be able to buy. However, Citroen is different, ploughing a clear path towards value, style and sustainability. I’m liking what I’m seeing these days from the French brand that is fast reclaiming its crown as the king of original thinking. If it can put a car like the brilliant little Ami into production, why not the Oli? What I like most about the Ami is the purity of its purpose: it’s a city car plain and simple, with no illusions of being anything else. Having that clear vision allows the designers and engineers free reign to do…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Spiritual successors for the TT and R8 are being planned • Halo supercar will likely arrive before the end of the decade AUDI has put itself on the path to an all-electric future – but the German brand isn’t about to abandon the glamour and ‘halo effect’ of its two sports cars, the TT and R8. So even as those two models approach the end of their long production runs (see Page 10), engineers and designers are working on EV alternatives that will be offered by the second half of this decade. The premium German brand has gone through a couple of years of soul searching as it has tried to define a replacement for the iconic TT. The original two-door model stunned the car industry when…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk • TT and R8 specials revealed • Limited numbers coming to UK AUDI is focusing on an all-electric future for its TT and R8 successors, but the brand isn’t forgetting the sporty models that have carved the German firm out as a serious player in the sports and supercar sectors. It’s giving the TT RS a special send-off with this Iconic Edition, and is celebrating its special V10 engine with the R8 GT RWD, which will become the most expensive Audi ever sold in the UK when it arrives. Arriving nearly 25 years after the Audi TT made its debut in 1998, the TT RS Iconic Edition is limited to just 100 units for Europe, with only 11 cars coming to the UK. Priced from £87,650, it features exclusive…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars • Concept previews Citroen’s future design and engineering • Lightweight EV uses simplified tech and 40kWh battery IN an effort to break the mould of expensive, samey electric cars, Citroen has revealed a radical crossover concept with a major focus on sustainability, low weight and affordability. The Oli employs the ethos of the Ami quadricycle in a larger body, and previews design and engineering themes that will filter down to mainstream Citroen models to be offered in the future. The brand claims the Oli isn’t a direct precursor to a production model, despite providing specific technical details for the show car. The Oli aims to buck the trend of heavy, gadget-laden EVs, with a projected kerbweight of just 1,000kg thanks to the use of lightweight recycled materials, simplified…

PEUGEOT has updated its e-208 electric supermini with a new battery that gives the compact hatch an extra 23 miles of range. The 51kWh unit (48.1kWh usable, up from 46.6kWh in the old car) sees total claimed range rise to 248 miles; an update earlier this year had already boosted the figure from 217 to 225 miles. The car also inherits a more powerful motor that it shares with the forthcoming e-308 electric family hatchback. There’s now an extra 20bhp on tap, making 154bhp in total. Maximum charging speed remains at 100kW for a 10-80 per cent charge in less than 25 minutes. The updated e-208 will be available in 2023 and we expect a small increase over the current £30,195 starting price.…

WHILE Citroen is looking to the future with its Oli concept (left), the French brand is also celebrating its past with this Berlingo 2CV Fourgonnette. The project is based on the firm’s Berlingo van and has a corrugated bonnet and door panels reminiscent of the original 2CV. While these helped with structural rigidity on the classic, the fluting on the modern car is made from a second fibreglass skin and is purely for aesthetics. Similarly, the Berlingo’s lights and grille have been modified to ape the iconic 2CV’s front end. Conventional Berlingo powertrains will be used, and because that vehicle is also offered as a full EV, an all-electric Fourgonnette could theoretically be possible. The new car has been designed and will be built under licence by Italian company Caselani.…