We're driving around the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, two grown men enthusiastically describing 28mph circles for the camera in a tiny, two-seat Citroën Ami quadricycle that's road-legal for unlicensed French 14-year-olds.
Traffic swirls chaotically around the mighty monument, not least because part of the time my chauffeur, Citroën CEO Vincent Cobée, is driving into the traffic to give our camera the best images.
Nobody seems to care - apart from four gendarmes sitting nearby in a white Renault with blue stripes, clearly charged with keeping order. They allow a few passes, then reluctantly drive to where we've stopped while our photographer changes lenses. Trouble seems likely, but Cobée knows exactly what to do.
He opens the Ami's big door, jumps out, and strides towards the gendarmes, arms wide and a big smile on his face. He explains that this is a short-lived camera junket and he's the man from Citroën. "I can sell you one of these, if you like," he says, gesturing at the Ami. They smile, wave and drive off. It's an interesting insight into how Cobée gets things done. Our pictures are now in the bag.
I've come to Paris to spend a large part of the day with the Frenchman, who has been running Citroën for two and a bit years now. There's no suggestion he has a carefully nurtured, lifelong connection with the Double Chevrons; he has been too busy on a varied global career path for that.
But it has nevertheless become clear that he's the right man to explain the modern aspirations of Stellantis's 'different' mainstream brand.
Esta historia es de la edición June 01, 2022 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 01, 2022 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal