We get behind the wheel of funky Oli

Concept showcases possible construction techniques, materials and tech for future Citroens. Short test drive underlines EV's promise

- John Mcllroy

ITS parent group Stellantis ahead with electrification, is pushing but in the future, what use will Citroen make of the technologies at its disposal?

The answer - or at least, the one that we've been shown so far - is the Oli. It's a pointer to how the French manufacturer is going to approach mobility beyond the cheap-but-limited Ami quadricycle. And we've come to an exhibition hall in Hampshire to get behind the wheel.

The Oli is designed to be light; the roof and bonnet are constructed from honeycomb cardboard, and the seats are made up from just three components. There are some clever design tricks to boost efficiency, too. Channels in the headlights funnel air up and over the vertical front screen, which itself does a better job of bouncing back the sun's rays, reducing the need for air-conditioning. And there's no complex infotainment system - just sockets for speakers and a smartphone.

The Oli's front doors are interchangeable; so are the bumpers and wheel arches. Half of the car is made from recycled materials, too, and all of it is recyclable.

It sits between a supermini and a VW Golf-sized hatchback in terms of overall dimensions, but with a long wheelbase, thanks to minimal front and rear overhangs.

Underneath it all is a 40kWh battery pack - modest by today's standards - but Citroen hopes that the Oli's light weight (it comes in at around a tonne) would help it to deliver much-improved efficiency, too. That could allow up to 250 miles between recharges although there's no word yet on how quickly those refills could take place. The target price, we're told, is around £22,000.

The theoretical top speed is limited to 68mph, but we're not going to get anywhere near that today- not least because this one-off concept is worth seven figures.